cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Factors and Conditions Influencing Military Neurosurgery Recruitment and Retention

INTRODUCTION The Defense Health Agency has shifted focus of military medicine to operational readiness. As such, neurosurgery remains a critical wartime specialty. We investigate the factors impacting recruitment and retention of military neurosurgeons. METHODS Survey of military neurosurgeons was performed via the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Joint Committee of Military Neurosurgeons and the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies. Retention and recruitment were queried. RESULTS 93/119 (78.2%) current or previously affiliated military neurosurgeons would recommend service as a military neurosurgeon to a colleague. Those who felt a sense of patriotism were 4.3 times more likely to recommend military service (P = 0.027, CI 1.19-16.82). Those who developed a sense of camaraderie showed a trend to recommending military neurosurgery (P = 0.058, CI 0.95-9.78). Those with a current military obligation were.28 times (P = 0.02, CI 0.09-0.85) as likely to recommend service. Military physicians who felt a need for reform to increase salary were 2.5 times less likely to be retained. DISCUSSION Service in the US military is a positive experience with camaraderie, patriotism, and unique military experiences predictive of recruitment. Meanwhile, focus on pay discrepancy can result in lost retention. These factors should be explored regarding recruitment and retention of military neurosurgeons.
The Association of AUSCAN and PRWHE Patient-reported Outcome Measures With Radiographic Progression of Early Thumb Carpometacarpal Arthritis at 36-Month Follow-up Is Limited to Subtle Changes in the Pain Subscale.

BackgroundThere is a paucity of literature that examines how patient-reported outcomes correspond to early radiographic progression of thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis (OA). This study ex...
Evolution and egalitarianism: A behavioral account of managers' performance pay decisions

I advance a behavioral account of managers’ performance pay decisions that is grounded in evolutionary psychology. In doing so, I seek to explain a common organizational phenomenon — compression in employees’ merit pay bonuses. My behavioral account puts forward two propositions. First, that compression in awards is a consequence of a fundamental human proclivity for egalitarianism. Second, that individual managers will differ in their preferences for egalitarianism: In any given organizational context, some managers will tend to be more egalitarian than other managers. Consistent with these propositions, I observe two clear patterns in how federal managers distribute performance pay awards to the group members they supervise. The first is a marked tendency for managers to give all group members awards of the same or similar size. The second is a considerable amount of between-manager variation in this tendency that cannot be explained by relevant group-level variables, such as group size and occupational diversity. To the extent feasible given my data, I probe whether my behavioral account does a better job explaining these patterns than plausible alternative explanations that are based in economics. One key implication of my theory and findings is that organizations cannot count on managers to aggressively differentiate between individual employees when they distribute performance pay awards. A second key implication is that organizations cannot rely on their managers to uniformly implement a given performance pay plan.
Aeromonas hydrophila RIT668 and Citrobacter portucalensis RIT669-Potential Zoonotic Pathogens Isolated from Spotted Turtles.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century, and biofilm formation enables bacteria to resist antibiotic at much higher concentrations than planktonic cells. Earlier, we showed that the Gram-negative Aeromonas hydrophila RIT668 and Citrobacter portucalensis RIT669 (closely related to C. freundii NBRC 12681) from infected spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata), formed biofilms and upregulated toxin expression on plastic surfaces, and were predicted to possess multiple antibiotic resistance genes. Here, we show that they each resist several antibiotics in the planktonic phase, but were susceptible to neomycin, and high concentrations of tetracycline and cotrimoxazole. The susceptibility of their biofilms to neomycin and cotrimoxazole was tested using the Calgary device. For A. hydrophila, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 500–1000, and the minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) > 1000 μg/mL, using cotrimoxazole, and MIC = 32.3–62.5, and MBEC > 1000 μg/mL, using neomycin. For C. freundii MIC = 7.8–15.6, and, MBEC > 1000 μg/mL, using cotrimoxazole, and MIC = 7.8, and MBEC > 1000 μg/mL, using neomycin. Both A. hydrophila and C. portucalensis activated an acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) dependent biosensor, suggesting that quorum sensing could mediate biofilm formation. Their multidrug resistance in the planktonic form, and weak biofilm eradication even with neomycin and cotrimoxazole, indicate that A. hydrophila and C. portucalensis are potential zoonotic pathogens, with risks for patients living with implants.
Linear Systems can be Hard to Learn.

In this paper, we investigate when system identification is statistically easy or hard, in the finite sample regime. Statistically easy to learn linear system classes have sample complexity that is polynomial with the system dimension. Most prior research in the finite sample regime falls in this category, focusing on systems that are directly excited by process noise. Statistically hard to learn linear system classes have worst-case sample complexity that is at least exponential with the system dimension, regardless of the identification algorithm. Using tools from minimax theory, we show that classes of linear systems can be hard to learn. Such classes include, for example, under-actuated or under-excited systems with weak coupling among the states. Having classified some systems as easy or hard to learn, a natural question arises as to what system properties fundamentally affect the hardness of system identifiability. Towards this direction, we characterize how the controllability index of linear systems affects the sample complexity of identification. More specifically, we show that the sample complexity of robustly controllable linear systems is upper bounded by an exponential function of the controllability index. This implies that identification is easy for classes of linear systems with small controllability index and potentially hard if the controllability index is large. Our analysis is based on recent statistical tools for finite sample analysis of system identification as well as a novel lower bound that relates controllability index with the least singular value of the controllability Gramian.
Government services bus (GSB): Opportunity to improve the quality of data entry

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consists of 26 agencies. Each agency is composed of branches that are spread across the KSA. Some have the authority to strategically attract and hire people. Most agencies and branches do not interchange data with each other. People who want to apply to a university for study or to the public government for work have to enter all of their personal data each time. A government services bus (GSB) is a platform that enables agencies and the associated branches to integrate and interlink in order to share data. Most agencies are unaware of the advantages of GSB. COVID-19 has locked down the world in many aspects. This study aims to identify the purpose of GSB and its advantages in order to raise awareness in the agencies, branches, and communities. A questionnaire was conducted to measure the awareness of GSB. Awareness is an essential factor that allows a government agency to understand why it should interlink with GSB. There are numerous advantages to sharing and interchanging data among agencies and providing e-services to other agencies and citizens. © 2021, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.
Malaria parasite beats the heat

The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum survives fever during human infection by using a transcription factor to regulate its heat-shock response.
Electron g — 2 and High Precision Determination of α

Recent progress in the Penning trap measurement of the magnetic moment anomaly a of the electron and positron has enabled Dehmelt and coworkers to determine a to a precision of 4 × 10−9, providing the strongest challenge to date to the validity of QED. Calculation of a up to the order α4, where α is the fine structure constant, has now reached the point where the intrinsic theoretical uncertainty is comparable to that of the measurements. Unfortunately rigorous test of QED itself must be postponed until a better value of α becomes available. Pending improved measurement of α, however, one can determine α from theory and the experimental value of a to a precision better than 1 × 10−8, which is much more accurate than the α’s determined from the ac Josephson effect, the quantized Hall effect, or the hyperfine structure of the muonium ground state.
Black-white earnings ratios: the role of cohort size effects.

Abstract While black-white earning ratios have been rising over time across cohorts there is some evidence that they have been dropping over time within cohorts of recent entrants to the labor market. This has coincided with the entry of the large baby boom cohorts into the labor market. This paper examines the role of race differences in cohort size effects on black-white earnings ratios for male high school graduates using Current Population Survey data. In larger cohorts, the black-white earnings ratio is lower at entry and falls as the cohort progresses through the career, consistent with recent evidence.
Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers for integrated optoelectronics

Within the past two years vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) have transitioned from being the subject of exploratory research in a few scattered groups around the world to the focus of serious development efforts in numerous major corporations. In fact, the turning point seemed to occur about two years ago--perhaps due in part to the important talks and discussions at the last Semiconductor Laser Conference in Davos[I-61. At that time the 'main-stream' diode laser worker harbored many doubts about the viability of this new device. The modest performance that then existed was seen by many as indicative of what could be expected. Needless to say, we now know that VCSELs have emerged as completely viable sources, which might even fulfill the outlandish predictions made at Davos that VCSELs would be the dominate diode laser by the turn of the century. Although their performance still falls short of in-plane devices, theoretical models predict that significant improvements should be soon forthcoming. Moreover, the inherent advantages of wafer-scale manufacturability and testability as well as efficient coupling to fibers or other low numerical aperture optics suggests that many niches for VCSELs will emerge.
Octreotide treatment of chylothorax in pediatric patients following cardiothoracic surgery

Objective. To analyze the efficacy and safety of octreotide treatment of persistent chylothorax in pediatric patients following cardiothoracic surgery. Design. Retrospective chart review of patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit of a tertiary care center over a 10-year period (1998–2008). Nineteen patients were identified who underwent treatment with octreotide for persistent chylothorax following cardiothoracic surgery. We analyzed data regarding age, sex, type of cardiac lesion and surgical procedure, postoperative day octreotide therapy was initiated, maximum drainage prior to and during octreotide therapy, dose range of octreotide, days to resolution, and complications. Results. Twelve patients (63%) experienced resolution of their chylothorax during octreotide treatment. Fourteen patients (74%) demonstrated a decrease in the peak effusion drainage rate following initiation of octreotide therapy, though two of these patients ultimately required further surgical intervention to achieve resolution. Octreotide treatment was associated with unchanged or increased effusion drainage rate in four patients (21%). Patients that responded to octreotide had a lower mean maximal drainage prior to octreotide initiation. Two patients experienced side effects temporally associated with octreotide therapy (transient hypoglycemia and diarrhea). No serious side effects were identified. Conclusions. Octreotide treatment of chylothorax in combination with dietary modifications in pediatric patients following cardiothoracic surgery resulted in a reduction of peak effusion drainage and eventual resolution in the majority of cases with few and transient side effects.
Tapestry: A Dynamic Mesh-based Display Representation for Interactive Rendering

This paper presents a new method for interactive viewing of dynamically sampled environments. We introduce a 3D mesh-based reconstruction called a tapestry that serves both as the display representation and as a cache that supports the re-use of samples across views. As the user navigates through the environment, the mesh continuously evolves to provide an appropriate image reconstruction for the current view. In addition, the reconstruction process provides feedback to the renderer to guide adaptive sampling.
Success of Default Logic

Ray Reiter’s Logic for Default Reasoning was published almost twenty years ago, but it is widely used today by researchers in knowledge representation, commonsense reasoning and logic programming. This note is a collection of random comments on aspects of this success story.
Rings of Quotients

In commutative algebra, localization of commutative rings R with respect to multiplicative sets S ⊆ R provides a powerful tool for proving theorems. For noncommutative rings, however, localization is a much more difficult proposition.
A Sparser Johnson-Lindenstrauss Transform

We give a Johnson-Lindenstrauss transform with column sparsity s = Θ(e−1 log(1/δ)) into optimal dimension k = O(e−2 log(1/δ)) to achieve distortion 1±e with success probability 1−δ. This is the first distribution to provide an asymptotic improvement over the Θ(k) sparsity bound for all values of e, δ. Previous work of [Dasgupta-Kumar-Sarlos, STOC 2010] gave a distribution with s = O(e−1 log(1/δ))1, with tighter analyses later in [Kane-Nelson, CoRR abs/1006.3585] and [Braverman-Ostrovsky-Rabani, CoRR abs/1011.2590] showing that their construction achieves s = O(e−1 log(1/δ)). As in the previous work, our scheme only requires limited independence hash functions. In fact, potentially one of our hash functions could be made deterministic given an explicit construction of a sufficiently good error-correcting code. Our linear dependence on log(1/δ) in the sparsity allows us to plug our construction into algorithms of [Clarkson-Woodruff, STOC 2009] to achieve the fastest known streaming algorithms for numerical linear algebra problems such as approximate linear regression and best rank-k approximation. Their reductions to the Johnson-Lindenstrauss lemma require exponentially small δ, and thus a superlinear dependence on log(1/δ) in s leads to significantly slower algorithms.
Mimicking Public Debate? How Do Multiple Frame Environments Affect Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage and Civil Unions?

Prior research on multiple frame environments has employed hypothetical issues to examine the effects of individual level characteristics on public opinion. This work adds to the literature by examining attitudes toward current and divisive issues, same-sex marriage and civil unions. These issues are particularly good tests of the effects of multiple frame environments in that same-sex marriage is best understood as an ‘easy’ issue, whereas civil unions, require subjects to have greater knowledge of the policy, and are better understood as a ‘hard’ issue.To examine these related, but distinct, questions I rely on a variety of framing environments which vary the strength and direction (support or opposition for the issue) of the frames provided to respondents. Results indicate that framing environments produce substantial variation in subject response across both the same-sex marriage and civil unions treatments. In particular, framing environments which employ frames of equivalent strength appear to moderate subject opinion across both issues. Framing environments which employ stronger and weaker frames do bias responses in the direction of the stronger frame. Providing multiple frames advocating the same position on an issue also bias subject response in the direction of the frames presented. These effects persist when controlling for subject core values and political sophistication, and across other gay rights issues.
Correlation of SN Positions with Spiral Arms

We present the first results of a three part study of supernova (SN) ages using positional age indicators in spiral galaxies. We have measured the positions of 80 spectroscopically identified Type Ia and Type II SNe (SNe Ia and SNe II) relative to spiral arms in their host galaxies, making a special effort to reduce inhomogeneity in the process of arm tracing for different galaxies. We find that SNe II are more tightly concentrated to the arms than SNe Ia, but both kinds of SNe occur closer to arms than a random disk population. This indicates that most SNe Ia occur in progenitors less than 0.5 Gyr old.
Association of age-related macular degeneration and reticular macular disease with cardiovascular disease

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of adult blindness in the developed world. Thus, major endeavors to understand the risk factors and pathogenesis of this disease have been undertaken. Reticular macular disease is a proposed subtype of age-related macular degeneration correlating histologically with subretinal drusenoid deposits located between the retinal pigment epithelium and the inner segment ellipsoid zone. Reticular lesions are more prevalent in females and in older age groups and are associated with a higher mortality rate. Risk factors for developing age-related macular degeneration include hypertension, smoking, and angina. Several genes related to increased risk for age-related macular degeneration and reticular macular disease are also associated with cardiovascular disease. Better understanding of the clinical and genetic risk factors for age-related macular degeneration and reticular macular disease has led to the hypothesis that these eye diseases are systemic. A systemic origin may help to explain why reticular disease is diagnosed more frequently in females as males suffer cardiovascular mortality at an earlier age, before the age of diagnosis of reticular macular disease and age-related macular degeneration.
Sottoboschi letterari : sei case studies fra Otto e Novecento : Mara Antelling, Emma Boghen Conigliani, Evelyn, Anna Franchi, Jolanda, Flavia Steno

Sottoboschi letterari brings together essays about six female writers from the period between the last decade of the nineteenth century and the first world war: Mara Antelling, Emma Boghen Conigliani, Evelyn, Anna Franchi, Jolanda, and Flavia Steno. Through the metaphor of the undergrowth, which recalls certain features of Deleuze's rhizome, the book explores the way in which the chosen writers made headway in the literary scene of Italy at the end of the nineteenth century through contributions in the form of narrative, essays, sociology and literary criticism. Apparently conservative, and subscribing to the dominant vision of the role of women in society and in the family, these writers nevertheless made a decisive step towards the modern concept of the female intellectual.Sottoboschi letterari raccoglie sei saggi su altrettante autrici attive nel periodo che va dall'ultima decade dell'Ottocento alla Grande Guerra: Mara Antelling, Emma Boghen Conigliani, Evelyn, Anna Franchi, Jolanda, Flavia Steno. Tramite la metafora del sottobosco, che richiama alcune caratteristiche del rizoma deleuziano, il volume indaga i modi in cui le autrici prescelte si sono fatte strada nel panorama letterario dell'Italia di fine Ottocento attraverso la narrativa, la saggistica, la sociologia e la critica letteraria. All'apparenza conservatrici e conformi alla visione dominante del ruolo della donna in societa e nell'ambito della famiglia, queste scrittrici hanno compiuto un passo decisivo verso un'idea moderna di intellettuale al femminile.
Analyzing Simulation Output Using the Bootstrap Method

There are many situations in which parametric statistical techniques are less than ideal for evaluating a simulated system. For most simulation output, one must rely heavily on the central limit theorein in order to apply parametric statistical techniques. The bootstrap statistic is a nonparametric sample-resample technique that makes no distributional assumptions and may be used for estimation and hypothesis testing. The authors propose the bootstrap as a valuable tool for the analysis of simulation output data since it can be used in situations in which either the distribution is not known or normal approximations are inappropriate. Furthermore, since bootstrapping is itself a simulation technique it is inherently satisfying as a tool for the analysis of simulation output data. Illustrations are presented.
NONSTEROIDAL TREATMENT OF AUTOIMMUNE SKIN DISEASES

This brief survey has, it is hoped, helped to ease some of the anxiety associated with the management of complex autoimmune skin disorders. The main points to remember are that there are numerous therapeutic options for each disease. I like to think of this method of therapeutics as 'informed trial and error.' One does not need to master the monitoring, side-effect profile, or dosing regimen for each of the drugs in Table 1; only a working knowledge of a few is sufficient. I hope that the readers take advantage of the many tables and caveats I have included so this article can be a ready reference for many future uses.
Luteinizing hormone response to estradiol positive feedback is not an effective endocrine parameter to monitor photoresponsiveness in ovariectomized goats (Capra hircus)

Abstract The hypothesis that positive feedback of estradiol (E 2 ) to the hypothalamo/pituitary axis could be used to monitor photores-ponsiveness in ovariectomized goats was tested. Fourteen ovariectomized French Alpine goats were exposed to either 8 h light and 16 h darkness (8L:16D) or 16 h light and 8 h darkness (16L:8D) for 170 days. E2 challenges were conducted at intervals of 13–16 days. For each challenge a 50 μg E 2 injection was administered intramuscularly. At two 4 h intervals before injection blood was collected by jugular venipuncture. Blood was also collected immediately before E 2 injection and at 2 h intervals for 22 h after injection. Serum luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations were determined by heterologous radioimmunoassay. The 13 E 2 challenges were divided into four groups for analysis. Some characteristics of the LH response to the E 2 challenge differed significantly between the two photoperiod groups and within each group over the 170 day exposure to constant photoperiod. However, these differences were not of sufficient magnitude to support the use of this endocrine parameter to monitor photores-ponsiveness in ovariectomized goats. These results support the hypothesis that changes in positive feedback of E 2 to the hypothalamo/pituitary axis do not play a significant role in the regulation of seasonal reproduction in goats.
The Fieldwork Profile: A Statistics Assignment Linked to the Real World of Occupational Therapy Students

SUMMARY New accreditation standards state that an entry-level occupational therapist who graduates from an accredited program should be an effective research consumer and should possess basic skills as a researcher. Some of these basic skills include being able to organize, collect, and analyze data to evaluate practice outcomes and being able to understand, use, and interpret statistics, specifically those which are descriptive, correlational, and inferential. Facilitating the development of these skills requires innovative and meaningful research assignments during occupational therapy education. The purpose of this article is to describe an applied statistics assignment based on the premise of learning-by-doing. The assignment is known as the "fieldwork profile analysis" and provides students an opportunity to connect their field-work experiences to their research class. Students responded positively to the assignment and indicated that their active involvement doing statistics facilitated their learning.
The effect of NaCl on bunsenite solubility and Ni-complexing in supercritical aqueous fluids

Abstract Experiments were carried out using rapid-quench hydrothermal techniques to determine the solubility of bunsenite (NiO) in supercritical H2O-NaCl-NiCl2 solutions in the range 550 to 750°C, at 2 kbar. The solubility of NiO was enhanced by the formation of complexes of higher stoichiometry than NiCl20 in the presence of increasing concentrations of aqueous NaCl. The results are consistent with the formation of the NiCl3− complex in the fluid over the entire temperature range, as a result of the reaction NiCl20(aq) + Cl−(aq) = NiCl3−(aq). The variation in values of the equilibrium constant for the above reaction is given by logKeq = 3.40(±0.83) − 2365 (±758)/T(°K). Despite the increase in solubility that results in the NaCl-bearing system, nickel should still remain a relatively immobile element, as compared to Ca, Mg, Fe and Mn, in supercritical aqueous Cl-bearing fluids, provided the activity of nickel in the coexisting solid mineral assemblage is not unusually high.
Effects of pitch, rhythm, and accompaniment on short- and long-term visual recall in children with autism spectrum disorders

Abstract The purpose of the study was to examine paired associate effects of speech, rhythm, pitch, and accompaniment on short- and long-term recall of visual information in children with ASD and in neuro-typical children. The principle investigator (PI) collected phase one data (n = 42 children with ASD) during three separate one-week summer camps and phase two data (n = 14 neuro-typical children) during an academic year at a local religious institution. Participants received the seven-item visual stimuli paired with one of four music conditions (speech, rhythm, pitch, and accompaniment). The PI tested participants in both short- and long-term conditions. Results for phase one were statistically significant for term, with more accurate recall during the short-term phase. Although there were no significant between-condition differences, short- and long-term recall were most accurate during the accompaniment condition and least accurate in the speech condition. Regardless of condition, participants had better recall during sequential positions of primacy and recency. Neuro-typical participants had higher mean recall across all four conditions and two terms than participants with ASD. When delivering visual information to children with ASD, clinicians might consider pairing it with music to facilitate recall. Implications for clinical practice, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided.
Meridional displacement of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

Observed long-term warming trends in the Southern Ocean have been interpreted as a sign of increased poleward eddy heat transport or of a poleward displacement of the entire Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) frontal system. The two-decade-long record from satellite altimetry is an important source of information for evaluating the mechanisms governing these trends. While several recent studies have used sea surface height contours to index ACC frontal displacements, here altimeter data are instead used to track the latitude of mean ACC transport. Altimetric height contours indicate a poleward trend, regardless of whether they are associated with ACC fronts. The zonally averaged transport latitude index shows no long-term trend, implying that ACC meridional shifts determined from sea surface height might be associated with large-scale changes in sea surface height more than with localized shifts in frontal positions. The transport latitude index is weakly sensitive to the Southern Annular Mode, but is uncorrelated with El Nino/Southern Oscillation.
Fluoroalkylsilanes in silica/fluoropolymer composites

The role of fluoroalkylsilanes in the treatment of the silica filler in fluoropolymer/silica composites has been studied. Infrared internal reflectance spectroscopy (IR-IRS) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were employed to follow the hydrolysis reactions of fluoroalkylsilanes (FS) in the acidified methanol treating solution and after application. Further IR-IRS and GC/MS studies as well as 19 F solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) were performed to follow the condensation reactions of the FS with itself, the powdered silica, and silicon. It was found that ∼1/3 of the FS was chemically bound to the silica filler, while the other 2/3 condensed to form oligomeric species, which were lost to volatilization at the high processing temperatures. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and IR-IRS were then used to study the interactions between the unbound FS and the fluoropolymer matrices. These experiments, in conjunction with electron microscopy and permeability studies, revealed that the interdiffusion of the FS and fluoropolymers acted primarily to promote the dispersion of filler, thus reducing the void content and overall hydrophilicity of the composites.
More Clarifications: On the Goals of Conflict of Interest Policies

In “Clarifying Conflict of Interest,” Howard Brody (2011) argues that a conceptual clarification of “conflict of interest” is important if we wish to develop productive modes of engagement between ...
Leech segmentation: A molecular perspective

A variety of leech homeobox genes have been identified by homology with genes that are known to bring about the regionalization and segmentation of the anteroposterior body axis in other organisms. Embryonic expression patterns suggest a number of interphyletic similarities in the way that these genes are utilized. However, several interesting differences have also been observed. In particular, transplantation experiments in the leech embryo have shown that axially aligned patterns of homeobox gene expression are not specified by a global pattern of positional cues. Rather, the leech independently establishes anteroposterior patterns of gene expression in each of five discrete stem cell lineages, and these patterns are brought into their final alignment through a process of morphogenetic assembly.
Anomalous thermoelectric power of some liquid chalcogenide systems

Abstract In some liquid chalcogenide systems, the activation energy derived from thermopower is larger than that derived from the temperature dependence of conductivity. This anomaly is accounted for with an asymmetric density of states model in which an electronic contribution to thermopower increases exponentially with temperature.
Binding and transport of metal ions at the dimer interface of the Escherichia coli metal transporter YiiP.

YiiP is a representative member of the cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) family, a class of ubiquitous metal transporters that play an essential role in metal homeostasis. Recently, a pair of Zn2+/Cd2+-selective binding sites has been localized to two highly conserved aspartyl residues (Asp157), each in a 2-fold-symmetry-related transmembrane segment 5 (TM5) of a YiiP homodimer. Here we report the functional and structural interactions between Asp157 and yet another highly conserved Asp49 in the TM2. Calorimetric binding analysis indicated that Asp49 and Asp157 contribute to a common Cd2+ binding site in each subunit. Copper phenanthroline oxidation of YiiPD49C, YiiPD157C, and YiiPD49C/D157C yielded inter- and intra-subunit cross-links among Cys49 and Cys157, consistent with the spatial proximity of two (Asp49-Asp157) sites at the dimer interface. Hg2+ binding to YiiPD49C or YiiPD49C/D157C also yielded a Cys49-Hg2+-Cys49 biscysteinate complex across the dimer interface, further establishing the interfacial location of a (Asp49-Asp157)2 bimetal binding center. Two bound Cd2+ ions were found transported cooperatively with a sigmoidal dependence on the Cd2+ concentration (n = 1.4). The binding affinity, transport cooperativity, and rate were modestly reduced by either a D49C or D157C mutation, but greatly diminished when all the bidentate aspartate O-ligands in (Asp49-Asp157)2 were replaced by the monodentate cysteine S-ligands. The functional significance of these findings is discussed based on the unique coordination chemistry of aspartyl residues and a model for the translocation pathway of metal ions at the YiiP dimer interface.
Qualitative homing III: the effect of inexact landmark bearings

In the two-frame homing problem addressed by this paper, a robot is given (1) the bearings of the landmarks at the robot's current location, (2) the bearings of the landmarks at the target location and (3) the correspondences between landmarks across the two locations; it is required to make an admissible movement--one that takes it closer to the target location. Previous papers have described how to carry out homing when landmark bearings are exactly known (even when some landmark correspondences are incorrect). This paper extends these results to the case where landmark bearings are not measured exactly, but only within a bounded tolerance. An algorithm for computing admissible movements from inexact landmarks is given; this algorithm is provably correct and optimal. The effect of inexact landmark bearings on the robot's ability to detect inconsistent landmark correspondences is discussed.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A 250 GHz planar low noise Schottky receiver

A planar quasi-optical Schottky receiver based on the quasi-integrated horn antenna has been developed and tested over the 230–280GHz bandwidth. The receiver consists of a planar GaAs Schottky diode placed at the feed of a dipole-probe suspended on a thin dielectric membrane in an etched-pyramidal horn cavity. The diode has a 1.2Μm anode diameter and a low parasitic capacitance due to the use of an etched surface channel. The antenna-mixer results in a measured DSB conversion loss and noise temperature at 258GHz of 7.2dB±0.5dB and 1310K±70K, respectively, at room temperature. The design is compatible with SIS mixers, and the low cost of fabrication and simplicity makes it ideal for submillimeter-wave imaging arrays requiring a 10–20% bandwidth.
Internal initiation of translation of bovine viral diarrhea virus RNA.

Initiation of translation on the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) was reconstituted in vitro from purified translation components to the stage of 48S ribosomal initiation complex formation. Ribosomal binding and positioning on this mRNA to form a 48S complex did not require the initiation factors eIF4A, eIF4B, or eIF4F, and translation of this mRNA was resistant to inhibition by a trans-dominant eIF4A mutant that inhibited cap-mediated initiation of translation. The BVDV IRES contains elements that are bound independently by ribosomal 40S subunits and by eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 3, as well as determinants that mediate direct attachment of 43S ribosomal complexes to the initiation codon.
California Earthquakes: Science, Risk, and the Politics of Hazard Mitigation

Contents: Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Reactions to the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906 Chapter 2: Setting Up a Scientific Infrastructure - Seismology California Style, 1910-1925 Chapter 3: Bailey Willis and the Promotion of Earthquake Safety in the Mid-1920s Chapter 4: Engineering a Regulatory-State Apparatus - Seismic Safety in the 1930s Chapter 5: Earthquake Experts and the Cold War State Chapter 6: New Initiatives for Earthquake Preparedness, 1964-1971 Chapter 7: Seismic Politics - Responses to the San Fernando Earthquake of 1971 Chapter 8: Pushing Prediction - Establishment of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Chapter 9: The Regulatory-State Apparatus in Action Abbreviations Notes Essay on Sources Index
Factors Affecting Poultry Meat Color—A Review

The study of food color as it affects consumer acceptance is both extremely important and complex.Numerous factors affect food color, as shown in this review.Research is still extremely limited on ...
Experiments with Incremental Concept Formation: UNIMEM

Learning by observation involves automatic creation of categories that summarize experience. In this paper we present UNIMEM, an artificial intelligence system that learns by observation. UNIMEM is a robust program that can be run on many domains with real-world problem characteristics such as uncertainty, incompleteness, and large numbers of examples. We give an overview of the program that illustrates several key elements, including the automatic creation of non-disjoint concept hierarchies that are evaluated over time. We then describe several experiments that we have carried out with UNIMEM, including tests on different domains (universities, Congressional voting records, and terrorist events) and an examination of the effect of varying UNIMEM's parameters on the resulting concept hierarchies. Finally we discuss future directions for our work with the program.
Community welfare services in Urban China: A public-private experiment

The social welfare system in China has been undergoing transition since the economic reform in 1978 when the Chinese government began introducing a series of welfare changes aimed at shifting responsibility from the government to a combination of government, communities, enterprises and individuals. Consequently, many cities in China have been experimenting with community-based welfare services — a state-sanctioned practice based on socialist ideology, but at the same time market driven and incorporating the private sector. This new welfare approach started an ongoing dialogue in China regarding the role of the public and private sectors in social welfare, the balance between socialist and capitalist values, and the input of the free market and political democracy. This paper presents a case study of an urban community in Beijing. It examines the policy of community-based services and discusses its implementation in urban communities. The research suggests that the public-private coordination is, within limits, effective in meeting people’s needs in the community. However, further attention should be given to the sharing of responsibility for welfare between the public and private sectors so as to protect vulnerable populations.
Expression of the bile acid-inducible NADH:flavin oxidoreductase gene of Eubacterium sp. VPI 12708 in Escherichia coli

The intestinal microorganism Eubacterium sp. VPI 12708 synthesizes a bile acid-inducible NADH:flavin oxidoreductase (NADH:FOR) which presumably functions in the 7α-dehydroxylation of cholic acid to deoxycholic acid. The baiH gene encoding NADH:FOR was subcloned into an IPTG-inducible expression vector, pBaiH2.2. Escherichia coli DH5α cells transformed with pBaiH2.2 expressed 10-fold higher levels of NADH:.FOR upon induction with IPTG than did Eubacterium sp. VPI 12708 cells induced with cholic acid. The NADH:FOR produced by E. coli DH5α(pBaiH2.2) was purified to > 95% electrophoretic homogeneity in three steps. The purified NADH:FOR was similar to that of Eubacterium sp. VPI 12708 in subunit and native Mr (ca. 72 000 and 210 000, respectively), pH optimum, sensitivity to inhibitors, and electron acceptor specificity. It contained 1 mol of FAD, up to 2 mol of iron, and 1 mol of copper per mol of subunit. The enzyme reduced synthetic quinones, dyes, flavins, and Oz with NADH as the electron donor, but did not reduce disulfide compounds, various unsaturated bile acids, cytochrome c, physiological quinones, or cell fractions from Eubacterium sp. VPI 12708. Addition of purified NADH:FOR to Eubacterium sp. VPI 12708 cell extracts altered the balance of oxidized and reduced bile acid intermediates produced during cholic acid 7α-dehydroxylation, suggesting that the enzyme may regulate the cellular ration of NAD to NADH.
Assessment of specular radar backscatter from a planar surface using a physical optics approach

Satellite and airborne radar altimeter return signals often contain the specular component primarily in polar regions due to the backscatter from a relatively smooth and planar water or ice surface. It is demonstrated here that the specular backscatter from a planar surface should be estimated taking into account the spherical nature of the incident electromagnetic wave. This article introduces the radar equation derived using the physical optics approach and describes the backscatter as a function of the spatial distribution of the complex Fresnel reflection coefficient across a planar surface. The closed form of the radar equation was obtained for an infinite surface, an annulus and a disk with sizes greater than the radius of the first Fresnel zone.
The modern history of the wrist.

The history of the wrist dates back to the times of Destot,1,2 who first described fractures of the scaphoid; Fisk,3 who demonstrated carpal instability in association with displaced scaphoid fractures; Gilford et al4 who entertained an explanation of wrist function in face of wrist fractures, and many other early investigators.5,6,7,8,9,10,11 The concept of wrist instability evolved further with definition of perilunate instability by Mayfield and coworkers12,13 and an understanding of perilunate injuries with both dorsal and volar carpal displacements.3,4,14,15,16,17 But it was the publication of the article “Traumatic instability of the wrist. Diagnosis, classification, and pathomechanics” in 1972 from the Mayo Clinic by Linscheid and associates18 that stimulated a very keen and enduring interest in the wrist. These investigators introduced the new and defining terms dorsal intercalated carpal instability (DISI) and volar intercalated instability (VISI) as pathologic disorders that define scapholunate instability (DISI) and lunotriquetral instability (VISI) as well as a host of complex or combined problems of instability of the wrist. The follow-up publications in the Journal of Hand Surgery in 1983 by Linscheid and coauthors,19 and nearly 10 years later in 1992,20 further defined the basic concepts, diagnosis, and treatment of wrist instability.
Quiet threats: soft song as an aggressive signal in birds

Theory suggests that aggressive signals must be costly if they are to be reliable. Recent research in birds has shown, however, that in many species the best predictors of impending attack are low-amplitude vocal signals, soft songs or soft calls, that seem cheap to produce and easy to cheat. This observation leads to two related but separate questions: (1) why use low-amplitude signals to communicate aggressiveness and (2) what maintains the reliability of soft signals of aggression? We review potential answers to both questions and present evidence relevant to each. While some hypotheses are logically sound, others have logical flaws, and most of the hypotheses have yet to be critically tested. One exception is the hypothesis that the reliability of soft signals of aggressiveness is maintained by receiver retaliation, which has been supported by experimental evidence in multiple species. We emphasize the need for further research, particularly to answer the question of why soft song is soft, and outline future research directions.
Square-free modules with the exchange property

We prove that a square-free module with finite exchange has full exchange. More generally, if R is an exchange ring with R/J(R) Abelian, and R is endowed with a left linear, Hausdorff, Σ-complete topology, then R is a full exchange ring. This provides an overarching framework for capturing many other results in the literature, such as the fact that quasi-continuous modules with finite exchange have full exchange. We further show that square-free modules with exchange satisfy an infinite version of the (C3) property.
DNA immunization using a non-viral promoter

Most DNA vaccines rely on strong viral promoters to optimize levels of transgene expression. Some studies have demonstrated that the potency of viral promoters does not necessarily correlate with DNA vaccine efficacy in vivo. This has partly been attributed to downregulation of these promoters by cytokines such as interferon gamma induced by the CpG motives of these vaccines. In an attempt to avoid downregulation of viral promoters by IFN-gamma, we tested vaccine vectors driven by the MHC class II promoter. To enhance the activity of this promoter, another plasmid expressing the human MHC class II transactivator driven by a viral promoter, the native IFN-gamma inducible CIITA type IV promoter (PIV) or a synthetic promoter containing IFN-gamma inducible elements was co-inoculated. Our data show that a non-viral promoter such as the MHC class II promoter tested in this study can indeed be used in DNA vaccines.
Software timing of events in cognitive psychology experiments

Real-time systems for controlling cognitive psychology experiments typically use hardware clocks. However, systems using software clocks have comparable reliability, accuracy, and resolution, and the advantages of lower cost and hardware simplicity. Four types of software clocks are described and evaluated. Problems in implementing software clock systems are described, along with their solutions. Software clock routines for Apple II series microcomputers are presented.
An evaluation of the twofold rule for assessing a positive response in the L5178Y TK+/- mouse lymphoma assay.

Abstract The L5178Y tk+/− mouse lymphoma assay (MLA) has been in use for more than 15 years as a tool for evaluating the mutagenic potential of various agents. As with other genetic toxicology test systems, one criterion for a positive response has been the requirement of at least a 2-fold increase in mutant frequency (MF) as compared to the respective MF of the solvent controls. More recently, an actual specific increase in MF has been proposed as a criterion for determining a positive response in the MLA; however, this may not be appropriate for laboratories with a low, yet stable, background MF. The twofold rule criterion was evaluated in our laboratory with 66 compounds. The mutagenic status of these compounds was previously determined in other test systems and at one or more laboratories, including Lilly Research Laboratories. The results of this evaluation demonstrate that the twofold rule is an effective method for identifying mutagenic agents in the MLA at LRL where a lower, yet acceptable, background mutation frequency is the norm. A small number of compounds (6) yielded results discordant with the literature; however, these compounds have been previously found to be either difficult to detect in genotoxic assays or to show specific sensitivity in the MLA.
Parent support is less effective in buffering cortisol stress reactivity for adolescents compared to children

The goal of the present study was to investigate developmental differences in the effectiveness of parent support to alleviate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis stress responses of children (ages 9-10, N = 40) and adolescents (ages 15-16, N = 41). We experimentally manipulated the provision of parent support during the speech preparation period before a modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and examined its effect on levels of salivary cortisol secreted in response to this laboratory stressor. Analyses revealed a significant interaction of condition and age group such that social support from the parent (versus a stranger) significantly eliminated the cortisol stress response in children, but had no effect on the response among adolescents.