cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Grand canonical Monte Carlo molecular and thermodynamic predictions of ion effects on binding of an oligocation (L8+) to the center of DNA oligomers

Grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations are reported for aqueous solutions containing excess univalent salt (activities a +/- = 1.76–12.3 mM) and one of the following species: an octacationic rod-like ligand, L8+; a B-DNA oligomer with N phosphate charges (8 infinity.
Classical conditioning of the nictitating membrane response of the lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris)

An experimental group of lemon sharks received 100 daily presentations of light flash as the conditioned stimulus (CS) and electric shock as the unconditioned stimulus (US) in a classical conditioning situation. The conditioned responses (CRs) and unconditioned responses (URs) under observation consisted of extensions of the nictitating membrane. Separate control groups received either (a) no CS or US, (b) CS-alone, or (c) completely random presentations of CS and US. Few CRs occurred in the experimental group at the outset of conditioning, but the percentage of CRs during the second half of the first acquisition session exceeded 95%. Conditioning stabilized above 95% CRs during Acquisition Sessions 3 through 7. These responses could not be attributed to pseudoconditioning, sensitization, or other nonassociative factors. When the experimental group was subsequently given six CS-alone sessions, the course of extinction was gradual. Most results seemed similar to those previously obtained during classical conditioning of the nictitating membrane in rabbits.
Creation of left-to-right shunts in the newborn pig: A new model

The closer to birth that congenital heart defects are simulated, the more valid the model. Unlike obstructive lesions such as pulmonic and aortic stenosis, which can be constructed in utero or in infancy, left-to-right shunts are more difficult to create due to the extreme friability of fetal and neonatal tissue. A method for creating left-to-right shunts in infant pigs using a pleural-sparing transverse sternotomy and direct side-to-side anastomosis between the redundant pulmonary artery and the ascending aorta has been introduced. The pigs developed palpable thrills, systolic and diastolic flow murmurs, and congestive heart failure. The average pulmonary-to-systemic flow ratio by the microsphere technique was 2.1:1 compared to 2.1:1 by oximetry. Left-to-right shunts can be constructed in infant pigs to simulate congenital heart defects.
SY40-3MGLUR5 POSITIVE ALLOSTERIC MODULATORS: PRECLINICAL EVIDENCE FOR PRO-COGNITIVE EFFECTS IN ALCOHOL AND COCAINE ADDICTION

Introduction. mGluR5 positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) facilitate hippocampal synaptic plasticity and reverse NMDA antagonist-induced cognitive deficits. We sought to determine the effects of mGluR5 PAMs on extinction learning, the reinstatement of drug-seeking, and synaptic plasticity in the prelimbic (PrL) and infralimbic (IfL) cortex. Method. The effects of the mGluR5 PAM CDPPB (10–30 mg/kg) on extinction responding following self-administration (SA) of either alcohol, cocaine, or methamphetamine was examined in rats. We also tested the effects of CDPPB on the reinstatement of alcohol-seeking, and potential mediation of any effects by the PrL and IfL. Finally, we assessed the effects of CDPPB alone and or in combination with extinction on dendritic spine density, morphology, and AMPA-mediated transmission in the PrL and IfL. Results. CDPPB reduced extinction responding following alcohol or cocaine SA, but had minimal effects on extinction following methamphetamine SA. CDPPB prevented cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol-seeking, and these effects were reversed by mGluR5 antagonism in the IfL. CDPPB selectively increased IfL AMPA-mediated transmission, dendritic spine density, and spine maturity. Conclusion. mGluR5 PAMs facilitate extinction learning and produce adaptive plasticity in the IfL, and therefore may represent a novel class of pro-cognitive compounds for possible use in the treatment of substance use disorders.
Symbolic reasoning among 3-D models and 2-D images

We describe model-based vision systems in terms of four components: models, prediction of image features, description of image features, and interpretation which relates image features to models. We describe details of modelling, prediction and interpretation in an implemented model-based vision system. Both generic object classes and specific objects are represented by volume models which are independent of viewpoint. We model complex real world object classes. Variations of size, structure and spatial relations within object classes can be modelled. New spatial reasoning techniques are described which are useful both for prediction within a vision system, and for planning within a manipulation system. We introduce new approaches to prediction and interpretation based on the propagation of symbolic constraints. Predictions are two pronged. First, prediction graphs provide a coarse filter for hypothesizing matches of objects to image feature. Second, they contain instructions on how to use measurements of image features to deduce three dimensional information about tentative object interpretations. Interpretation proceeds by merging local hypothesized matches, subject to consistent derived implications about the size, structure and spatial configuration of the hypothesized objects. Prediction, description and interpretation proceed concurrently from coarse object subpart and class interpretations of images, to fine distinctions among object subclasses and more precise three dimensional quantification of objects. We distinguish our implementations from the fundamental geometric operations required by our general image understanding scheme. We suggest directions for future research for improved algorithms and representations.
Formation of a [ONN(allyl)O]− Anion via NO Insertion and Coupling Using Yttrium and Lanthanide Allyl Metallocenes†

Nitric oxide (NO) reacts with (C5Me5)2Ln(η3-CH2CHCH2)(THF) to form the first crystallographically characterized group 3 and organolanthanide NO insertion products, namely, {(C5Me5)2Ln[μ-ONN(CH2CH═CH2)O]}2 (Ln = Y, La, Sm). The [ONN(allyl)O]− anions adopt an unusual trans geometry and presumably arise from insertion of NO into the Ln−C(allyl) bond followed by coupling of the (allyl-NO) radical anion with a second molecule of NO. Heating a solution of the yttrium product at 110 °C for 20 h affords (C5Me5)2Y[ONN(CH2CH═CH2)O-κ2O,O′], resulting from cleavage of the dimer and formation of the monomer as the thermodynamic product. The N═N, N−O, and Ln−O bond distances suggest that a zwitterionic (−)O−N═N(+)(R)−O(−) resonance structure is a main contributor to the bonding of these N-allyl-N-nitrosohydroxylaminato ligands.
Hydroxyapatite–Polyphosphazane Composites Prepared at Low Temperatures

Owing to their similarities to bone apatite, calcium phosphate bioceramics, such as hydroxyapatite (HAp), are used as biomaterials for hard tissue replacements. Composites of bioceramics and biomedical polymers can mimic bone structure and properties. The characteristics of composites comprising HAp and a biomedical polymer and prepared at low temperatures are described. The kinetics of HAp formation in the presence of a polyphosphazene polymer that carries carboxylic acid moieties (acid-PCPP) were established at temperatures from 25° to 50°C. Evolution in the compositions of the solids present, solution chemistry, and microstructure development were established as functions of reaction time and temperature. The polymer participated in HAp formation affecting its rates of nucleation and growth through the formation of calcium cross links. The presence of polymer also enhanced ductility.
Abstinence promotion under PEPFAR: The shifting focus of HIV prevention for youth

Abstract Abstinence-until-marriage (AUM) – strongly supported by religious conservatives in the USA – became a key element of initial human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention efforts under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). AUM programmes have demonstrated limited efficacy in changing behaviours, promoted medically inaccurate information and withheld life-saving information about risk reduction. A focus on AUM also undermined national efforts in Africa to create integrated youth HIV prevention programmes. PEPFAR prevention efforts after 2008 shifted to science-based programming, however, vestiges of AUM remain. Primary prevention programmes within PEPFAR are essential and nations must be able to design HIV prevention based on local needs and prevention science.
Irreversibility and dissipation in finite-state automata

Abstract Irreversibility and dissipation in finite-state automata (FSA) are considered from a physical-information-theoretic perspective. A quantitative measure for the computational irreversibility of finite automata is introduced, and a fundamental lower bound on the average energy dissipated per state transition is obtained and expressed in terms of FSA irreversibility. The irreversibility measure and energy bound are germane to any realization of a deterministic automaton that faithfully registers abstract FSA states in distinguishable states of a physical system coupled to a thermal environment, and that evolves via a sequence of interactions with an external system holding a physical instantiation of a random input string. The central result, which is shown to follow from quantum dynamics and entropic inequalities alone, can be regarded as a generalization of Landauerʼs Principle applicable to FSAs and tailorable to specified automata. Application to a simple FSA is illustrated.
The “Human Right” to Mental Health Care

Edited byJacquelyn H. Flaskerud, RN, PhD, FAANSchool of Nursing, University of California—Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USAIs health care a human right? In 1948 the United Nations, in respo...
Evolution's evolution

Life's Splendid Drama: Evolutionary Biology and the Reconstruction of Life's Ancestry. By Peter J. Bowler. University of Chicago Press: 1996. Pp. 525. $37.95, £30.25.
Racial Aspects of Zero Population Growth

The consequences of a zero population growth policy on the racial characteristics of the resulting population group are projected from different alternative fertility and mortality trends of the white and nonwhite population segments without interaction between them. Short-run and intermediate influences including migration are not considered concentrating on a long-term gross prediction. Models for the projection used the year 1965 as a baseline and the statistical calculations are described. Projections were calculated for zero population growth beginning in 1965 1980 and at 20-year intervals thereafter to 2040. The results of this model predict first a large population increase in both racial segments before stabilization due to the large proportion of young people in the initial sample and declining mortality rates. The later zero population growth is started the sooner the peak population is reached and the higher the percentage of nonwhites are in the final population. Yet even under the most optimum combination of demographic habits for nonwhite reproduction the highest proportion reached by that segment is only 30%. The genocide hypothesis that population control will lead to nonwhite extinction is not supported by any evidence. It is concluded that the population growth problem is one of expanding the distribution of social amenities to all segments of society rather than a unidimensional problem of limiting population numbers. However if population size becomes a determining factor in socioeconomic equality the issues of compulsory fertility control must be confronted.
Decomposition of cis-and trans- potassium diaquobis(oxalato)chromate(III)

Abstract The decomposition of cis - and trans -K[Cr(C 2 O 4 ) 2 ](H 2 O) 2 ] has been studied using differential scanning calorimetry. Dehydration occurs as the first step with activation energies being 27.5 and 13.9 mol −1 , respectively, for the cis and trans complexes. After dehydration, continued heating results in loss of CO amd CO 2 . For the trans complex, an additional endothermic peak is seen and the mass loss indicated that CO has been lost in a single step. In both cases, the final product indicated by mass loss data is KCrO 2 .
Extracellular calcium concentration and catecholamine release from adrenal medulla by acetylcholine and potassium

Nachweis an der isolierten perfundierten Rindernebenniere (5 ml/min), dass die Acetylcholin- oder Kalium-Stimulation der Catecholaminaus-schuttung bei fehlendem Calcium gleichmassig verhindert war. Ferner wurde die geringste Calciumkonzentration fur den Ausschuttungsreiz bestimmt.
A COMPARISON OF THE ELECTROPHORETIC VELOCITIES OF CELLOPHANE AND COLLODION SUSPENSIONS WITH ELECTROOSMOTIC VELOCITIES THROUGH MEMBRANES OF THE SAME MATERIALS.

It is demonstrated that the isoelectric concentration of ThCl4 is much greater for electroosmosis in small-pored membranes (cellophane, collodion) than for electrophoresis of particles of the same material. An explanation for the difference is advanced, based on the influence of the small pores in preventing complete development of the electrical double layer.
Habitat loss confounds climate change impacts

Biological reserves are set aside to conserve species in dynamic, human-dominated landscapes; however, most reserve systems protect only small, potentially biased samples of environmental conditions across the range of individual species or habitat types. Such biases can result in counter-intuitive distributions of environmental conditions under combinations of climate change and habitat loss. This study outlines the potential range of interactions and presents a case study investigating vernal pool wetlands in California, USA. The results indicate that future distributions of environmental conditions will be determined as much by land-use decisions as by atmospheric emissions.
Integrin Dependence of Brain Natriuretic Peptide Gene Promoter Activation by Mechanical Strain

Expression of the brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) gene in cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes is activated by mechanical strain in vitro. We explored the role of cell-matrix contacts in initiating the strain-dependent increment in human BNP (hBNP) promoter activity. Coating the culture surface with fibronectin effected a dose-dependent increase in basal hBNP luciferase activity and amplification of the response to strain. Preincubation of myocytes with an RGD peptide (GRGDSP) or with soluble fibronectin, each of which would be predicted to compete for cell-matrix interactions, resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in strain-dependent hBNP promoter activity. A functionally inert RGE peptide (GRGESP) was without effect. Using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, we demonstrated the presence of beta(1), beta(3), and alpha(v)beta(5) integrins in myocytes as well as non-myocytes and alpha1 only in non-myocytes in our cultures. Inclusion of antibodies directed against beta(1), beta(3), or alpha(v)beta(5), but not alpha(1), alpha(2), or cadherin, was effective in blocking the BNP promoter response to mechanical strain. These same antibodies (anti-beta(3), -beta(1), and -alpha(v)beta(5)) had a similar inhibitory effect on strain-stimulated ERK, p38 MAPK, and, to a lesser extent, JNK activities in these cells. Cotransfection with chimeric integrin receptors capable of acting as dominant-negative inhibitors of integrin function demonstrated suppression of strain-dependent BNP promoter activity when vectors encoding beta(1) or beta(3), but not beta(5), alpha(5), or a carboxyl-terminal deletion mutant of beta(3) (beta(3)B), were employed. These studies underscore the importance of cell-matrix interactions in controlling cardiac gene expression and suggest a potentially important role for these interactions in signaling responses to mechanical stimuli within the myocardium.
Interaction between membrane humidifier and air supply system for application of fuel cells in vehicles

Abstract The potentialities of a membrane passive humidifier and its interaction with two different air supply devices were examined for application on a PEFC (polymeric electrolyte fuel cell) system to be used in vehicles. A rotary vane compressor was compared to a side channel blower with respect to their capability to assure the correct working of the membrane humidifier in different load conditions. The results obtained on a 12 kW stack evidenced that the higher working pressures of the rotary vane compressor permitted improvements in individual cell performance, and determined the possibility to reduce the energy requirements of humidification devices.
Medication Errors in Obstetrics

The findings highlighted in this article suggest that obstetricians and perinatologists face several challenges for safe medication use during pregnancy. Furthermore, evidence of in-hospital medication errors from obstetric services has been provided by national medication error data voluntarily submitted from many hospitals. The data provide fresh insight into the nature of medication errors in obstetrics, especially regarding the medication use process, the most common types of errors reported, the most commonly reported products overall, as well as those that resulted in patient harm. Providers and staff working within health care organizations should be well aware that a substantial number of patients experience medication errors which can result in serious injuries.
Teratogenic Potential of Triphenyl Phosphate in Sprague-Dawley (Spartan) Rats:

Male and female Sprague-Dawley (Spartan) rats were fed dietary levels of 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 or 1.00% triphenyl phosphate (TPP) from 4 weeks post weaning for 91 days, through mating and gesta tion. At these dietary levels, the daily intake of TPP during preg nancy was 0, 166, 341, 516 and 690 mg/kg body weight, respectively. TPP exposure had no toxic effects on mothers or offspring at these dosages. The types of developmental anomalies were similar in both treated and control animals. No significant increases in the incidence of anomalies were seen in the treated groups as compared to control values. TPP was not teratogenic in Sprague-Dawley rats at the levels tested.
A model for making outcomes research standard practice in clinical dietetics.

Abstract In today's rapidly changing health care environment, it is imperative that dietitians demonstrate the importance of their role as health care providers by initiating and participating in outcomes research. Patient care should be based on empirical studies, and clinical dietitians should participate in or be at the helm of such investigations. Nutrition research is usually accomplished and reported by persons with MD or PhD degrees who do not have clinical training in nutrition and does not often address situations encountered by dietitians in clinical settings. This article examines the extent to which clinical dietitians are conducting and reporting outcomes research, their attitudes about such research, and how they think they could best acquire the skills needed to incorporate outcomes research into their practice. Results indicate that clinical dietitians are not writing a substantial percentage of articles and that reports of outcomes research are not commonly included in clinical nutrition journals. Clinical dietitians appear to value the inclusion of research in clinical practice, but they are not spending a great amount of time doing research. Dietitians report being comfortable about participating in research but not about designing, conducting, and reporting research. Results from several surveys were used to develop a model for integrating research in clinical practice. This model includes the research process as a basis for clinical practice. A model for collaborative efforts between clinical and academic dietitians is also proposed and emphasizes the responsibility of academic dietetics training programs in the integration of research and clinical practice. J Am Diet Assoc. 1998;98:451–457 .
Segmented Trend Analysis for Stimulus Generalization Studies

An analysis of variance model is recommended for data which display a peaked trend. This type of data is particularly common in psychological studies of stimulus generalization. The model consists of quadradic polynomial segments which are constrained to meet in a peak at a predetermined value of the quantitative independent variable. A variety of hypotheses are suggested and the testing of these hypotheses is illustrated with some data contrived to be consistent with results from a published article.
Effect of metabolic versus respiratory acid-base changes on isolated coronary artery and saphenous vein.

Experiments were performed on helically cut strips from coronary artery and saphenous vein to determine the relative influence of metabolic versus respiratory acid-base changes. Tensions were measured over a range of various HCO3− concentrations and pCO2's. The results suggest that tension is influenced by extracellular pH and is independent of pCO2.
Late- and Postglacial Climatic Change in the Northern Midwest, USA: Quantitative Estimates Derived from Fossil Pollen Spectra by Multivariate Statistical Analysis

Abstract Canonical correlation analysis provides a means of reconstructing quantitative time series of past climatic variables during the last 15,000 years from fossil pollen spectra collected at three sites in the northern Midwest. This multivariate statistical technique was applied to a spatial array of modern pollen and climatic data in order to derive a set of mathematical transfer functions. These transform the fossil pollen spectra directly into quantitative estimates of past climatic values. The basic sequence of climatic events that is reconstructed is in general agreement with previous studies of postglacial climates in the Midwest, but quantitative estimates for certain of the variables, e.g., temperature and precipitation, are given for the first time. Fossil pollen from three cores collected from lakes in Wisconsin and Minnesota allow a preliminary reconstruction of past east-west and north-south gradients of the climatic variables. Because changes in the circulation patterns in midlatitudes are the principal mechanism causing fluctuations in temperature and precipitation, past records of the atmospheric circulation are reconstructed along with records of temperature and rainfall. The time series derived show that the most pronounced climatic change indicated in Wisconsin and Minnesota occurred at the end of the Pleistocene (the beginning of the Holocene). This change is particularly evident in the climatic variables related to temperature, which rose ca. 3.3°C. A decrease in snowfall also occurred. During the Holocene, the most marked change appears in the results from Kirchner Marsh, where the amount of dry western air began to increase and the precipitation to decrease about 9500 B.P. A reversal of these changes occurred about 5000 B.P. In contrast, relatively little change occurred among the reconstructed values from Wisconsin; a marked east-west precipitation gradient, therefore, developed in this region of the Midwest from 9500 to 5000 B.P.
“If They Only Knew”: Color Blindness and Universalism in California Alternative Food Institutions

This article takes on the cultural politics of “if they only knew” as it relates to alternative food practice. It draws on surveys and interviews of managers of two kinds of alternative food institutions—farmers' markets and community-supported agriculture—to illustrate the color-blind mentalities and universalizing impulses of alternative food discourse. The ways in which these discourses instantiate whiteness may have a chilling effect on people of color who tend not to participate in these markets proportionate to whites. Minor exclusionary practices may have profound implications for shaping projects of agro-food transformation.
Effects of dopaminergic drugs on working and reference memory in rats

Abstract Changes in dopaminergic function have been associated with alterations in motor and cognitive function in man and in animals. This study was designed to assess the effects of dopaminergic drugs on these aspects of conditioned behavior in animals. Male Long-Evans rats were trained to perform an appetitive operant task that allowed daily quantification of working memory (accuracy of spatial delayed nonmatching-to-position), reference memory (accuracy of visual discrimination) and motor function [choice lever-press latency and nosepoke interresponse time (IRT) during delay]. The indirect dopamine agonist d -amphetamine (0.3–1.0 mg/kg) reduced nonmatching accuracy without significantly affecting discrimination accuracy, response latency, or nosepoke IRT. The D 2 /D 3 agonist quinpirole (0.01–0.056 mg/kg) also decreased nonmatching accuracy without changing discrimination accuracy, but increased choice response latency and nosepoke IRT as well. The D 1 agonist SKF 38393 (1.0–3.0 mg/kg) and the D 1 antagonist SCH 23390 (0.01–0.03 mg/kg) only affected nosepoke IRT, at doses below those causing response failure. The D 2 antagonist raclopride (0.056–0.177 mg/kg) exerted no significant effects at doses that did not suppress responding completely. The selective reduction of nonmatching accuracy by d -amphetamine and quinpirole indicates a mnemonic impairment specific to working memory (relative to reference memory). These results suggest further 1) that stimulation of D 2 /D 3 , but not D 1 , receptors may account for the d -amphetamine-induced deficit in working memory; 2) that stimulation of D 2 /D 3 receptors alone by quinpirole may also impair spatial working memory, but only in conjunction with motor slowing; and 3) that antagonism of either receptor type (by SCH 23390 or raclopride) does not significantly affect memory at doses causing motor slowing and response failure.
Interface fracture analysis of joints with a ductile interlayer

Plane strain problem of an interface crack with two interface shear yield zones and one crack-face contact zone is studied. The plastic yielding of the interlayer is stimulated by the interface shear yield zones and contact zone is included near one tip of the interface crack. An interesting and important phenomenon found in this analysis is that for such an interface crack the applied compressive normal stress can increase the stress intensity factor K1 at one of the two crack tips, the size of the crack-face contact zone, and the maximum value of the crack opening, in a combined normal and shear stress field. Examples are given for two pairs of materials used in ceramic-metal brazed joints, Si3N4/Ni and Si3N4/Incoloy 909.
Effects of Colchicine on the Formation of Thyroid Hormone

Colchicine, a substance which disaggregates microtubules, was used to assess the role of microtubular integrity on hormone synthesis and other oxidative processes in the thyroid. Under experimental conditions shown to block in vitro endocytosis and glandular release of iodine, colchicine 10–5M, consistently inhibited organic binding of iodine in the mouse thyroid both under basal conditions and in the presence of TSH; cAMP did not reverse the inhibitory action of colchicine. The inhibition of organic binding was associated with a significant lowering of iodothyronine formation and of the DIT⁄MIT ratio. The action of colchicine was not attributable to decreased iodide uptake, enhanced release of iodoprotein, nor impaired utilization of H0O2. Stimulation by TSH and dbcAMP of thyroid oxidation of glucose- 1-C and of formate was significantly diminished in the presence of colchicine, basal values were unaffected. The results suggest that thyroid generation of H2O2, formation of hormone and oxidation of glucos...
Myth and maturity: towards a new order in the decade of design

Abstract The industrial design profession has established a place for itself in a phenomenally short time. It is widely accepted as a useful service. But it is also still in the process of realizing its full potential as a service to a society going through a series of tremendous transformations. To be human a man must understand what has been accomplished and what can be accomplished by the arts of man.
A brain machine interface control algorithm designed from a feedback control perspective

We present a novel brain machine interface (BMI) control algorithm, the recalibrated feedback intention-trained Kalman filter (ReFIT-KF). The design of ReFIT-KF is motivated from a feedback control perspective applied to existing BMI control algorithms. The result is two design innovations that alter the modeling assumptions made by these algorithms and the methods by which these algorithms are trained. In online neural control experiments recording from a 96-electrode array implanted in M1 of a macaque monkey, the ReFIT-KF control algorithm demonstrates large performance improvements over the current state of the art velocity Kalman filter, reducing target acquisition time by a factor of two, while maintaining a 500 ms hold period, thereby increasing the clinical viability of BMI systems.
Antidepressant-like effects of CP-154,526, a selective CRF1 receptor antagonist.

Abstract The effects of CP-154,526 (butyl-ethyl-[2,5-dimethyl-7-(2,4,6-trimethyl-phenyl)-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-yl]-amine), a selective corticotropin releasing factor (CRF1) receptor antagonist, were examined in the learned helplessness procedure, a putative model of depression with documented sensitivity to diverse classes of antidepressant drugs. Rats were exposed to a series of inescapable foot shocks on three consecutive days and tested in a shock-escape procedure on the fourth day. Animals exposed to `helplessness' training performed poorly in the shock-escape test compared with control animals not receiving inescapable shocks. CP-154,526 (10–32 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) dose-dependently reversed the escape deficit when administered 60 min prior to the test session, but had no effect on the performance of control rats not receiving prior exposure to inescapable stress. In comparison, the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine (17.8 mg/kg) reversed the escape deficit after repeated, but not acute, administration. These data support evidence implicating stress systems in the pathophysiology of depression, and suggest potential efficacy of small-molecule CRF receptor antagonists in the treatment of affective disorders. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
A hardware accelerator for hierarchical VLSI routing

Abstract Wire routing is a cpu-bound task in the physical design of VLSI circuits. In the recent past, there has been a widespread interest in speeding up routing algorithms through the use of parallel processing techniques. In this paper we are concerned with the hardware acceleration of a hierarchical routing algorithm, known as the cut-and-paste routing algorithm. This approach for routing is relatively new, and is based on the powerful divide-and-conquer strategy. The area of the chip is recursively divided into smaller and smaller regions, until the routing problem within a region can be handled by a simple optimal router. Then the adjacent regions are successively pasted together to obtain the routing of the entire chip. We identify the inherent parallelism in the algorithm, and show that a parallel router based on the reduced array architecture can be developed for its efficient execution. The advantages of using the reduced array include a reduction in processor count, improved processor utilization, and ease of VLSI implementation.
The Importance of Increased Asthma Education

The article by Clark et al.1 was very compelling to me on a personal level. I am a registered nurse at a children’s hospital in South Florida, and I work in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Unfortunately, asthma patients are very common on my unit and a large number of our patient population come from low-income families. We recently had an adolescent patient who died. He had an asthma exacerbation, but the patient had coded several times before arriving to the hospital and in the emergency room as well. The patient suffered a significantly devastating loss of brain function and was pronounced brain dead. I believe the saddest part of this whole story is the simple fact that it could have all been prevented with education and medication compliance. Asthma education is extremely important and mandatory to all asthma patients that are treated at our facility. The asthma action plan is an excellent tool and is thoroughly reviewed with each asthma patient and their family before discharge. Unfortunately, a lack of education and medication noncompliance is perhaps one of the greatest reasons why most of the children with asthma exacerbations end up in the PICU. As a bedside nurse, I realize the importance of asthma education among my patients and their families. The time that I spend with patients and their families on educating them about asthma could ultimately be the difference between life and death. As a nurse and mother, it warms my heart to read that a group of individuals have taken their time to form an asthma coalition, especially with low-income populations. Now, as a Florida Atlantic University Emerging Leader graduate student, I understand the dynamics involved in influencing health policy changes and I greatly appreciate the article by Clark et al.1 Over a decade, through policy and system changes, improvements were seen among known asthma patients. I commend the coalitions for successfully implementing more than 93 institutional, organizational, and public policy changes.1
QSRA – a quality-value guided de novo short read assembler

New rapid high-throughput sequencing technologies have sparked the creation of a new class of assembler. Since all high-throughput sequencing platforms incorporate errors in their output, short-read assemblers must be designed to account for this error while utilizing all available data. We have designed and implemented an assembler, Quality-value guided Short Read Assembler, created to take advantage of quality-value scores as a further method of dealing with error. Compared to previous published algorithms, our assembler shows significant improvements not only in speed but also in output quality. QSRA generally produced the highest genomic coverage, while being faster than VCAKE. QSRA is extremely competitive in its longest contig and N50/N80 contig lengths, producing results of similar quality to those of EDENA and VELVET. QSRA provides a step closer to the goal of de novo assembly of complex genomes, improving upon the original VCAKE algorithm by not only drastically reducing runtimes but also increasing the viability of the assembly algorithm through further error handling capabilities.
Stick-slip transition at polymer melt/solid interfaces.

A striking superfluidlike stick-slip transition is studied and semiquantitatively analyzed for a series of highly entangled linear polyethylene melts subjected to capillary flow. The observed violation of the law of the stick hydrodynamic boundary condition is significant and unambiguous, and can be conveniently characterized by an extrapolation length $b$. It is shown that $b$ at the transition is independent of temperature and sharply increases with molecular weight in confirmation with a simple scaling relation introduced by de Gennes.
Niobium zirconium nitride sputter-deposited protective coatings

Abstract Niobium zirconium nitride nanocrystalline films were deposited by DC unbalanced magnetron sputtering on silicon substrates with a growth temperature of 450 °C and an RF bias voltage of −70 V. The concentration of zirconium and niobium was regulated by controlling the power to the sputtering guns. The nitrogen concentration was controlled by varying the nitrogen flow rate and, hence, partial pressure. These films were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), and nanoindentation. XRD revealed that these films formed a solid solution and that the grain size, deduced from the width of the XRD peaks using the Scherrer formula, did not vary with niobium content. The elemental composition was determined from XPS measurements. The optical constants were measured using SE and were found to correlate well with film structure and composition using a Drude–Lorentz (DL) model. The mechanical properties of the coatings were evaluated using nanohardness testing and were found to depend on composition. Optimum mechanical properties were achieved for a niobium content of 12%.
Multiple-priority impedance control

Impedance control is well-suited to robot manipulation applications because it gives the designer a measure of control over how the manipulator to conforms to the environment. However, in the context of end-effector impedance control when the robot manipulator is redundant with respect to end-effector configuration, the question arises regarding how to control the impedance of the redundant joints. This paper considers multi-priority impedance control where a second-priority joint space impedance operates in the null space of a first-priority Cartesian impedance at the end-effector. A control law is proposed that realizes both impedances while observing the priority constraint such that a weighted quadratic error function is optimized. This control law is shown to be a generalization of several motion and impedance control laws found in the literature. The paper makes explicit two forms of the control law. In the first, parametrization by passive inertia values allows the control law to be implemented without requiring end-effector force measurements. In the second, a class of parametrizations is introduced that makes the null space impedance independent of end-effector forces. The theoretical results are illustrated in simulation.
The Virtual Ethnographer: Fieldwork in Distributed Electronic Environments

The venues in which we carry out our fieldwork increasingly intertwine real and virtual activities as participants move materials and interactions online. This change in the nature of the field sit...
Micromagnetic modeling of a single element MR head

Micromagnetic modeling was used to study the behavior of a shielded, single element, exchange biased magnetoresistive head with dimensions appropriate for 10 Gb/in/sup 2/ recording. Its read sensitivity appears to be superior to that of a comparable, conventional soft adjacent layer biased head and its noise characteristics are favorable.
Effect of Excess Dietary Lysine on Plasma Lipids of the Chick

Feeding diets with 4% L-lysine to the chick produces an elevation of plasma lipids which does not occur when feeding an excess of any other amino acid. Experiments were conducted to determine whether lysine-induced hyperlipidemia is secondary to the antagonistic effect of lysine on arginine or to the anorexia which accompanies lysine feeding, and in addition, whether the lysine-induced hypercholesterolemia is affected by chick age. In all experiments gain and food intake were reduced by feeding chicks 4% lysine. Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride were elevated, but high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, as a percentage of total, was reduced. Addition of dietary arginine up to 4% failed to reverse the depression in performance and elevation of plasma lipids. Pair-feeding the control diet to the amount consumed by lysine-fed chicks did not elevate plasma lipids above control levels. Thus, lysine-induced hyperlipidemia is not mediated by the antagonistic effect of lysine on arginine nor by the effect of lysine on food intake. The high-lysine diet prevented the normal decline in plasma cholesterol expected with advancing age of chicks. Preliminary results suggested that excess lysine stimulated cholesterol biosynthesis.
Augmented Lagrangean Based Algorithms for Centralized Network Design

Capacitated spanning tree problems appear frequently as fundamental problems in many communication network design problems. An integer programming formulation and a new set of valid inequalities are presented for the linear characterization of the problem. A combination of a subgradient optimization procedure and an augmented Lagrangean-based procedure is used to generate tight lower bounds. The procedure begins with an explicit representation of a subset of the constraints, and the corresponding Lagrangean problem is solved. The solution is examined in order to identify implicit constraints that are violated. Those are added to the Lagrangean problem, forming an expanded problem, and an efficient dual ascent procedure is then applied. When no further improvement is possible through this procedure, a subgradient optimization procedure is invoked in order to further tighten the lower bound value. An exchange heuristic is applied to the nonfeasible Lagrangean solution, in an attempt to generate good feasible solutions to the problem. The procedure has been tested and has generated bounds that are significantly better than ones obtained through previously published procedures.
Crime and Emotions

There is considerable scholarly interest in emotions as both a precursor to criminal behavior and as a response to experienced or anticipated criminal victimization. The purpose of this chapter is to review the literature on emotions and crime with a focus on three substantive areas: (1) the role of emotions in the major crime theories; (2) the role of emotions in theories of desistance; and (3) fear of crime. In doing so, this review highlights areas of intersection between sociological theories of emotion and theories of crime and also suggests opportunities for greater communication and collaboration between criminologists and emotion scholars.
Resilience in developmental psychopathology: Contributions of the Project Competence Longitudinal Study.

Contributions of the Project Competence Longitudinal Study (PCLS) to resilience science and developmental psychopathology are highlighted in this article. Initiated by Norman Garmezy, the PCLS contributed models, measures, and methods, as well as working definitions of concepts like competence, developmental tasks, protective factors, and resilience. Findings from the study corroborated the feasibility of studying adaptation in a normative group of school children, identifying patterns of resilience, competence without major adversity, and maladaptive paths through life. Competence was multidimensional, showing continuity and change over time. Cascading effects across domains indicated that competence and problems spread over time. Thus, adult achievements in developmental tasks were rooted in childhood and adolescence. Young people who showed resilience had much in common with similarly successful peers who experienced less adversity over time, including high-quality relationships with parents and other adults, and good cognitive, as well as social-emotional, skills. Maladaptive youth in the study often faced high adversity with little adaptive capacity (internal or external) and tended to generate stressful experiences. Resilience often emerged in childhood and endured, but there also were late bloomers whose lives turned around in the transition to adulthood. The role of collaboration and mentorship in the PCLS is also discussed.
Partial replacement of carbon fiber by carbon black in multifunctional cement–matrix composites

Cement reinforced with discontinuous carbon fiber is known for its piezoresistivity-based strain sensing ability, its electrical conductivity and the consequent multifunctionality. The high cost of carbon fiber is disadvantageous. Both carbon fiber and carbon black (used with silica fume in the amount of 15% by mass of cement) increase the DC conductivity and the EMI shielding effectiveness of cement, but carbon fiber is more effective than carbon black. Partial (50%) replacement of carbon fiber by carbon black lowers the cost, in addition to increasing the workability, while the electrical conductivity and the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness are maintained. However, the partial replacement reduces the strain sensing effectiveness. Total replacement of carbon fiber by carbon black diminishes both the conductivity and the shielding effectiveness, further reduces the strain sensing effectiveness, decreases the compressive modulus and increases the compressive strain at failure, while the compressive strength is maintained. The increased workability due to the partial replacement enables a higher total conductive admixture content to be attained. The maximum total conductive admixture content is 3.5% by mass of cement. In contrast to fiber replacement, the addition of carbon fiber to cement with carbon black decreases the compressive strength, strain at failure and density.
On the Association between Corporate Governance and Earnings Quality

This study investigates whether accrual quality, earnings persistence and earnings predictive ability are affected by the adequacy rather than the strength of corporate governance. Under the premise that firms that have consistently outperformed their industry counterparts in the past have less residual agency problem, we use past industry-adjusted performance as a measure of the adequacy of corporate governance in place. We use Gompers’ index as a measure of the strength of corporate governance. We find that reporting/earnings quality - accrual quality, earnings persistence, and earnings predictability - is higher for firms that have consistently outperformed their industry counterparts in the past regardless of whether the corporate governance levels were strong or weak. We also find that reporting/earnings quality is higher for such firms after controlling for the strength of corporate governance.
Entrainment by bottom currents in Lake Erie

Previous studies of the central basin of Lake Erie have indicated, on the basis of lakewide budgets of heat and dissolved oxygen, that the thickness of the hypolimnion and the interaction of the hypolimnion with the overlying fluicl are important factors governing the dissolved oxygen concentration in the near-bottom water. Data collcctcd during an intensive field program in 1979 contain an example of an event during which both the thickness and temperature of the hypolimnion incrcasc due to an erosion of the thermocline from below. This thickening of the hypolimnion requires two conditions. First, the thermocline region, or mctalimnion, must be thick enough so that the effects of the energetic surface mixing processes are confined to the upper portion of the thermocline. And second, the currents in the thin hypolimnion must be strong enough to entrain overlying metalimnion water down into the hypolimnion. An analysis of the current meter data suggests the source of turbulent energy driving the mixing is shearing stresses at the bottom. During the entrainment event, the contribution to bottom dissolved oxygen supply is about 10% of the daily demand. The depletion of oxygen in the hypolimnion of the central basin of Lake Erie during summer has been a subject of concern in recent years (e.g. Charlton 1980). The thickness of the hypolimnion and the interaction of the hypolimnion with the overlying fluid are thought to be important factors governing the dissolved oxygen concentration. From lakewide budgets of heat and dissolved oxygen, Burns and Ross (1972) and Burns (1976) concluded that thermocline water is at times entrained down into the hypolimnion and that this mechanism constitutes an episodic resupply of dissolved oxygen to the lower layer. These conclusions, while convincing, provide neither a detailed picture of such a mixing event nor an understanding of the forcing which drives it. In 1979, an intensive field program was undertaken in the central basin, one purpose of which was to examine the downward entrainment process. Our approach here is to