cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The "EF" in deficiency: Examining the linkages between executive function and the utilization deficiency observed in preschoolers.

Abstract We investigated the contribution of preschoolers’ executive function (EF) skills to the effectiveness of their spontaneous strategy production when learning. Performance on computerized tasks of inhibition, attention shifting, and working memory was examined in relation to the effectiveness of 112 3- to 5-year-olds’ spontaneous strategy production on a spatial memory task. Participants were asked to remember the locations of four toys representing one of two categories (animals or chairs) placed in a wooden box. Most participants spontaneously implemented a clustering strategy by removing and/or replacing the toys according to category membership. However, less than half of these strategic participants showed concomitant memory benefits (recall of toy locations). The remainder showed a utilization deficiency. After controlling for age and IQ, participants who performed better on EF tasks were more likely to benefit from having used the clustering strategy. These findings indicate that utilization deficiencies among preschoolers may be partially accounted for by individual differences in EF.
Lithics, landscapes & la Longue-durée – Curation & expediency as expressions of forager mobility

Abstract With the recognition that practically all archaeological sites are depositional composites unrelated to the activities of any contemporaneous group of individuals (i.e., palimpsests) and that forager adaptations are not ‘site-specific’ but rather landscape-scaled phenomena, statistical approaches designed to take these predicates into account have been developed over the past 20 years that depart from the traditional techno-typological systematics used for decades in much of Europe and the Levant. Based on artifact density and the frequency of retouched pieces scaled to the volume of sediment excavated in cave and rock shelter sites, and – for surface sites – the ratio of retouched artifacts to artifact totals scaled to unit area, they can potentially determine whether or not changes in mobility and land-use often assumed to have coincided with major evolutionary events (e.g., the Middle-Upper Paleolithic transition) actually occurred. Lithic artifact counts and densities from the cave of La Riera (Posada de Llanes, Asturias, Spain) are used here to illustrate the potential of the approach. Changes in artifact volumetric density are then compared with a radiocarbon summed probability curve using calibrated BP dates scaled against changes in oxygen isotope ratios in the GISP2 ice core. The intent is to determine to what extent macroclimatic change over the 30–10 ka cal BP interval compares with changes in the La Riera sequence.
Are two plasma equilibrium states possible when the emission coefficient exceeds unity

Two floating sheath solutions with strong electron emission in planar geometry have been proposed, a “space-charge limited” (SCL) sheath and an “inverse” sheath. SCL and inverse models contain different assumptions about conditions outside the sheath (e.g., the velocity of ions entering the sheath). So it is not yet clear whether both sheaths are possible in practice, or only one. Here we treat the global presheath-sheath problem for a plasma produced volumetrically between two planar walls. We show that all equilibrium requirements (a) floating condition, (b) plasma shielding, and (c) presheath force balance, can indeed be satisfied in two different ways when the emission coefficient γ > 1. There is one solution with SCL sheaths and one with inverse sheaths, each with sharply different presheath distributions. As we show for the first time in 1D-1V simulations, a SCL and inverse equilibrium are both possible in plasmas with the same upstream properties (e.g., same N and Te). However, maintaining a true S...
Staging Embryos: Pregnancy, Temporality and the History of the Carnegie Stages of Embryo Development

The founding of the Carnegie Institute’s Department of Embryology in 1913, alongside its systematization of embryo staging, contributed to the mechanization of developmental stages of embryo growth...
Short Interpregnancy Intervals: Results from the First Baby Study.

Abstract Background Short interpregnancy interval (SIPI), defined as 18 months or fewer between delivery and subsequent conception, has become an independent marker of maternal and child health. Methods We performed a secondary analysis of 18 months of data from The First Baby Study, a prospective cohort of women followed from pregnancy through 3 years after their first birth. Women with SIPIs by 6, 6 to 12, and 12 to 18 months were compared with those without conceptions at those times. We then analyzed pregnancy intention of the subpopulation of women with a SIPI of 18 months or fewer. Logistic regression analyses determined associations between maternal characteristics, including sociodemographic and reproductive indicators, and SIPI incidence and intention. Findings Of 3,006 participants, 795 (26.5%) had a repeat pregnancy within 18 months: 58 (1.9%) occurred within 6 months, 242 (8.1%) between 6 and 12 months, and 495 (16.5%) between 12 and 18 months. Incidence of SIPI at each interval differed by maternal characteristics, including income, marital status, and intention. Most women (84%) with a SIPI of 6 months or less classified them as unintended. Less than 2% of women with SIPIs of 18 months or fewer reported any contraceptive use in the postpartum period and no pregnancies occurred with the use of very effective methods, including long-acting reversible contraception. Conclusions The population of women at risk for SIPI is not homogenous. Among those with SIPIs, there is a stark contrast in intention between those who conceive early (≤6 months) versus later (≥12 months). Given that almost no pregnancies occurred when women used postpartum contraception, contraceptive counseling and unfettered access should be available for those at greatest risk for an early, repeat, unintended pregnancy.
Pediatric Flatfoot: Pearls and Pitfalls

Pediatric flatfeet are common, are usually asymptomatic, and typically improve over time as young children age. It is critical to differentiate flexible from rigid flatfeet and to assess for associated Achilles contracture with a careful history, physical examination, and initial radiographs. Although there are limited data, nonsurgical management of symptomatic flatfeet, both flexible and rigid, should be exhausted before considering surgical intervention. If patients fail conservative treatment, surgical management with joint-preserving, deformity-corrective techniques is typically used for pediatric flexible flatfeet in conjunction with deformity-specific soft tissue procedures.
Granularity-aware fusion of biological networks for information extraction

Current biomedical research approaches capture multiple data sources, fusing and integrating them to extract accurate information. While the purpose of fusion in the biomedical domain is to create a more holistic picture of biological reality, latent sensitivities of the fusion process often result in information loss. It has been shown that biomedical data fusion is sensitive to granularity dimensions, scales of semantic relationships across specificity and mereology. Low granularity data casts a wide net, while high granularity data has focus. When data fusion occurs between low and high granularities, these benefits counteract each other. In this study, we reexamine the union function as a basis for biomedical data fusions, via comparison to a granularity-aware function. This granularity-aware approach uses domain knowledge (low granularity) as a filter for expression relationships (high granularity). We use pancreatic cancer expression data and domain knowledge networks to test the fusion approaches. We support previous findings that granularity-unaware fusion allows domain knowledge to eclipse condition-specific data. In addition, we find that the granularity-aware approach tends to outperform both the union and non-fusion networks, resulting in higher information extraction scores. Further, the granularity-aware approach increases the network information extraction effect size between disease and normal networks, allowing for a more distinctive delineation between the two conditions.
Built community: architecture, community, and participation in a permanent supportive housing project

ABSTRACTHousing and the social processes that create it are an important part of a better world. The permanent supportive housing movement holds that housing, in addition to a variety of human serv...
The Selective Use of Radiation Therapy in Rectal Cancer Patients.

Colorectal cancer has a high global incidence, and standard treatment employs a multimodality approach. In addition to cure, minimizing treatment-related toxicity and improving the therapeutic ratio is a common goal. The following article addresses the potential of omitting radiotherapy in select rectal cancer patients. Omission of radiotherapy in rectal cancer is analyzed in the context of historical findings, as well as more recent data describing risk stratification of stage II–III disease, surgical optimization, imaging limitations, improvement in systemic chemotherapeutic agents, and contemporary studies evaluating selective omission of radiotherapy. A subset of rectal cancer patients exists that may be considered low to intermediate risk for locoregional recurrence. With appropriate staging, surgical technique, and possibly improved systemic therapy, it may be feasible to selectively omit radiotherapy in these patients. Current imaging limitations as well as evidence of increased locoregional recurrence following radiotherapy omission lend us to continue supporting the standard treatment of approach of neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy followed by surgical resection until additional improvements and prospective evidence can support otherwise.
Implications of Computer-Integrated Manufacturing for Corporate Strategy, Capital Budgeting, and Information Management

A central theme of this chapter is that a combination of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) of computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and flexible automation has implications for capital budgeting, corporate strategy, and information management. The CIM factory has capabilities not found in traditional facilities:
The Game Metaphor

Chapter 1 described how the rules of chess, a fairly sophisticated but still deterministic game, can be programed into a digital computer as an example. There are other somewhat simpler games that can also be programed to be played by the computer. This chapter focuses on some of them which serve as precursors to the BOXES algorithm. While all computer games are not alike at all they vary mainly in their game boards and the concept of winning from game-to-game. The chapter shows that it is possible for a computer program to learn new games and play based purely on statistics and while certainly not crafty, they can do justice to the sport.
Endless Pursuit of DNA Double-Strand Break Ends

In the pursuit of radiation-induced cellular damage that manifests in cell killing and genome instability, but is reversible by the phenomenon of liquid holding, DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) have been shown to be the major culprit. It is now widely accepted that DSBs provide both beneficial and deleterious effects and that elaborate systems were evolved to address their detection, processing and repair. Understanding the mechanisms of DSB induction, processing and eventual biological consequences as well as just the detection of DSBs remain a challenge – especially for randomly induced breaks. Given the large number of extensive reviews available and the limited space here, I have chosen to focus on summarizing recent novel findings from our group using the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that are relevant to many molecular and genetic aspects of DSB repair and impact on genome stability. Included are the systems we have developed that address (1) induction of random primary and secondary DSBs; (2) processing of DSB ends; (3) genetic control of DSB induction and repair; (4) genome instabilities associated with DSBs including rearrangements and hypermutability associated with resected ends; and (5) physical factors that determine the transition from DSB to chromosome break or recombination. Using a circular chromosome, we find that resection of random, dirty-end DSBs induced by ionizing radiation or derived from MMS single-strand damage is rapid and is primarily due to the MRX complex. Interestingly, the transition from DSB to chromosome break at a unique DSB in yeast is largely prevented by the nuclease function of exonuclease 1 as determined from separation of fluorescent markers that flank a DSB. Based on a tetraploid gene-dosage model, the role of the chromosome structural complex cohesin is not only to enhance DSB repair between sister chromatids, but it also directs recombinational repair events to sisters thereby preventing loss of heterozygosity. Notably, DSBs greatly sensitizes cells to localized mutability as well as gross rearrangements. Overall, these findings demonstrate the genomic vulnerability to DSBs and the genetic investment in their orderly processing.
Surviving Blackness: a performance review

Bass reverberates into the streets. The sounds of Afrobeat pushing speakers to their limits blare in the foyer. Preshow? This is louder than a dance concert is supposed to be. The white house manag...
Ambiguous Orbits in Elliptic Chief Spacecraft Relative Orbit Estimation with Range-Only Measurements

Range-ambiguous spacecraft relative orbits based on linear dynamics for elliptic chief orbits were studied for the purpose of sequential relative orbit estimation with range-only measurements. Usin...
Computational model of cardiovascular response to centrifugation and lower body cycling exercise.

Artificial gravity combined with exercise is a potential countermeasure for spaceflight deconditioning, but the long-term and acute cardiovascular response to such gravitational stress is still lar...
62. CAN I TRUST YOU? DO PEDIATRIC RESIDENTS WRITE SAFE PRESCRIPTIONS?

Purpose The 2014 Core Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for Entering Residency state that residents should be entrusted to write prescriptions and medication orders in all settings at the start of their residency training without direct supervision. This pilot aimed to determine if Pediatric residents of all levels at The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences (UTCOMLS) were writing safe electronic prescriptions in continuity clinic. Based on Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory, residents’ skills should improve with increased prescription writing over time. Methods The first ten electronic prescriptions written by each resident during continuity clinic starting in July 2017 were retrospectively reviewed (n=270). PGY level and the method of Sig entry (decision support vs free text) were recorded. Prescription components (dose, route, frequency, etc) were recorded as either correct or incorrect. Percent incorrect for each item was used to determine common errors, and Pearson chi-square analysis was used to determine statistical significance between percent incorrect versus PGY level as well as method of Sig entry. Results Common errors found on prescriptions included PRN not tied to a reason (57% of 77 scripts) and incorrect duration of treatment (26% of 73 scripts). For weight-based medications, neither a weight-based dosing standard nor the patient's weight was noted on the prescription 98% of the time. There was no statistical significance in errors made by PGY level. There were significant differences in errors made based on the method of Sig entry. A route was noted less often if the Sig was written with free text (p Conclusion Pediatric resident prescriptions contained several errors. Upper level residents made just as many and the same type of errors as junior residents. This suggests experiential learning does not help improve prescription writing skills, and residents would benefit from education on safe prescribing guidelines and regular feedback throughout their training.
Protective role of Multiple Sclerosis in Stroke; Analysis of a large national data base (P2.388)

Objective: The purpose of this analysis is to examine the association of Ischemic stroke (IS) in multiple sclerosis patients. Background: Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the demyelination of the central nervous system. Conventional wisdom is that inflammatory cascade in the MS pathogenesis would be responsible for an increased risk of stroke, as reported by prior Swedish and Taiwanese studies. The purpose of this analysis is to examine the association of Ischemic stroke (IS) in MS patients. This is the first of its kind cross-sectional study investigating the prevalence of IS in MS population from the United States. Design/Methods: Data was collected using the National Inpatient sample (NIS) database for the year 2014. Subjects of interest were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) codes for Ischemic Stroke and Multiple Sclerosis. Both multiple linear regression and logistic regression for complex design was applied and statistical analysis performed by the SAS version 9.4, Cary, NC, USA. Results: A total of 29658 patients with MS were identified from a database of 7042104 patients. Of the MS patients, 433 (1.46 %) had stroke while 120080 (1.71 %) of those without MS had stroke. Patients without MS were noted to have 17.1 % higher odds of having stroke compared to those with MS (Odds ratio = 1.171; 95% CI 1.065 – 1.288) Conclusions: This is the first ever North American Study reporting prevalence of IS in MS patient population. While the data shows that Multiple Sclerosis might be protective of stroke, further prospective studies are needed to be conducted. Disclosure: Dr. Zulfiqar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Qeadan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Calder has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ikram has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jillella has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bzdyra has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ford has nothing to disclose. Dr. Zafar has nothing to disclose.
Evaluation of the use of component separation in elderly patients: results of a large cohort study with 30-day follow-up.

The incidence of massive ventral hernias among the elderly will increase as the population ages. Advanced age is often viewed as a contraindication to elective hernia repair. A relationship between age and complications of component separation procedures for ventral hernias is not well established. This study evaluated the effect of age on the peri-operative safety of AWR. The 2005–2013 ACS-NSQIP participant use data were reviewed to compare surgical site infection (SSI), overall morbidity, and serious morbidity in non-emergent component separation procedures among all age groups. All patients were stratified into four age quartiles and evaluated. Baseline characteristics included age, body mass index (BMI) and ASA 3 or 4 criteria. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were reported as appropriate. 4485 patients were identified. Majority of the cases were clean (76.8%). Patients were divided into the following quartiles based on age. The older quartile had a mean age of 72.7 ± 4.87 years. There were baseline differences in BMI and chronic comorbidity severity (measured by incidence of ASA score of 3 or 4) between the age groups, with the oldest group having lower BMI but higher rate of ASA 3 or 4 (p < 0.0001 for both). The rate of postoperative SSI was significantly different between age quartile groups (ranging from 16.3% from the youngest group to 9.4% for the oldest group, p < 0.0001). After adjusting for other baseline differences, advanced age was independently associated with lower SSI rate (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.41–0.73). There was no significant difference in overall morbidity (p = 0.277) and serious morbidity (p = 0.131) between groups. AWR is being performed with safety across all age groups. In selected patients of advanced age, AWR can be performed with similar safety profile and low SSI rate.
Correcting False Memories: The Effect of Mnemonic Generalization on Original Memory Traces

False memories are a common occurrence but the impact of misremembering on the original memory trace is ill-described. While the original memory may be rewritten, it is also possible for a second false memory to exist concurrently with the original, and if a false memory exists concurrently then recovery of the original information should be possible. This study investigates first, whether false recognition overwrites the original memory representation using a mnemonic discrimination task, and second, which neural processes are involved in recovering the original memory following a false memory. Thirty-five healthy, young adults performed multiple recognition memory tests, where the design of the experiment induced participants to make memory errors in the first recognition memory test and then allowed us to determine whether the memory error would be corrected in the second test session. FMRI signal associated with the encoding and retrieval processes during the experiment were investigated in order to determine the important regions for false memory correction. We found that false memories do not overwrite the original trace in all instances, as recovery of the original information was possible. Critically, we determined that recovery of the original information was dependent on higher-order processes during the formation of the false memory during the first test, and not on processing at the time of encoding or the second test episode.
Serving the Quiet Majority: The Drexel Commuter Program.

Even though the majority of students are commuters, most colleges and universities are set up primarily to serve residential students. In an effort to address this inequity, Drexel University creat...
Seismic evidence for subduction-induced mantle flows underneath Middle America

Laboratory experiments and geodynamic simulations demonstrate that poloidal- and toroidal-mode mantle flows develop around subduction zones. Here, we use a new 3-D azimuthal anisotropy model constructed by full waveform inversion, to infer deep subduction-induced mantle flows underneath Middle America. At depths shallower than 150 km, poloidal-mode flow is perpendicular to the trajectory of the Middle American Trench. From 300 to 450 km depth, return flows surround the edges of the Rivera and Atlantic slabs, while escape flows are inferred through slab windows beneath Panama and central Mexico. Furthermore, at 700 km depth, the study region is dominated by the Farallon anomaly, with fast axes perpendicular to its strike, suggesting the development of lattice-preferred orientations by substantial stress. These observations provide depth-dependent seismic anisotropy for future mantle flow simulations, and call for further investigations about the deformation mechanisms and elasticity of minerals in the transition zone and uppermost lower mantle. The motions of subducted slabs are expected to drive mantle flow around slab edges, however, evidence of deep mantle flow has so far remained elusive. Here, the authors present a Full Waveform Inversion 3-D anisotropy model which allows them to infer deep subduction-induced mantle flows underneath the Mid-Americas and the Caribbean.
Post Scripts in the Present Future: Conjuring the Post-conditions of Digital Objects

Navigating the post-conditions of digital objects, from post media to post-internet, this chapter explores how might making and learning in art and media education respond to pervasive connectivity that blurs online and offline distinctions. In an attempt to anticipate a future of algorithms, connectivity, and issues of access, an argument to advance a range of theoretical tools that may provide insight as to the immanent qualities of data and connectivity that impact making and learning in the arts is made. Focusing on posthumanism and post-theories constructed to provoke the dynamism of materiality, digital objects are conceptualized to understand new opportunities for contemplating how artists working in 3D modeling and digital fabrication may offer insights into the possibility of making meaning at this moment.
Planning Algorithms: System Theory and Analytical Techniques

This chapter is complementary to Chapter 14 in that it provides tools and concepts that can be used to develop better local planning methods (LPMs). Most of the material was developed in the field of control theory, which focuses mainly on characterizing the behavior of particular classes of systems, and controlling them in the absence of obstacles. The two-point boundary value problem (BVP), which was a frequent nuisance in Chapter 14, can be better understood and solved for many systems by using the ideas of this chapter. Keep in mind that throughout this chapter there are no obstacles. Although planning for this case was trivial in Part II, the presence of differential constraints brings many challenges. The style in this chapter is to provide a brief survey of concepts and techniques, with the hope of inspiring further study in other textbooks and research literature. Modern control theory is a vast and fascinating subject, of which only the surface can be scratched in one chapter. Section 15.1 introduces stability and controllability concepts, both of which characterize possible arrivals in a goal state. Stability characterizes how the integral curves of a vector field behave around a goal point, and controllability indicates whether an action trajectory exists that arrives at a specified goal. Section 15.2 revisits dynamic programming one last time. Here it becomes a partial differential equation expressed in terms of the optimal cost-to-go function.
Common Sense, Anthropology of

Common sense is not uniform across all sociocultural groups. Anthropologists typically confront the differences among ‘common senses’ at the very start of ethnographic fieldwork; their informants treat as self-evident actions and other phenomena that to the anthropologists are opaque and sometimes even absurd. From anthropology's relativist and empirical perspective, claims to a universal rationality are themselves a parochial form of common sense. Western-inspired theoretical models such as rational choice theory thus actually resemble everyday habits of reasoning and rest on culturally parochial and historically shallow assumptions of universal validity. Still earlier claims to a higher form of reason, used to defend atheism and agnosticism against religious authority, are similarly revealed as local versions of common sense, and thus as culturally as well as historically contingent. By removing common sense from the realm of the banal, and treating it instead as worthy of critical dissection even as it appears in their own ordinary assumptions, anthropologists also bring their reflexive and critical understanding to bear on the relationship between common sense and power.
Synthesis and nucleolytic degradation of uracil-containing deoxyribonucleic acid by Escherichia coli deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase. I.

Abstract The incorporation of uracil into DNA in an in vitro repair reaction catalyzed by native Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I renders the newly synthesized uracil-containing portion of the resultant polymer susceptible to an endonucleolytic-like cleavage by the polymerase itself. This response is related to the presence of the 5' → 3' nuclease activity of this enzyme, since subtilisin-treated polymerase which lacks this nuclease activity also fails to attack uracil-containing DNA in this way.
Systematic defects in software cost-estimation models harm management

As software development becomes an increasingly important enterprise, managerial requirements for cost estimation increase, yet developmers continue a rather a long history of failing to cost software systems development adequately. Here, it is contented that poor results are due, in part, to some traditionally recognized problems and, in part, to a defect in the models themselves. Identifying the defect of software cost models is the purpose of this paper.
Pulmonary disposition of lipophilic amine compounds in the isolated perfused rabbit lung

Audi, S. H., C. A. Dawson, J. H. Linehan, G. S. Krenz, S. B. Ahlf, and D. L. Roerig. Pulmonary disposition of lipophilic amine compounds in the isolated perfused rabbit lung. J. Appl. Physiol. 84(2...
Photonic Crystal Aqueous Metal Cation Sensing Materials

We developed a polymerized crystalline colloidal array photonic material that senses metal cations in water at low concentrations (PCCACS). Metal cations such as Cu2+, Co2+, Ni2+, and Zn2+ bind to 8-hydroxyquinoline groups covalently attached to the PCCACS. At low metal concentrations (<μM), the cations form bisliganded complexes with two 8-hydroxyquinolines that cross-link the hydrogel and cause it to shrink, which blue shifts the photonic crystal diffraction. These bisliganded cross-links break at higher cation concentrations due to the formation of monoliganded cation complexes. This red shifts the diffraction. We have extended hydrogel volume phase transition theory in order to quantitatively model the diffraction dependence upon metal concentration. These materials can be used as a dosimeter to sense extremely low metal cation concentrations or as a sensor material for concentrations greater than 1 μM. Metal cation concentrations can be determined visually from the color of the diffracted light or ca...
Developmental malformation of frog embryos: An analysis of teratogenicity of chemical mixtures

Chemical compounds known to be teratogenic to frog embryos were tested singly and in binary mixtures and Weibull functions were used to model their concentration-response relationships. A separate Weibull function with an additive concentration variable modeled the mixtures using only single chemical test data. Seven chemicals in five binary mixtures at 3/1, 1/1, and 1/3 mixture proportions each were tested. The ratios of measured and calculated model parameters and median concentrations were estimated for comparing the results. The ratios ranged from 0.72 and 1.44 with an average at 0.99, an agreement that was qualitatively similar to modeling mixtures of narcotic chemicals which are known to produce additive concentration effects. The model reliability in determining mixture response classes and prediction of effects based on single chemical data was quantified. The model is useful for environmental risk assessment of chemical mixtures in hazardous waste sites and for the design of mixture experiments.
On the importance of systematic risk factors in explaining the cross-section of corporate bond yield spreads

Abstract In this paper we examine the importance of systematic equity market factors in explaining the cross-sectional variation in yield spreads on corporate debt. Based on a sample of 1771 corporate bonds over the period from January 1985 to March 1998, we find that once the default-related variables are controlled for , bond betas or sensitivities to aggregate equity market risks have very limited explanatory power. This is in contrast to [Elton, E.J., Gruber, M.J., 2001. Explaining the rate spread on corporate bonds. Journal of Finance 56, 247–277] who find that market factors tied to expected returns are predominantly important, but who do not control for these variables (i.e. the relevant variables from structural models), possibly biasing their estimates. On the other hand, our finding that the systematic factors exhibit some limited explanatory power suggests that the standard contingent claims approach may not fully apply. This finding is consistent with previous research that bond betas are not completely irrelevant once market frictions are introduced. Overall, the evidence provides empirical support for the proposition that structural models capture important elements of corporate bond yield spread determination and equity market systematic factors are by no means predominant.
Methodology for determining periodontal needs.

uals needing treatment for periodontal disease. (2) Type and extent of treatment. (3) Number of individ­ uals needing preventive procedures and education in periodontal health care. (4) Type and extent of preven­ tive procedures and health care education. (5) Number and educational qualifications of personnel needed for treatment, prevention and educational programs. Obviously, at present it is impossible even to make an educated guess at the magnitude of these needs, and the main purpose of this paper is to stimulate interest in the accumulation of meaningful data for the assess­ ment of periodontal needs through: 1. Survey programs of periodontal status that can be used as a basis for estimate of specific needs for therapy. 2. Pilot programs and clinical trials for therapy and
RAP, a novel type of ER chaperone

Members of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene family play an important role in cellular uptake of various extracellular ligands. Recent studies have shown that a 39-kDa protein known as RAP (receptor-associated protein) serves as a molecular chaperone to assist the folding of certain LDL-receptor family proteins and their passage through the secretory pathway. In this review, the authors discuss our current understanding of the roles of RAP as a molecular chaperone/escort protein and present a model of how RAP might carry out these functions.
A High-Speed On-Chip ECC System Using Modified Hamming Code

It has been shown that significant improvements to reliability and yield [1] can be attained with Error Correction Code (ECC) systems on DRAM chips. Placement of ECC systems on DRAM chips poses many practical problems, among which are increased access time and chip size. Described is a self-contained and selftimed on-chip ECC system imbedded in a high-speed 16-Mbit DRAM chip [2].
Requirements for satellite land surface temperature validation using a silt playa

Abstract We investigate the validation of satellite land surface temperature (LST) products. In particular, the planned EOS/MODIS global LST accuracy of 1°C must be confirmed by independent measurements for a range of cover types. Simple fat surfaces are the most easily instrumented and characterized and so provide a logical starting point. Such surfaces include inland water, sand, snow, ice, and playa. Validation with water is straight-forward, but other land surfaces are more difficult to measure accurately. The analysis we present is based on a sequence of MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) images collected over a playa (silt dry lake bed). Atmospheric effects in the MAS images are corrected by an in-scene method and are then converted to a time sequence of temperature maps. These form the basis for estimating the spatial and temporal sampling requirements to achieve a surface measurement accuracy of better than 0.5°C for 1km 2 MODIS pixels. We conclude that a grid of thermistors appears to be the must practical instrumentation method for ,such a large area. Depending on the environmental conditions, between 4 and 16 points are required per km 2 and we recommend that these be sampled at intervals ranging from 1 min to 2.5 min. A MAS underfight validation is possible if it is synchronized to within several minutes of the MODIS overpass. Finally, radiometers should be used at several of the thermistor locations to verify the skin temperature corrections and to characterize the temperature transients and angular effects.
Compact passive polarization converter using slanted semiconductor rib waveguides

The design of a compact 400 µm long passive polarization converter employing an asymmetrical rib waveguide with less than 0.2 dB total insertion loss is presented, by using rigorous numerical approaches.
Size, shape, and hydration of a self-associating human IgG myeloma protein: Axial asymmetry as a contributing factor in serum hyperviscosity☆

Studies of sedimentation, diffusion, viscosity, and buoyant density have been carried out on a human IgG1-lambda myeloma protein (IgG-MIT) isolated from the serum of a patient with multiple myeloma and the hyperviscosity syndrome. In comparison with pooled normal IgG, IgG-MIT exhibits smaller sedimentation and diffusion coefficients, a larger intrinsic viscosity, and a larger frictional ratio. The preferential hydration of IgG-MIT in cesium chloride was found to be within the range of values typically observed for globular proteins. The data are consistent with prolate ellipsoid geometry, and suggest that the axial ratio of the IgG-MIT monomer is approximately 50% greater than that typically observed for IgG. The concentration dependencies of the hydrodynamic data for IgG-MIT confirm the previous finding of reversible, concentration-dependent self-association for this protein. IgG-MIT thus represents the first reported instance of an IgG paraprotein for which in vivo hyperviscosity effects appear attributable to a twofold mechanism involving geometric asymmetry and concentration-dependent polymerization. The results are discussed in terms of the significant heterogeneity in molecular dimensions which may exist among normal IgG proteins.
VALENCY RULE AND ALLEGED HOFMEISTER SERIES IN THE COLLOIDAL BEHAVIOR OF PROTEINS : II. THE INFLUENCE OF SALTS.

It is shown by the older experiments by Loeb and by the experiments reported in this paper that the effect of salts on the membrane potentials, osmotic pressure, swelling of gelatin chloride, and that type of viscosity which is due to the swelling of protein particles, depends only on the valency but not on the chemical nature of the anion of the salt, and that the cation of the salt has no effect on these properties, if the pH of the protein solution or protein gel is not altered by the salt. The so called Hofmeister series of salt effects on these four properties are purely fictitious and due to the failure of the former authors to measure the hydrogen ion concentration of their protein solutions or gels and to compare the effects of salts at the same pH of the protein solution or the protein gel. These results confirm the older experiments of Loeb and together they furnish a further proof for the correctness of the idea that the influence of electrolytes on the four properties of proteins is determined by membrane equilibria. Such properties of proteins which do not depend on membrane equilibria, such as solubility or cohesion, may be affected not only by the valency but also by the chemical nature of the ions of a salt.
Prevention of Mitochondrial Injury by Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Reveals a Primary Mechanism for Alkaline-induced Cell Death

Alkalosis is a clinical complication resulting from various pathological and physiological conditions. Although it is well established that reducing the cellular proton concentration is lethal, the mechanism leading to cell death is unknown. Mitochondrial respiration generates a proton gradient and superoxide radicals, suggesting a possible link between oxidative stress, mitochondrial integrity, and alkaline-induced cell death. Manganese superoxide dismutase removes superoxide radicals in mitochondria, and thus protects mitochondria from oxidative injury. Cells cultured under alkaline conditions were found to exhibit elevated levels of mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species, and calcium which was accompanied by mitochondrial damage, DNA fragmentation, and cell death. Overexpression of manganese superoxide dismutase reduced the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species and calcium, restored mitochondrial transmembrane potential, and prevented cell death. The results suggest that mitochondria are the primary target for alkaline-induced cell death and that free radical generation is an important and early event conveying cell death signals under alkaline conditions.
Constant-degree graph expansions that preserve the treewidth

Many hard algorithmic problems dealing with graphs, circuits, formulas and constraints admit polynomial-time upper bounds if the underlying graph has small treewidth. The same problems often encourage reducing the maximal degree of vertices to simplify theoretical arguments or address practical concerns. Such degree reduction can be performed through a sequence of splittings of vertices, resulting in an _expansion_ of the original graph. We observe that the treewidth of a graph may increase dramatically if the splittings are not performed carefully. In this context we address the following natural question: is it possible to reduce the maximum degree to a constant without substantially increasing the treewidth? Our work answers the above question affirmatively. We prove that any simple undirected graph G=(V, E) admits an expansion G'=(V', E') with the maximum degree <= 3 and treewidth(G') <= treewidth(G)+1. Furthermore, such an expansion will have no more than 2|E|+|V| vertices and 3|E| edges; it can be computed efficiently from a tree-decomposition of G. We also construct a family of examples for which the increase by 1 in treewidth cannot be avoided.
Plants regenerated from embryo cultures of an apomictic clone of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L. ‘Baron’) are not apomictic in origin

Plants were regenerated from tissue cultures of embryos dissected from seeds that were harvested from a self-pollinated clonal selection of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) ‘Baron’, an apomictic cultivar. Plants were regenerated from 35 embryo-derived callus cultures of the 3280 embryos that were plated. Flow-cytometric (FCM) and RAPD-marker analyses were performed to determine if regenerants were or were not apomictic in origin. Fifteen regenerants with a 3c DNA content were classified as arising from 2n + n aberrant embryos, which was a higher frequency than expected, based on a chi-square analysis. Of the remaining 20 regenerants with a 2c DNA content, a chi-square test showed that all could have arisen from n + n sexually-derived embryos, based on the observed segregation of n + n regenerants, which fit the expected 3:1 ratio of dominant:recessive RAPD-marker phenotypes. The apparent lack of regenerants of apomictic origin, and implications for genetic transformation and breeding of Kentucky bluegrass are discussed.
On the Mechanism of Low‐Temperature Oxidation (23°–450°C) of Polycrystalline Nickel

The oxidation of "clean" nickel has been investigated from 24° to 450°C at oxygen pressures of . Ultra‐high vacuum techniques made it possible to start oxidation on specimens free of oxide and surface impurities such as C, Si, and S. Oxygen uptake was measured manometrically with a capacitance gauge of submonolayer sensitivity. Initial rapid oxygen adsorption (and place exchange) on nickel was followed by slower oxidation obeying a logarithmic rate law over the thickness range 8–30Aa. Growth of thicker films was in accord with a parabolic rate law, transport through the oxide occurring predominantly via easy diffusion paths. The value of 41 kcal·mole−1 calculated from an Arrhenius plot of the parabolic rate constants from 300° to 450°C is an approximate measure of the activation energy for growth via leakage paths. A p1/6 dependence of the parabolic growth rate on oxygen pressure was found at 450°C.
Routing and wavelength assignment with power considerations in optical networks

Abstract Previous studies have solved many variations of the routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) problem in optical networks under the assumption of perfect conditions regarding the power of a signal. In this paper, we investigate the RWA problem while allowing for degradation of routed signals by optical components. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer non-linear program. We propose a two-phase approach. In the first phase, we solve the pure RWA problem using fixed routes for every connection. In the second phase, power assignment is accomplished by either using a heuristic or using a genetic algorithm. This paper demonstrates that: (i) connections do interact affecting the power of each other, and (ii) global search meta-heuristics provide better solutions.
Assembly of formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase monomers kinetic evidence for a temperature-induced conformational change

The assembly of Clostridium acidi-urici formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase (formate:tetrahydrofolate ligase (ADP-forming), EC 6.3.4.3) monomers induced by low concentrations of CsCl to form the catalytically active tetramer shows a pronounced lag phase in the time-course progress curve. Preincubation of the monomer for 20 rein at 20°C in a medium of either high ionic strength, 10% dimethylsulfoxide or 1 M glycerol removes the lag period. Shorter preincubation periods produce the same effect if the medium contains both high ionic strength and dimethylsulfoxide or glycerol. Preincubation at 0°C in the presence of these agents has tittle effect. The reassociation reaction is first-order with respect to monomer concentration, before preincubation at 20°C, but second-order after. It is proposed that two conformers of the monomer exist in equilibrium in a temperature-dependent reaction and that the conformer able to reassociate is more favored at 20°C than at 0°°C. High ionic strength or the presence of the organic solvents shift the equilibrium far in the direction of the conformer capable of reassociation, changing the rate-limiting step from a first-order conformational step to a second-order monomer association step.
Gender differences in long-term beneficial effects of erythropoietin given after neonatal stroke in postnatal day-7 rats.

Recently, we reported that erythropoietin attenuates neonatal brain injury caused by focal cerebral ischemia. The long-term effects of erythropoietin on focal cerebral ischemia-induced injury to the developing brain and the potential gender differences in these long-term effects have not been studied in detail. The current study demonstrated a similarity in the mean infarct volume in both the vehicle-treated male and female rats at 6 and 12 weeks after focal cerebral ischemia. On the other hand, erythropoietin treatment (1000 U/kg×three doses after focal cerebral ischemia) caused a significant reduction in the mean infarct volume in both males and females at 6 weeks after focal cerebral ischemia when compared with the corresponding vehicle-treated animals (males: 141.4±48.2 mm3 vs. 194.0±59.2 mm3, P<0.05; females: 85.4±31.6 mm3 vs. 183.4±46.3 mm3, P<0.05). Interestingly, the reduction in the mean infarct volume in the erythropoietin-treated males was significantly less than that in the erythropoietin-treated females at 6 weeks after focal cerebral ischemia (141.4±48.2 mm3 vs. 85.4±31.6 mm3, P<0.05). At 12 weeks after focal cerebral ischemia, the mean infarct volume in the erythropoietin-treated males significantly increased to 181.0±50.4 mm3 (P<0.05). In contrast, the mean infarct volume in the erythropoietin-treated females remained stable (87.0±41.7 mm3). Additionally, erythropoietin treatment significantly improved sensorimotor function recovery with a misstep number similar to the sham-operation group at 6 and 12 weeks after focal cerebral ischemia. Moreover, the mean number of missteps in the erythropoietin-treated females was less than that in males at 6 (13.5±2.0 vs. 24.5±2.5, P<0.05) and 12 (12.5±2.0 vs. 20.0±2.0, P<0.05) weeks after focal cerebral ischemia. These results indicate that erythropoietin administration after focal cerebral ischemia produces a significant long-term neuroprotective benefit on the developing brain, and that this effect is more beneficial in the female rats.
The fokker-planck equation as an approximating formula for the G/M/K queueing system

Abstract In this paper we consider the problem of approximating the steady-state probabilities of the G/M/K queueing system. Although an analytical solution exists for the G/M/K system (see Kendall[5]), its explicit evaluation when dealing with general arrival processes imposes some computational difficulties. In this paper we propose an explicit and simple approximation which requires the knowledge of only the mean and variance of the interarrival-time rather than its full distributional form.