cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Family planning and induced abortion in the USSR: basic health and demographic characteristics.

Official and unofficial data clearly indicate a low availability and use of modern contraceptives in the USSR and induced abortions centrality in fertility regulation. The level of induced abortion is in fact higher than that observed in any other country in the world and is the main method of regulating fertility in the country. Wide regional differentials in the extent of induced abortion exist throughout the USSR soaring to 770 abortions/100 births in the central rural areas of the Russian Soviet Federal socialist Republic. Overall for the USSR the number of officially registered abortions/1000 women reached a high of 244.5 in 1956 and a low of 86.6 in 1988 over the period 1954-1988. Decreased levels are due in part to a changing age structure of women and increased menstrual regulations through the 1980s. 6.5 million official abortions occurred in 1988 constituting 10-20% of the world annual total. Not accounting for estimations that illegal abortions may account for up to 70% of total induced abortions in the USSR this official level is nonetheless 2-10 times higher than those observed in Western and Eastern European countries. The USSR has both realized fertility transition and a stable low total fertility rate of 2.4 due to the widespread use of abortion. These finding emerge from analysis of data from a variety of unofficial sources and the 1988 Ministry of Public Health officially published abortion statistics for the period 1960-88. Information on abortions in women under age 17 abortion mortality and the health consequences of abortion is not however officially published. Despite inadequacies in data accuracy reliability and completeness the validity of this broad trend and the predominant use of traditional methods among contraceptors can not be disputed.
Effects of repeated withdrawal from continuous amphetamine administration on brain reward function in rats

Rationale: The study of the effects of repeated amphetamine administration and withdrawal on brain reward function has relevance to both amphetamine dependence and non-drug-induced depressions. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of continuous amphetamine administration and withdrawal on brain stimulation reward thresholds, and the changes that occur with repeated amphetamine exposures. Methods: Rats were prepared with bipolar electrodes in the lateral hypothalamus and trained in a discrete-trial reward threshold procedure. Then, rats underwent two separate periods of amphetamine administration via subcutaneous osmotic mini-pumps. Results: Continuous amphetamine administration was associated with lowering in brain reward thresholds and decreases in response latencies, while withdrawal was associated with threshold elevations. These effects changed with subsequent amphetamine administration and withdrawal. Conclusions: The results of this study indicated that with the amphetamine administration regime used here, rats developed increased sensitivity to the effects of acute amphetamine administration and tolerance to the effects of amphetamine withdrawal.
Equine Chorionic Gonadotropin Regulates Luteal Steroidogenesis in Pregnant Mares

The onset of eCG secretion in pregnant mares coincides with an increase in luteal steroid production and a relative shift toward androgen and estrogen synthesis. However, a cause-effect relationship between eCG and the shift in luteal steroidogenesis has not been demonstrated. In this study, we have investigated the effect of eCG on steroid production by the corpus luteum (CL) during equine pregnancy. All mares were supplemented with 44 mg altrenogest (a progestogen) per day on Days 18-50. Increasing doses of eCG were administered on Days 26-28, before the onset of endogenous eCG secretion, to four mares with and four mares without a functional CL (prostaglandin F2alpha administered on Day 18). Four mares with a functional CL received no exogenous eCG. In eCG-treated mares without a functional CL, progestin, androstenedione, and estrogen concentrations did not significantly increase after exogenous eCG administration or endogenous eCG secretion. In eCG-treated mares with a functional CL, progestin and estrogen production increased significantly after exogenous eCG administration and endogenous eCG secretion, whereas androstenedione concentrations tended to increase following exogenous eCG and increased significantly following endogenous eCG secretion. In mares with a functional CL that did not receive exogenous eCG, progestin and estrogen concentrations increased and androstenedione concentrations tended to increase only after the onset of endogenous eCG secretion. These data demonstrate that the increase in luteal steroidogenesis that coincides with the onset of eCG secretion is induced by eCG and results in an increase in luteal androgen and estrogen synthesis. Our findings support the hypothesis that eCG has a luteotropic action in pregnant mares.
Electrical coupling between cells of higher plants: A direct demonstration of intercellular communication.

Electrical coupling between adjacent cells of Elodea canadensis has been demonstrated using a microelectrode technique in which the membrane potentials were recorded during the passage of a current pulse from the vacuole of one cell to the external solution. The changes in membrane potential resulting from the passage of the current may be simulated by an equivalent circuit in which the tonoplast:plasmalemma:plasmodesmata resistances are in the ratio 1.0:5.6:2.2. On this basis, the specific resistances are 3.1 kΩ cm2 for the plasmalemma, 1.0 kΩ cm2 for the tonoplast and 0.051 kΩ cm2 for the junction between the cells. Although the plasmodesmata permit the passage of current, it is estimated that they have a resistance about 60 times higher than would be the case if they were completely open channels. Electrical coupling has also been demonstrated between parenchymal cells in oat coleoptiles and between cortical cells in maize roots. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to the symplastic transport of ions and other small molecules and in relation to the quantitative measurement of membrane resistance in multicellular tissue.
On the Interpretation of the Solvent Influence on Spectroscopic and Photophysical Parameters by means of multiparameter models

Zur Interpretation des Losungsmitteleinflusses auf spektroskopische und photophysikalische Parameter mittels Mehrparametermodellen Die Anwendung von Mehrparametermodellen nach Kamlet und Taft auf die Solvatochromie von Absorption und Fluoreszenz sowie auf photophysikalische Parameter wird durch Beispiele aus der Literatur und durch eigene Beispiele demonstriert. Dabei werden besonders spezifische Wechselwirkungen zwischen Substrat und Losungsmittel diskutiert. Mit Hilfe der Regressionskoeffizienten von multiplen Korrelationen lassen sich Beziehungen zwischen der Struktur der Substrate und dem Ort der spezifischen Wechselwirkungen herstellen. Die Beschreibung dynamischer Prozesse gelingt mit der Einfuhrung eines zusatzlichen Viskositatsparameters, der auf der scheinbaren Arrheniusschen Aktivierungsenergie der Losungsmittelviskositat beruht.
Effect of bradycardia on dispersion of ventricular refractoriness.

Abstract The effect of bradycardia on dispersion of ventricular refractoriness was evaluated. Refractory periods were measured at 3 right ventricular sites in 16 patients with severe bradycardia (average heart rate 39 ± 5 beats/min) and were compared with those measured in 11 control subjects, (average heart rate 72 ± 12 beats/min). Patients with bradycardia had significantly longer effective (377 ± 36 ms) and functional (421 ± 39 ms) refractory periods (ERP and FRP) than control subjects (ERP 296 ± 25 ms, FRP 346 ± 18 ms) (p 2 and S 3 ) failed to induce ventricular tachycardia in any patient during bradycardia. Bradycardia alone does not appear to be a factor in the induction of ventricular tachyarrhythmias.
Circulating Melanoma Cells in the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Melanoma: An Appraisal of Clinical Potential

Circulating melanoma cells (CMCs) are thought to be the foundation for metastatic disease, which makes this cancer especially lethal. Cancer cells contained in the primary tumor undergo genotypic and phenotypic changes leading to an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, during which numerous changes occur in signaling pathways and proteins in the cells. CMCs are then shed off or migrate from the primary tumor and intravasate the vasculature system. A few CMCs are able to survive in the circulation through expression of a variety of genes and also by evading immune system recognition to establish metastases at distant sites after extravasating from the vessels. The presence of CMCs in the blood of a melanoma patient can be used for disease staging, predicting metastasis development, and evaluating the efficacy of therapeutic agents. Overall survival and disease-free duration can also be correlated with the presence of CMCs. Finally, analysis of CMCs for druggable therapeutic gene targets could lead to the development of personalized treatment regimens to prevent metastasis. Thus, the study of CMCs shows promise for the detection, staging, and monitoring of disease treatment, as well as for determination of prognosis and predicting overall disease-free survival. These are the areas reviewed in this article.
Are oral antibiotics alone efficacious for the treatment of a first episode of acute pyelonephritis in children

Are oral antibiotics alone efficacious for the treatment of a first episode of acute pyelonephritis in children?
Congress and the national endowment for the arts: Institutional patterns and arts funding, 1965–1994

Abstract This article describes congressional handling of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) longitudinally, linking particularly bicameral differenes and institutional reform within Congress to arts funding. It argues that the House and Senate have approached the arts very differently because of the distinctive character of the two institutions; that sharp funding increases for the NEA coincided with the decentralization of political power on Capitol Hill; that creative use of rules within the House sustained arts funding at the time that it was most vulnerable politically; that fiscal issues have been accompanied (if not actually supplanted) by cultural concerns for a subset of members; and, that conflict over arts funding on Capitol Hill has followed regular patterns that are now in jeopardy with a new Republican majority.
Generation and Propagation of Thermally Induced Acoustic Waves in Supercritical Fluids: Numerical and Experimental Results

The behavior of thermally induced acoustic waves generated by the rapid heating of a bounding solid wall in a closed cylindrical chamber filled with supercritical carbon dioxide is investigated numerically and experimentally. A time-dependent one-dimensional problem is considered for the numerical simulations where the supercritical fluid is contained between two parallel plates. The NIST Reference Database 12 is used to obtain the property relations for supercritical carbon dioxide. The thermally induced pressure (acoustic) waves undergo repeated reflections at the two confining walls and gradually dissipate. The numerically predicted temperature of the bulk supercritical fluid is found to increase homogeneously (the so called piston effect) within the domain. The details of generation, propagation and dissipation of thermally induced acoustic waves in supercritical fluids are presented under different heating rates. In the experiments, a resistance-capacitance circuit is used to generate a rapid temperature increase in a thin metal foil located at one end of a closed cylindrical chamber. The time-dependent pressure variation in the chamber and the temperature history at the foil are recorded by a fast response measurement system. Both the experimental and numerical studies predict similar pressure wave shapes and profiles due to rapid heating of a wall.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Size-dependent strength in nanolaminate metallic systems

The effect of layer thickness on the hardness of nanometallic material composites with both coherent and incoherent interfaces was investigated using nanoindentation. Then, atomistic simulations were performed to identify the critical deformation mechanisms and explain the macroscopic behavior of the materials under investigation. Nanocomposites of different individual layer thicknesses, ranging from 1–30 nm, were manufactured and tested in nanoindentation. The findings were compared to the stress–strain curves obtained by atomistic simulations. The results reveal the role of the individual layer thickness as the thicker structures exhibit somehow different behavior than the thinner ones. This difference is attributed to the motion of the dislocations inside the layers. However, in all cases the hybrid structure was the strongest, implying that a particular improvement to the mechanical properties of the coherent nanocomposites can be achieved by adding a body-centered cubic layer on top of a face-centered cubic bilayer.
Effects of phosphine and methyl bromide fumigation on the volatile flavor profile and sensory quality of dry cured ham

In separate experiments, randomized complete block designs with three replications were utilized to evaluate the effects of phosphine (PH(3)) (0, 200 and 1000ppm for 48h) and methyl bromide (MB) (0, 4, 8, 16, and 32mg/L for 48h) fumigation concentration on the volatile flavor compound concentrations in dry cured ham. Minimal differences existed (P>0.05) in the presence and concentration of aroma active compounds in both PH(3) and MB fumigated hams but sulfur and oxidation compounds were more prevalent (P 0.75) between the control hams and those that were fumigated with PH(3). Minimal aroma/flavor differences existed among MB, PH3 and control hams, and dry cured ham that was fumigated with PH(3) was safe for consumption based on residual phosphine concentrations in the meat tissue.
Band-edge excitons in PbSe nanocrystals and nanorods

We investigate the fine structure of band-edge excitons in PbSe nanocrystals and nanorods using circularly polarized magnetophotoluminescence and optically detected magnetic resonance and, based on the results, propose a singlet-triplet model of exciton photoluminescence from nondegenerate conduction and valence bands. From the data and model we extract $g$-factors for electrons and holes of $+1.2$ and $+0.8$, respectively. The splitting of the triplet ground state, which is responsible for the low-temperature photoluminescence, is $88\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\text{eV}$ for nanorods, and less than $20\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\text{eV}$ for nanocrystals. The intervalley splitting of the electron and hole levels in the nanocrystals is much larger than the electron-hole exchange interaction.
Getting it right for Mars

Abstract A mission to Mars is both inevitable and potentially of great value, argues the author of this Viewpoint, but for a variety of reasons - financial, technical and political - it is feasible only as an international cooperative venture. Several models of international cooperation already exist, but perhaps the Association of Space Explorers, with its membership drawn from 18 spacefaring nations, and the proposed International Space Exploration Institute offer the most promising avenues for taking the project forward.
Variation in thyroid response to thyroid-stimulating hormone in juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Changes in the circulating levels of thyroid hormones measured by radioimmunoassay in yearling coho salmon in response to injection of bovine thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were evaluated from January through August. Doses of TSH ranging from 0.2 to 6.4 micrograms/g body wt were ineffective in stimulating T4 in January and at one time in April. Responses to TSH injection at this dose range were observed beginning in February and continuing through August. The minimal effective dose of TSH was either 0.2 or 0.4 microgram/g from May through August. The dose-response relationships of bovine and coho salmon TSH were compared and found to be similar. The time course of response of juvenile salmon to either bovine TSH or partially purified salmon TSH was found to be similar in January, May, and August, although the magnitude of the response differed at these different times. It is concluded that the increase in thyroid response to TSH may play a part in the onset of the increase in circulating T4 at the time of smoltification, but such changes in sensitivity do not explain the decrease in circulating T4 at the completion of smoltification.
An Lp Inequality for a Polynomial and Its Derivative

Abstract Let P ( z ) = a n Π n v =1 ( z − z v ), a n ≠ 0 be a polynomial of degree n . It is known that if | z v | ≥ K v ≥ 1, 1 ≤ v ≤ n , then for p ≥ 1, [formula] where [formula] and [formula] This inequality is best possible in the case K v = 1, 1 ≤ v ≤ n and equality holds for the polynomial ( z + 1) n . In this paper, we extend the above inequality to values of p ∈ [0, 1) and thus conclude that this inequality in fact holds for all p ≥ 0.
Advanced geophysical underground coal gasification monitoring

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) produces less surface impact, atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gas than traditional surface mining and combustion. Therefore, it may be useful in mitigating global change caused by anthropogenic activities. Careful monitoring of the UCG process is essential in minimizing environmental impact. Here we first summarize monitoring methods that have been used in previous UCG field trials. We then discuss in more detail a number of promising advanced geophysical techniques. These methods – seismic, electromagnetic, and remote sensing techniques – may provide improved and cost-effective ways to image both the subsurface cavity growth and surface subsidence effects. Active and passive seismic data have the promise to monitor the burn front, cavity growth, and observe cavity collapse events. Electrical resistance tomography (ERT) produces near real time tomographic images autonomously, monitors the burn front and images the cavity using low-cost sensors, typically running within boreholes. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) is a remote sensing technique that has the capability to monitor surface subsidence over the wide area of a commercial-scale UCG operation at a low cost. It may be possible to infer cavity geometry from InSAR (or other surface topography) data using geomechanical modeling. The expected signals from these monitoring methods are described along with interpretive modeling for typical UCG cavities. They are illustrated using field results from UCG trials and other relevant subsurface operations.
Precipitation of titania in a continuous-flow reactor with an organic base stabilizer

Abstract Narrow-size-distribution, non-agglomerated TiO 2 powder was precipitated on a large scale within a continuous-flow reactor from high concentrations of titanium tetraethoxide (Ti(OEt) 4 ) and water in ethanol. A plug-flow reactor with static mixers enabled continuous TiO 2 production of 60 g h −1 over a period of 8 h from 0.25 M alkoxide and 1.0 M water. The organic base triethylamine was added as a stabilizer to the alkoxide stream prior to synthesis. The resultant powder had an average particle diameter of 0.37 μm with about 85% singlets and a standard deviation in particle size of 16%.
Gas chromatographic analysis of hydrocarbons up to C16 and of inert gases in natural gas with a combination of packed and capillary columns

Abstract A gaschromatographic method is described, which gives quantitative information on hydrocarbons and inert gases in natural gas in a single run. Inert gases and hydrocarbons up to C2 are separated on a combination of Porapak and molecular sieve columns. For the separation of the higher hydrocarbons, a methylsilicone capillary column with a thick film was used. The method is suitable for routine laboratory analysis and automated on-line monitoring.
Introduction. Out Of Africa

This introductory essay focuses on the epistemological questions involved in qualifying religious phenomena as 'African', whether on the African continent itself or elsewhere. Taking its departure from the fact that the very term 'Africa' is heteronymic in origin, it argues for a perspective that treats 'Africa' and 'Africanness' not as ontological givens, but as problems to be empirically investigated in regard to both the historical forces and discursive formations that lastingly 'Africanized' the continent and its inhabitants, and in regard to the various strategies by which actors both on the continent and outside of it have turned contextually specific notions of 'Africanity' into socially salient predicates of their strategies of identification.
Genetic control of phaseolin protein expression in seeds of common bean,Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Phaseolin, the major globulin seed storage protein of common bean,Phaseolus vulgaris L., accounts for up to 50% of the total seed protein. The rapid accumulation of phaseolin in the maturing seeds begins about 14 days after flowering and continues for some 12–14 days longer. However, the amount and rate of phaseolin accumulation, related to variation in onset, length, termination, and rate of synthesis, have been shown to vary between genotypes.
Influence of scatter on out-of-band blocking of multilayer dielectric optical filters

Optical bandpass filters were deposited on substrates seeded with polystyrene microspheres. The resultant scatter caused decreased out-of-band blocking and a dependence of optical density on filter-to-detector distance.
Helping those like us or harming those unlike us: Illuminating social processes leading to environmental injustice

Several theories have been proposed to explain societal environmental injustices. Studies based on standard statistical methods and empirical data are often limited in testing some of these theories. This is especially true when some potential reasons (eg, racism) for unjust environmental outcomes are invidious, and even individual-level methods (eg, surveys) are unlikely to be effective in detecting them. We use agent-based modeling to explore the circumstances under which racially defined environmental injustice occurs in a society. We test three competing theories of an environmental disamenity's location decision: cost factors alone, benign intention for the majority population, or malign intention for the minority population, along with three scenarios of residential similarity preferences. The simulation demonstrates that a purely neoclassical world—one in which firms and residents care only about costs—does not lead to environmental injustice. Nor does a similar world in which disamenity-producing ...
Partner Serostatus and Disclosure Stigma: Implications for Physical and Mental Health Outcomes Among HIV-positive Adults

This pilot project examined the interaction between partners' serostatus and HIV disclosure-stigma in determining physical and mental health. Participants were 38 sexually active HIV-positive adults. Over 47% of participants reported exclusively seroconcordant partners in the past 30 days. There were no main effects of partner serostatus or disclosure stigma on any of the outcome variables. However, disclosure stigma moderated the relationship between partner serostatus and: number of symptoms reported, pain, physical functioning, quality of life, anxiety, illness intrusiveness, and role-functioning. Future research should explore the implications of partner serostatus for the physical and mental health of HIV-positive individuals.
The Influence of a Distorted Group Norm upon Individual Judgment

(1958). The Influence of a Distorted Group Norm upon Individual Judgment. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 46, No. 2, pp. 227-241.
Elicitation and the dominant character of stimulation-bound escape behavior

Supported in part by a grant from the Research Committee of the Medical School in Vermillion. Thanks are extended to Pearl Miller for histology, Vivian Johnson for preparation of the manuscript, and Daniel and Emily Kakolewski for encouragement.
Vibration of a simply supported rectangular elastic plate due to piezoelectric actuators

We use equations of linear elasticity to study vibrations of a simply supported rectangular elastic plate when time harmonic voltages are applied to piezoelectric actuators attached to its bottom and top surfaces. The actuators are modeled as thin surface films, and mixed edge conditions are employed to simulate simple supports.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
29–Fluorophytosterols: Novel Pro–Insecticides which Cause Death by Dealkylation

The 29–fluorophytosterols, members of a new class of selective pro–insecticides, have been synthesized and examined in vivo in tobacco hornworms. Dealkylation at C–24 of the steroid side chain by insects releases the latent poison fluoroacetate. Vertebrates lack this dealkylation pathway and should be incapable of the lethal synthesis. The 29–fluorophytosterols cause dose–dependent reductions in growth rate, maximum weight, and survival when fed at 1 to 100 ppm to Manduca sexta. Larval steroid composition is unaffected. Similar biological effects were observed when fluorocitrate and its metabolic precursors were fed to horn worms. The effects of five related 29–monofluorosterols show that the 22,23– double bond increases toxicity dramatically, making 29–fluorostigmasterol 100 fold more active than 29–fluorositosterol.
Explaining Differential Trust of DNA Forensic Technology: Grounded Assessment or Inexplicable Paranoia?

In the spring of 2005, the Portuguese government passed legislation paving the way for all residents to contribute their DNA to a national database to be used for medical and forensic purposes. There was no significant opposition. In sharp contrast, the United States will experience a contentious debate with strong opposition from many groups if and when such a law is proposed. Some of the reasons have to do with a history of sharply different experiences with, and trust of, the criminal justice system.
On stairwell and elevator shaft pressurization for smoke control in tall buildings

Elevator shaft and stairwell shaft-pressurization systems are studied as means of smoke migration prevention through the stack effect in tall buildings using the CONTAM simulation software. A thirty story building model is considered with exterior leakages calibrated to experimental data for both a residential and a commercial building. Stairwell pressurization is found to be completely feasible in the absence of elevator shaft pressurization. In contrast, coupled elevator shaft-pressurization systems are found to produce prohibitively large pressure differences across both the elevator and stairwell doors if (1) minimum pressure differences must be maintained at both open and closed elevator doors and (2) if the system must function properly when the ground floor exterior building doors are closed. Even in these cases situations arise in which smoke may enter the shaft and be actively distributed throughout the building by the fan system. These differences between stairwell and elevator shaft pressurization are directly attributable to the much larger leakage areas associated with elevator doors. Relatively large flow rates through the open elevator doors act to pressurize the ground floor of the building, indirectly causing large pressure differences across upper floor elevator doors. Furthermore, the results show that there is a strong coupling between the fan speed requirements of the stairwell and elevator shaft-pressurization systems. Fan requirements are also found to be sensitive to the ambient temperature. Effects of the fan location, louvers, vents, the building height, and the number of elevator cars and/or shafts are also addressed.
Role of protozoan grazing in relieving iron limitation of phytoplankton

RECENT evidence indicates that iron is a limiting factor in primary production in some areas of the oceans1,2. In sea water, iron is largely present in the form of particulate and colloidal phases which are apparently unavailable for uptake by phytoplankton3–5. Several mechanisms have been proposed whereby non-reactive iron may be converted into more labile forms (for example, thermal dissolution6, photochemical reactions7,8 and ligand complexation9). Here we report that digestion of colloidal iron in the acidic food vacuoles of protozoan grazers may be a mechanism for the generation of 'bioavailable' iron from refractory iron phases. We have demonstrated several grazer-mediated effects on colloidal ferrihydrite, including a decrease in colloid size, an increase in colloid lability as determined by competitive ligand-exchange techniques, and an increase in the bioavailability of colloids to iron-limited diatoms. These results indicate that protozoan grazers may significantly enhance the supply of iron to marine phytoplankton from terrestrial sources.
Entropy and stability in a stochastic laser model

The asymptotic stability of a microscopic stochastic laser model in the Heisenberg picture is discussed using Liapounov's direct method. By reducing the laser Langevin equations to a classical van der Pol equation for the photon number in the rotating wave approximation, it may be shown that the above-threshold steady state characterized by the cubic non-linearity in the van der Pol equation, is stable. This leads to the definition of a monotonic increasing entropy function far from thermal equilibrium.
Architectural characterization and similarity analysis of sunspider and Google's V8 Javascript benchmarks

Today, more than 99% of web-browsers are enabled with Javascript capabilities, and Javascript's popularity is only going to increase in the future. However, due to bytecode interpretation, Javascript codes suffer from severe performance penalty (up to 50x slower) compared to the corresponding native C/C++ code. We recognize that the first step to bridge this performance gap is to understand the the architectural execution characteristics of Javascript benchmarks. Therefore, this paper presents an in-depth architectural characterization of widely used V8 and Sunspider Javascript benchmarks using Google's V8 javascript engine. Using statistical data analysis techniques, our characterization study discovers and explains correlation among different execution characteristics in microarchitecture dependent as well as microarchitecture independent fashion. Furthermore, our study measures (dis)similarity among 33 different Javascript benchmarks and discusses its implications. Given the widespread use of Javascripts, we believe our findings are useful for both performance analysis and benchmarking communities.
Synthesis of 14C‐coniferyl alcohol (4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxycinnamyl alcohol)

Coniferyl alcohol-β-14C or -γ-14C (IVa or IVb) was prepared by the reduction of methyl 4-acetylferulate-β-14C or γ-14C (IIIa or IIIb) with Vitride-T reagent [70% (w/v) solution of sodium bis(2-methoxyethoxy) aluminium hydride in benzene]. Several synthetic methods were compared in the preparation of 4-acetylferulic acid β-14C or γ-14C (IIa or IIb). The synthetic reactions used to optimize the yield of (II) are shown in Fig. 1. These reactions were: 1 A Doebner reaction of malonic acid-2-14C with acetyl-vanillin, followed by acetylation of the ferulic acid. 2 A Perkin reaction of acetylvanillin with acetic anhydride-1-14C. The Doebner reaction of acetylvanillin with malonic acid 2-14C was superior to the other reactions for the preparation of 4-acetylferulic acid-β-14C (IIa) and resulted in a 75% yield. The overall yield of coniferyl alcohol-β-14C (IVa) from malonic acid-2-14C was 20.6% (Note: When coniferyl alcohol-γ-14C (IVb) was the desired product, malonic acid-1-14C was used).
EDA for digital, programmable, multi-radios

New technology and innovative usage models are driving the industry towards the ubiquitous use of wireless communications. The result is an end-to-end re-examination of radio architecture from the front end module to the MAC and the expected shift from largely analog to nearly pure digital radio design. Even RF power amplifiers will be digital, rather than analog in nature. Most importantly, radios will enter an age where one physical radio acts as many logical radios all at the same time. Much in the way computers evolved decades ago, radios will become multi-programmable. The combination of new radio architectures and mostly digital implementations will drive a new generation of design tools and techniques and, by necessity, will evolve to satisfy the demands of reconfigurable hardware and software programmability. Digital multi-radios will also accelerate the move from System-on-Chip to Platform-on-Chip design as all the elements of the platform, including the radios, are built on one chip using a single semiconductor process. In his keynote, Intel’s Chief Technology Officer, Justin Rattner, will talk about the challenges that this very high level of integration will have on design automation from architecture to manufacturing.
Complexity in conservation: lessons from the global decline of amphibian populations

As part of an overall ‘‘biodiversity crisis’’ many amphibian populations are in decline throughout the world. Numerous causes have been invoked to explain these declines. These include habitat destruction, climate change, increasing levels of ultraviolet radiation, environmental contamination, disease, and the introduction of non-native species. In this paper, we argue that amphibian population declines are caused by different abiotic and biotic factors acting together in a context-dependent fashion. Moreover, different species and different populations of the same species may react in different ways to the same environmental insult. Thus, the causes of amphibian population declines will vary spatially and temporally. Although some generalizations (e.g. those concerning environmental stress and disease outbreaks) can be made about amphibian population declines, we suggest that these generalizations take into account the context-dependent dynamics of ecological systems.
Role of Lipids in Brain Injury and Diseases.

Lipid metabolism in CNS is of particular interest because of the high concentration of lipids. The importance of lipids in cell signaling and tissue physiology is demonstrated by many CNS disorders and injuries that involve deregulated metabolism. The long-suffering lipid field is gaining reputation and respect, as evidenced through the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Lipidomics and Pathobiology (COBRE), Lipid MAPS (Metabolites And Pathways Strategy) Consortium sponsored by NIH, European initiatives for decoding the lipids through genomic approaches, and Genomics Of Lipid-associated Disorder (GOLD) project initiated by the Austrian government. This review attempts to provide an overview of the lipid imbalances associated with neurological disorders (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Niemann-Pick disease, multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and epilepsy) and CNS injury (stroke, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury), as well as a few provocative thoughts. Lipidomic analyses along with RNA silencing will provide new insights into the role of lipid intermediates in cell signaling and hopefully open new avenues for prevention or treatment options.
Same-strand overlapping genes in bacteria: compositional determinants of phase bias

Background: Same-strand overlapping genes may occur in frameshifts of one (phase 1) or two nucleotides (phase 2). In previous studies of bacterial genomes, long phase-1 overlaps were found to be more numerous than long phase-2 overlaps. This bias was explained by either genomic location or an unspecified selection advantage. Models that focused on the ability of the two genes to evolve independently did not predict this phase bias. Here, we propose that a purely compositional model explains the phase bias in a more parsimonious manner. Same-strand overlapping genes may arise through either a mutation at the termination codon of the upstream gene or a mutation at the initiation codon of the downstream gene. We hypothesized that given these two scenarios, the frequencies of initiation and termination codons in the two phases may determine the number for overlapping genes. Results: We examined the frequencies of initiation- and termination-codons in the two phases, and found that termination codons do not significantly differ between the two phases, whereas initiation codons are more abundant in phase 1. We found that the primary factors explaining the phase inequality are the frequencies of amino acids whose codons may combine to form start codons in the two phases. We show that the frequencies of start codons in each of the two phases, and, hence, the potential for the creation of overlapping genes, are determined by a universal amino-acid frequency and species-specific codon usage, leading to a correlation between long phase-1 overlaps and genomic GC content. Conclusion: Our model explains the phase bias in same-strand overlapping genes by compositional factors without invoking selection. Therefore, it can be used as a null model of neutral evolution to test selection hypotheses concerning the evolution of overlapping genes.
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Sex Hormone Levels among Postmenopausal Women in the Diabetes Prevention Program

Context: Sex hormones may differ by race/ethnicity in postmenopausal women. Whether racial/ethnic differences also exist among those who are overweight and glucose intolerant is not clear. Objectives: The objective of the study was to compare sex hormones by race/ethnicity [non-Hispanic white (NHW), Hispanic, African-American (AA)] in overweight, glucose-intolerant, postmenopausal women. Design: This was a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Participants: Participants included postmenopausal glucose-intolerant women participating in the Diabetes Prevention Program. Interventions: Interventions included intensive lifestyle modification (consisting of diet and physical activity) or metformin 850 mg twice a day vs. placebo. Main Outcome Measures: Baseline levels and 1-yr intervention-related changes in SHBG, total and bioavailable estradiol (E2), total and bioavailable testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone were measured. Results: At baseline, among women not using estrogen (n = 370), NHW ...
The Microstructure of the Cultured Freshwater Pearl

Pearls are composite materials of calcium carbonate polymorphs (calcite and aragonite) and organic macromolecules (polysaccharides and proteins) which contain genes and transcription factors that direct the formation of calcite and aragonite polygonal tiles, including their shape, size, and geometrical accommodation. These biologically derived instructions are transmitted from donor mussel shell mantle tissue by inserting seed grafts into freshwater production mussels. In this paper the internal and external freshwater pearl structure for the cultured triangle mussel Hyriopsis cumingii is examined by light optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. Pearl interior crystal structure evolves as mainly concentric calcite tile layers from the seed sac, with mixtures of aragonite polygonal (hexagonal-like) tiles. Within about 0.8–1 mm from the ideal (curved) pearl surface, the aragonite tiles form as continuous, overlapping layers 300–400 nm thick, with interlamellar organic material.
A general Bayes exponential inference model for accelerated life testing

This article develops a general Bayes inference model for accelerated life testing assuming failure times at each stress level are exponentially distributed. Using the approach, Bayes point estimates as well as probability statements for use-stress life parameters may be inferred from the following testing scenarios: regular life testing, fixed-stress testing, step-stress testing, profile-stress testing, and also mixtures thereof. The inference procedure uses the well known Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods to derive posterior quantities and accommodates both the interval data sampling strategy and type I censored sampling strategy for the collection of ALT test data. The approach is illustrated with an example.
The prevalence and cost of unapproved uses of top-selling orphan drugs.

Introduction The Orphan Drug Act encourages drug development for rare conditions. However, some orphan drugs become top sellers for unclear reasons. We sought to evaluate the extent and cost of approved and unapproved uses of orphan drugs with the highest unit sales.
THE EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY OF SEED GERMINATION OF ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA: VARIABLE NATURAL SELECTION ON GERMINATION TIMING

Germination timing of Arabidopsis thaliana displays strong plasticity to geographic location and seasonal conditions experienced by seeds. We identified which plastic responses were adaptive using recombinant inbred lines in a field manipulation of geographic location (Kentucky, KY; Rhode Island, RI), maternal photoperiod (14-h and 10- h days), and season of dispersal (June and November). Transgressive segregation created novel genotypes that had either higher fitness or lower fitness in certain environments than either parent. Natural selection on germination timing and its variation explained 72% of the variance in fitness among genotypes in KY, 30% in June-dispersed seeds in RI, but only 4% in November-dispersed seeds in RI. Therefore, natural selection on germination timing is an extremely efficient sieve that can determine which genotypes can persist in some locations, and its efficiency is geographically variable and depends on other aspects of life history. We found no evidence for adaptive responses to maternal photoperiod during seed maturation. We did find adaptive plasticity to season of seed dispersal in RI. Seeds dispersed in June postponed germination, which was adaptive, while seeds dispersed in November accelerated germination, which was also adaptive. We also found maladaptive plasticity to geographic location for seeds dispersed in June, such that seeds dispersed in KY germinated much sooner than the optimum time. Consequently, bet hedging in germination timing was favorable in KY; genotypes with more variation in germination timing had higher fitness because greater variation was associated with postponed germination. Selection on germination timing varied across geographic location, indicating that germination timing can be a critical stage in the establishment of genotypes in new locations. The rate of evolution of germination timing may therefore strongly influence the rate at which species can expand their range.
High-resolution change estimation of soil moisture using L-band radiometer and Radar observations made during the SMEX02 experiments

The soil moisture experiments held during June-July 2002 (SMEX02) at Iowa demonstrated the potential of the L-band radiometer (PALS) in estimation of near surface soil moisture under dense vegetation canopy conditions. The L-band radar was also shown to be sensitive to near surface soil moisture. However, the spatial resolution of a typical satellite L-band radiometer is of the order of tens of kilometers, which is not sufficient to serve the full range of science needs for land surface hydrology and weather modeling applications. Disaggregation schemes for deriving subpixel estimates of soil moisture from radiometer data using higher resolution radar observations may provide the means for making available global soil moisture observations at a much finer scale. This paper presents a simple approach for estimation of change in soil moisture at a higher (radar) spatial resolution by combining L-band copolarized radar backscattering coefficients and L-band radiometric brightness temperatures. Sensitivity of AIRSAR L-band copolarized channels has been demonstrated by comparison with in situ soil moisture measurements as well as PALS brightness temperatures. The change estimation algorithm has been applied to coincident PALS and AIRSAR datasets acquired during the SMEX02 campaign. Using AIRSAR data aggregated to a 100-m resolution, PALS radiometer estimates of soil moisture change at a 400-m resolution have been disaggregated to 100-m resolution. The effect of surface roughness variability on the change estimation algorithm has been explained using integral equation model (IEM) simulations. A simulation experiment using synthetic data has been performed to analyze the performance of the algorithm over a region undergoing gradual wetting and dry down.
Do residents need end-of-life care training?

Objective As medical education evolves, emphasis on chronic care management within the medical curriculum becomes essential. Because of the consistent lack of appropriate end-of-life care training, far too many patients die without the benefits of hospice care. This study explores the association between physician knowledge, training status, and level of comfort with hospice care referral of terminally ill patients. Method In 2011, anonymous surveys were distributed to physicians in postgraduate years 1, 2, and 3; fellows; hospital attending physicians; specialists; and other healthcare professionals in five hospitals of a large health system in New York. Demographic comparisons were performed using χ2 and Fisher's exact tests. Spearman correlations were calculated to determine if professional status and experience were associated with comfort and knowledge discussing end-of-life topics with terminal patients. Results The sample consisted of 280 participants (46.7% response rate). Almost a quarter (22%) did not know key hospice referral criteria. Although 88% of respondents felt that knowledge of hospice care is an important competence, 53.2% still relinquished advance directives discussion to emergency room (ER) physicians. Fear of patient/family anger was the most frequently reported hospice referral barrier, although 96% of physicians rarely experienced reprisals. Physician comfort level discussing end-of-life issues and hospice referral was significantly associated with the number of years practicing medicine and professional status. Significance of results Physicians continue to relinquish end-of-life care to ER staff and palliative care consultants. Exploring unfounded and preconceived fears associated with hospice referral needs to be integrated into the curriculum, to prepare future generations of physicians. Medical education should focus on delivering the right amount of end-of-life care training, at the right time, within the medical school and residency curriculum.
Physiotherapists' use of touch in inpatient settings

Background and Purpose Although touch is a basic element in the practice of physiotherapy, no research has been done to establish the type and purpose of practitioner touch in clinical settings. The purpose of the present study was to determine how physiotherapists use touch in inpatient acute and rehabilitation settings. Method Fifteen physiotherapists with three or more years' experience were videotaped treating two to three patients. The participant physiotherapists reviewed a videotape of themselves and described the types of touch used and their intent behind each touch. Cross-case analysis was used to determine common themes in the descriptions. Mutually exclusive categories of touch were then refined, based on the cases. Results The most common types of touch used by physiotherapists included assistive touch, touch used to prepare the patient, touch to provide information, caring touch, touch to provide a therapeutic intervention, and touch used to perceive information. The physiotherapists also used 33 different combinations of touch, that is, a single touch used for more than one purpose. Conclusions Inpatient physiotherapists clearly perform in a ‘high touch’ arena. Clinical experience was reported as the strongest factor in developing the physiotherapists' sensitivity to patient needs and their skill in using specific types of touch. Further research is needed concerning the way patients perceive and respond to the presence or absence of these various forms of practitioner touch. Copyright © 2002 Whurr Publishers Ltd.