cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Behavior-related modulation of substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons in rats performing a conditioned reinforcement task

Abstract Motor-control models of basal ganglia function have emphasized disinhibition through reduction of tonic, inhibitory output. Although these models have shed important light on basal ganglia operations, evidence emerging from electrophysiological studies of behaving primates suggests that disinhibition alone may not adequately explain the role of the basal ganglia in movement. To assess this role in the rat, the most frequently used subject in studies of basal ganglia function, we recorded neuronal activity in the primary output nucleus, the substantia nigra pars reticulata, during an operant task. After rats were trained to nosepoke into an illuminated hole for access to a 10% sucrose solution delivered through a spout, single- and multiple-unit activity was recorded during 60–120 nosepoke trials. Compared to the period 60 s before the start of the first trial in the task, 110 of 225 reticulata units increased firing >200% while 17 of 225 decreased to 40% of baseline. Of these 225 units, >60% responded coincident with specific task events such as nosepokes and spout licking. Most nosepoke-responsive units showed either excitation (>50%) or a combination of excitation and inhibition (>25%) rather than inhibition alone (>20%). Increases in firing were also common during approach and licking at the spout, with inhibitions alone comprising 30% of responses. In some units, there was evidence of reward-related responding, with changes occurring in anticipation of reward delivery or during the delivery of sucrose, but not the persistent licking that continued for several seconds after its offset. While 70% of units responded during both nosepokes and spout licking, changes in firing were typically unique depending on the motor behavior required (i.e. nosepoking vs. licking). Our results, which indicate a prominent role for increases in nigra reticulata activity during movement, add to growing evidence that although inhibitions may allow desired motor responses to emerge, excitations may help shape behavioral output by suppressing competing motor programs.
Impact of the voluntary withdrawal of over-the-counter cough and cold medications on pediatric ingestions reported to poison centers

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of a voluntary withdrawal of over-the-counter cough and cold medications (OTC CCMs) labeled for children under age 2 years on pediatric ingestions reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. METHODS: Trend analysis of OTC CCMs ingestions in children under the age 6 years resulting from therapeutic errors or unintentional poisonings for 27 months before (pre-) and 15 months after (post-) the October 2007 voluntary withdrawal was conducted. The rates and outcome severity were examined. RESULTS: The mean annual rate of therapeutic errors involving OTC CCMs post-withdrawal, in children less than 2-years of age, 45.2/100 000 (95%CI 30.7-66.6) was 54% of the rate pre-withdrawal, 83.8/100 000 (95%CI 67.6-104.0). The decrease was statistically significant p Language: en
Toxicity of Brine Water from Oil Wells

Abstract Studies of the median toxicity thresholds for 10 species of fish in brine wastes from a single oil well showed a range of the thresholds from 4.3 to 11.2 percent of the original brine by volume. A similar study on 10 kinds of invertebrates revealed a range of thresholds from 1.8 to 8.7 percent. Thresholds were expressed as percentage volume of the original waste since the brine contained large amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium as well as chloride ions. However, computations of hypothetical combinations of chlorides in the brine indicated sodium chloride to be present in such proportions as to be most toxic. Median toxicity thresholds were determined also for six species of fish and five kinds of invertebrates in tap water and sodium chloride. A comparison of these thresholds with those in brine wastes, expressed as p.p.m. hypothetical sodium chloride, revealed that three species of fish (plains killifish, gambusia, and the black bullhead) could withstand more sodium chloride in...
The role of raindrop coalescence and breakup in rainfall modeling

In a one dimensional model, the microphysical properties of rainwater content (M), rainfall rate (R) and radar reflectivity factor (Z) are examined in five numerical experiments. In general, neglecting both coalescence and breakup produces less than 10% of the errors in M and R within the top 2 km of a rainshaft (below cloud base). This is true regardless of the rain intensity and downdraft strength for Mashall-Palmer distributions at the top boundary. However, as the distance from the top boundary increases, the errors of M, R and Z calculated without including the collisional processes become larger. These errors tend to increase as the rain intensity increases or the downdraft decreases. The errors due to neglecting breakup are generally larger than those resulting from the exclusion of both coalescence and breakup. At lower levels, the errors for Z are usually very large unless the rainfall is very light (less than 10 mm h−1 ). For heavy rainfall with strong downdraft, coalescence and breakup can be neglected for fall distances greater than 2 km without appreciable errors. On the other hand, for heavy rainfall in a weak downdraft, coalescence and breakup must be included to ensure accuracy.
Refinement of NMR Structures Using Implicit Solvent and Advanced Sampling Techniques

NMR biomolecular structure calculations exploit simulated annealing methods for conformational sampling and require a relatively high level of redundancy in the experimental restraints to determine quality three-dimensional structures. Recent advances in generalized Born (GB) implicit solvent models should make it possible to combine information from both experimental measurements and accurate empirical force fields to improve the quality of NMR-derived structures. In this paper, we study the influence of implicit solvent on the refinement of protein NMR structures and identify an optimal protocol of utilizing these improved force fields. To do so, we carry out structure refinement experiments for model proteins with published NMR structures using full NMR restraints and subsets of them. We also investigate the application of advanced sampling techniques to NMR structure refinement. Similar to the observations of Xia et al. (J.Biomol. NMR 2002, 22, 317-331), we find that the impact of implicit solvent is rather small when there is a sufficient number of experimental restraints (such as in the final stage of NMR structure determination), whether implicit solvent is used throughout the calculation or only in the final refinement step. The application of advanced sampling techniques also seems to have minimal impact in this case. However, when the experimental data are limited, we demonstrate that refinement with implicit solvent can substantially improve the quality of the structures. In particular, when combined with an advanced sampling technique, the replica exchange (REX) method, near-native structures can be rapidly moved toward the native basin. The REX method provides both enhanced sampling and automatic selection of the most native-like (lowest energy) structures. An optimal protocol based on our studies first generates an ensemble of initial structures that maximally satisfy the available experimental data with conventional NMR software using a simplified force field and then refines these structures with implicit solvent using the REX method. We systematically examine the reliability and efficacy of this protocol using four proteins of various sizes ranging from the 56-residue B1 domain of Streptococcal protein G to the 370-residue Maltose-binding protein. Significant improvement in the structures was observed in all cases when refinement was based on low-redundancy restraint data. The proposed protocol is anticipated to be particularly useful in early stages of NMR structure determination where a reliable estimate of the native fold from limited data can significantly expedite the overall process. This refinement procedure is also expected to be useful when redundant experimental data are not readily available, such as for large multidomain biomolecules and in solid-state NMR structure determination.
Mononuclear phagocytes have the potential for sustained hydroxyl radical production. Use of spin-trapping techniques to investigate mononuclear phagocyte free radical production.

Monocytes lack lactoferrin and have much less myeloperoxidase than neutrophils. They also acquire a potential catalyst for .OH production (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase) as they differentiate into macrophages. Consequently, the nature of free radicals produced by these cells was examined using the previously developed spin-trapping system. When stimulated with either PMA or OZ neither monocytes nor monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) exhibited spin trap evidence of .OH formation. Pretreatment with IFN-gamma failed to induce MDM .OH production. When provided with an exogenous Fe+3 catalyst, both stimulated monocytes and MDM, but not PMN, exhibited sustained .OH production, presumably due to the absence of lactoferrin in mononuclear phagocytes. Sustained production of .OH could contribute to the microbicidal activity of mononuclear phagocytes as well as inflammatory tissue damage under in vivo conditions where catalytic Fe+3 may be present.
Extracellular matrix signaling: integration of form and function in normal and malignant cells

A growing number of studies have established reciprocal linkages between extracellular matrix (ECM)-integrins, growth factor signaling and cell-cell adhesion molecules. ECM-dependent tissue-specific gene expression has also been linked to chromatin remodeling. With respect to tissue morphogenesis and differentiation, crosstalk has been established between the ECM and the homeobox morphoregulatory genes. Each of these linkages is profoundly influenced by the cell's microenvironment and the resulting tissue form. Thus for a cell to achieve a differentiated phenotype, the ECM molecules and their receptors must integrate both form and function. In contrast, mutated genes and aberrant interactions with the microenvironment conspire to undermine this integration, often resulting in malignant transformation.
Heart Healthy Knowledge, Food Patterns, Fatness, and Cardiac Risk Factors in Children Receiving Nutrition Education

Abstract This study examined relationships among knowledge, food patterns, fatness, and cardiovascular disease risk factors in school children receiving a three-year education program focused on cognitive and behavioral aspects of cardiovascular health promotion. Nine hundred children, 7.5 ± 0.5 years, from 12 schools, received the program from third to fifth grade. Outcome evaluation variables were heart healthy knowledge, self-report of frequency of common foods, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fatness. Children were evaluated at baseline and at five follow-up periods. At three years, health knowledge increased 30 perent, reported use of high fat foods fell 14 percent, high sodium foods fell 16 percent, and high sugar foods fell three percent. At three years cholesterol reversed its initial downward trend and was higher compared with baseline whereas systolic blood pressure was lower. Cognitive and behavioral measures were essentially unrelated to total cholesterol and blood pressure. Correlation...
Uricotelism and Low Evaporative Water Loss in a South American Frog

A South American anuran (Phyllomedusa sauvagii) produced large amounts of semisolid urate when it was maintained on a diet of insects. Rates of evaporative water loss in Phyllomedusa sauvagii were only about 5 to 10 percent of those other anurans tested and were similar to those of lizards of comparable size.
Resection and free tissue reconstruction of locally advanced oral cancer: avoidance of lip split.

The purpose of this study is to report the outcomes of patients with locally advanced (T3–T4) oral cancers undergoing surgical resection and free tissue reconstruction without the lower lip-split procedure. In this retrospective chart review, we analyzed 86 consecutive patients presenting between July 2000 and December 2009 at our university-based, tertiary care medical center. The oral site distribution was: 73 (86%) oral cavity, 10 (12%) oropharynx, and 3 (2%) combined. The average specimen volume was 240.3 cm3 (range 17.5–3718 cm3). Sixty-seven patients (78%) had widely clear histopathologic margins. Performing mandibulectomy had no advantage over maintaining mandible continuity to achieve clear margins (P = 0.97). Nineteen patients (22%) had focally involved microscopic margins; 10 (53%) soft tissue, seven (37%) bone, and two (10%) both. Thirty patients (35%) had postoperative complications, and 16 patients (19%) had a salivary fistula. The flaps used were: 39 fibula (45%), 25 radial forearm (29%), eight anterolateral thigh (9%), eight rectus abdominus (9%), three scapula (4%), and three iliac crest (4%). The average length of bone used was 9 cm (range 5–16 cm). The average soft tissue area was 99.7 cm2 (range 24–300 cm2). Nine patients (10%) had either partial or total flap loss. The lower lip-split procedure for surgical exposure is unnecessary for both oncologic resection and reconstruction for locally advanced oral cancers. Clear margins, relatively facile flap inset with high success rates, and acceptable complication rates can be safely achieved in this patient population. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 2011.
Effects of Dopamine Antagonists and Accumbens Dopamine Depletions on Time-Constrained Progressive-Ratio Performance

Four experiments were conducted to determine the effects of dopamine (DA) antagonists and DA depletions on progressive-ratio responding for food reinforcement. On this schedule, ratio requirement increased by one response after each reinforcer was obtained, and rats were tested in 30-min sessions. Response rates and highest ratio completed were reduced in a dose-related manner by systemic injections of the D1 antagonist SCH 23390, and also by the D2 antagonists haloperidol and raclopride. Drug-treated rats also showed reductions in time to complete the last ratio, demonstrating that they had stopped responding before the end of the session. DA depletions produced by injections of 6-OHDA directly into the nucleus accumbens substantially decreased both the number of responses and the highest ratio completed. The deficits in response number and highest ratio completed induced by DA depletions persisted through the first 3 weeks of postsurgical testing, with some recovery by the fourth week. However, the deficits resulting from dopamine depletions were largely a manifestation of a decrease in response rate; although time to complete the last ratio was significantly reduced by dopamine depletions in the first few days of testing, rats recovered on this measure by the fifth day after surgery. Although previous work has shown that performance on several schedules (e.g., continuous, low value ratios, variable interval) is relatively unaffected by accumbens DA depletions, the present data demonstrate that such depletions do produce a substantial and persistent impairment of progressive ratio response output. Rats with accumbens DA depletions appear to have deficits in maintaining the high work output necessary for responding at large ratio values. The relative sparing of responding on some simple schedules, together with the present progressive ratio results, suggest that rats with accumbens DA depletions remain directed toward the acquisition and consumption of food, but they show deficits in work output for food.
Probing the dynamic fluorescence properties of single water-soluble quantum dots

The influence of surface modifications, including carboxyl-, amine-, and mercaptoundecanoicacid-functionalized chemistries, on the dynamic fluorescence properties of single quantum dots (QDs) are probed using a combined confocal fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy system. Water-soluble QDs with carboxyl- or amine-functionalized surfaces prepared through a linker arm show significant fluorescence intermittency and appear statistically identical. In contrast, water-soluble QDs functionalized via mercaptoundecanoicacid, an electron-donating thiol group, demonstrate suppressed fluorescence intermittency suggesting the photostability of water-soluble QDs is strongly dependant upon the method of surface functionalization. In addition, the long-term photostability of the mercaptoundecanoicacid-functionalized QD demonstrates an excitation-time-dependent blue-shift in the fluorescence emission spectra. Our measurement and analysis techniques promise a wealth of insight in elucidating the photophysics of bio-conjugated QDs and assessing and designing bio-conjugated QDs for biomedical applications requiring long-term photostabililty.
Culture and Familism: An Exploratory Case Study of a Grandparent-Headed Household

Increasingly, grandparents provide primary care for their grandchildren, but minimal research exists focusing on Asian and Pacific American grandparent caregivers. Using the conceptual framework of familism, this case study explores the context of a Korean American, interracial, two-grandparent household (age 72 and 73) raising their 12-year-old grandson. The interview of this family was analyzed using coding, memoing, and comparative analysis techniques often used in case study analysis. Three themes related to familism emerged: staying connected, maintaining cultures, and clashing cultures. Inclusion of these concepts may be appropriate for service providers in assessing grandparent-headed families and identifying cultural strengths and appropriate interventions.
A ritual for attempting leave‐taking in Colombia

(1990). A ritual for attempting leave‐taking in Colombia. Research on Language and Social Interaction: Vol. 24, No. 1-4, pp. 209-224.
Magnetohydrodynamic turbulent flows: Existence results

Abstract In this paper we provide a detailed investigation of the problem of existence of solutions to the stochastic magnetohydrodynamic equations which describe the motion of turbulent particles of fluids in a magnetic field. The results are proved through a delicate combination of Galerkin approximation scheme with some deep compactness results of analytic and probabilistic nature.
An initial independent and highly noise-resistant fuzzy possibilistic clustering algorithm

The possibilistic C-means (PCM) clustering algorithm is shown to be superior to the conventional fuzzy C-means (FCM) clustering algorithms. We attack several unsolved issues in applying the possibilistic approach to fuzzy clustering. An initial independent and highly noise resistant possibilistic clustering algorithm, named the novel possibilistic C-means (NPCM) clustering algorithm, is developed. >
FLOATING BODIES AND ILLUMINATION BODIES

We use the following notations. m is the Lebesgue measure on R. B 2 (a, r) is the n-dimensional Euclidean ball with radius r centered at a. We put B 2 = B n 2 (0, 1). By ||.|| we denote the standard Euclidean norm on R, by the standard inner product on R. For two points x and y in R [x, y] = {αx + (1−α)y : 0 ≤ α ≤ 1} denotes the line segment from x to y. For a convex body K in R, ◦ K is the interior of K and ∂K is the boundary
Coordinated motion planning and control of autonomous underwater vehicle-manipulator systems subject to drag optimization

A new motion coordination algorithm for an autonomous underwater vehicle-manipulator system (UVMS) is proposed. This algorithm generates the desired trajectories for both the vehicle and the manipulator in such a way that the total hydrodynamic drag on the system is minimized. Resolution of kinematic redundancy of the system is performed at the acceleration level so that this algorithm can be incorporated into the system dynamics. The dynamics of the UVMS are modeled using a quasi-Lagrange approach. A state-space formulation of the system along with a model-based controller design for trajectory-following tasks that includes thruster dynamics is also presented. The computer simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of this proposed method in reducing the drag on the system.
FROM THE FRONTIER TO GERMAN SOUTH-WEST AFRICA: GERMAN COLONIALISM, INDIANS, AND AMERICAN WESTWARD EXPANSION*

This article argues that positive perceptions of American westward expansion played a major (and so far overlooked) role both for the domestic German debate about the necessity of overseas expansion and for concrete German colonial policies during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. During and after the uprising against colonial rule (1904–7) of the two main indigenous peoples, the Herero and the Nama, of German South-West Africa (Germany's only settler colony), colonial administrators actively researched the history of the American frontier and American Indian policies in order to learn how best to “handle” the colony's peoples. There exists a substantial literature on the allegedly exceptional enchantment of Germans with American Indians. Yet this article shows that negative views of Amerindians also influenced and shaped the opinions and actions of German colonizers. Because of its focus on the importance of the United States for German discussions about colonial expansion, this article also explores the role German liberals played in the German colonial project. Ultimately, the United States as a “model empire” was especially attractive for Germans with liberal and progressive political convictions. The westward advancement of the American frontier went hand in hand with a variety of policies towards Native Americans, including measures of expulsion and extinction. German liberals accepted American expansionism as normative and were therefore willing to advocate, or at least tolerate, similar policies in the German colonies.
Continuous image representations avoid the histogram binning problem in mutual information based image registration

Mutual information (MI) based image-registration methods that use histograms are known to suffer from the so-called binning problem, caused by the absence of a principled technique for choosing the "optimal" number of bins to calculate the joint or marginal distributions. In this paper, we show that foregoing the notion of an image as a set of discrete pixel locations, and adopting a continuous representation is the solution to this problem. A new technique to calculate joint image histograms is proposed, which makes use of such a continuous representation. We report results on affine registration of a pair of 2D medical images under high noise, and demonstrate the smoothness of various information-theoretic similarity measures such as joint entropy (JE) or MI w.r.t. the transformation, when our proposed technique (referred to as the "robust histogram") is adopted to compute the required probability distributions.
Low amplitude QRS.

Scenario: This 12-lead ECG reading was obtained from a 76-year-old African American woman who presented to the emergency department with shortness of breath, fatigue, and a cough for the past month. Prior medical history includes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, and cigarette smoking for more than 40 years. ECG PUZZLER A regular feature of the American Journal of Critical Care, the ECG Puzzler addresses ECG interpretation for clinical practice. We welcome letters to the Editors regarding this feature.
A Taxonomy of Selected Finance Theories

This document presents a taxonomy of selected finance theories developed in past 5 decades by academics, practitioners and scholars in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. A total of 14 theories and models are synthesized in this work, organized in five tables with the same structure: Theories of capital structure; capital budgeting and cost of equity; asset valuation, financial behavior and international finances. Each table contains theories organized alphabetically with an indication of its germinal or current character. The description of the theory is accompanied by current examples of empirical research that updates or contradicts the theory and additional information about limitations, scope and opportunities of research.
Transient elevation of corticosterone alters begging behavior and growth of white-crowned sparrow nestlings.

SUMMARY Developing animals may face a cost–benefit tradeoff during growth mediated through hormones such as glucocorticoids, as the hormone is essential for development but can have detrimental consequences. To investigate potential tradeoffs caused by brief, moderate elevations of corticosterone in avian young, we artificially elevated the hormone levels in two ways: feeding corticosterone-containing worms and applying corticosterone dermal patches. The former experiment tested the effects of an acute corticosterone elevation (25 min) on begging behavior, whereas the latter explored the effects of artificially elevated corticosterone for 24 to 48 h on growth. Corticosterone altered both begging behavior and growth of white-crowned sparrow nestlings. It increased latency to beg immediately after the treatment and suppressed growth as early as 24 h after the patch application. These experiments also showed that the effects depended on the age or types of development (e.g. gaining mass or growing feathers) that the nestlings were going through.
Volatile Compounds Identified in Preserved Duck Eggs

Although egg is one of the most popular foods in the world, few studies on the flavor of eggs have been reported and no specific compounds have been determined to be responsible for characteristics egg flavor. MacLeod and Cave are the pioneers to investigate the egg flavor (MacLeod and Cave, 1975, 1976). Using a simultaneous distillation and extraction method, they have identified over 100 volatile flavor compoounds in cooked hen‐s eggs. Those classes of compounds are hydrocarbons, furans, pyrazines, pyrroles, carbonyls, alcohols, indans, and benzenes. A review of egg flavor was later published by Maga (Maga, 1982), where he discussed the previous studies on the flavor of whole egg, egg yolk, fermented egg, and dehydrated egg products, etc. Two paper on scrambled egg flavor were recently published (Matiella and Hsieh, 1991, Warren et al., 1995), and some sulfur-containing compounds such as dimethyl sulfide, thirane, dimethyl disulfide, and tetrahydrothiophene were identified. When the eggs were heated at 200°C, some sulfides, nutriles, thiazoles, thiophenes, pyrides and more pyrazines were produced form eggs (Umano et al., 1990).
Genome Reduction by Deletion of Paralogs in the Marine Cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus

Several isolates of the marine cyanobacterial genus Prochlorococcus have smaller genome sizes than those of the closely related genus Synechococcus. In order to test whether loss of protein-coding genes has contributed to genome size reduction in Prochlorococcus, we reconstructed events of gene family evolution over a strongly supported phylogeny of 12 Prochlorococcus genomes and 9 Synechococcus genomes. Significantly, more events both of loss of paralogs within gene families and of loss of entire gene families occurred in Prochlorococcus than in Synechococcus. The number of nonancestral gene families in genomes of both genera was positively correlated with the extent of genomic islands (GIs), consistent with the hypothesis that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is associated with GIs. However, even when only isolates with comparable extents of GIs were compared, significantly more events of gene family loss and of paralog loss were seen in Prochlorococcus than in Synechococcus, implying that HGT is not the primary reason for the genome size difference between the two genera.
Public Policy Frameworks for Improving Population Health

Four conceptual frameworks provide bases for constructing comprehensive public policy strategies for improving population health within wealthy (OECD) nations. (1) Determinants of population health. There are five broad categories: genes and biology, medical care, health behaviors, the ecology of all living things, and social/societal characteristics. (2) Complex systems: Linear effects models and multiple independent effects models fail to yield results that explain satisfactorily the dynamics of population health production. A different method (complex systems modeling) is needed to select the most effective interventions to improve population health. (3) An intervention framework for population health improvement. A two-by-five grid seems useful. Most intervention strategies are either ameliorative or fundamentally corrective. The other dimension of the grid captures five general categories of interventions: child development, community development, adult self-actualization, socioeconomic well-being, and modulated hierarchical structuring. (4) Public policy development process: the process has two phases. The initial phase, in which public consensus builds and an authorizing environment evolves, progresses from values and culture to identification of the problem, knowledge development from research and experience, the unfolding of public awareness, and the setting of a national agenda. The later phase, taking policy action, begins with political engagement and progresses to interest group activation, public policy deliberation and adoption, and ultimately regulation and revision. These frameworks will be applied to help understand the 39 recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health, the Sir Donald Acheson Report from the United Kingdom, which is the most ambitious attempt to date to develop a comprehensive plan to improve population health.
Regional changes in intramyocardial pressure following myocardial ischemia.

Previous studies from this laboratory have demonstrated the presence of regional abnormalities in myocardial blood flow during ischemia (1). The finding of relative subendocardial ischemia following coronary artery occlusion is thought to be due to a decrease in the diastolic coronary perfusion gradient (2). This gradient depends upon the relationship between the distal coronary artery perfusion pressure and left ventricular end diastolic pressure. The present study was undertaken to determine whether delayed relaxation might also occur following myocardial ischemia and thereby further compromise the effect of diastolic coronary perfusion gradient.
An econometric analysis of household political giving in the USA

Advocates of political contribution limitations contend that such contributions can transform economic and social inequalities into political inequalities. This article examines the extent to which traditional markers of social and economic power are associated with political giving. A Tobit analysis of 56 663 households participating in the Consumer Expenditure Survey from 1995 to 2005 indicates that political giving is positively associated with income, wealth, education and White racial status and is negatively associated with single female (but not single male) status. A double-hurdle analysis indicates that nonWhite or single female status affects expected giving most clearly through diminished participation in political giving, rather than simply through lower amounts given by such contributors. Descriptive statistics and a multinomial logistic regression suggest that the importance of traditional markers of social and economic status is greater for political giving than for charitable giving or rel...
Non-uniform PRI pulse-Doppler radar

Nonuniform pulse repetition interval (PRI) pulse-Doppler waveforms are processed by replacing the fast Fourier transform algorithm in standard pulse-Doppler processors with a more general discrete Fourier transform. Clutter rejection is a problem because the well-understood techniques of amplitude windowing are not available. However, processing weights with controllable properties can be synthesized by other means. Several applications most amenable to the strengths and limitations of nonuniform PRI waveforms are described.
Federalism and the Demise of Prescriptive Racism in the United States

Not so long ago, nearly all African-Americans living in the United States were subject to a multitude of racial restrictions officially prescribed and enforced by state governments and their local subsidiaries. Most of the Jim Crow system dated from 1890–1910. By the middle of the twentieth century, this system was well established, so much so that many people assumed that it had always existed and that it expressed the timeless folkways of the South. However, in what strikes the historian as an astonishingly brief period during the 1950s and 1960s, the edifice was largely torn down. The puzzle is this: How could any institutional apparatus so deeply embedded, long-standing, and apparently strong be toppled so quickly? Although many scholars have discussed aspects of the puzzle, no one has offered a simple, clear, and compelling explanation. We aim to do so in this essay.
Map Matching with Travel Time Constraints

Map matching determines which road a vehicle is on based on inaccurate measured locations, such as GPS points. Simple algorithms, such as nearest road matching, fail often. We introduce a new algorithm that finds a sequence of road segments which simultaneously match the measured locations and which are traversable in the time intervals associated with the measurements. The time constraint, implemented with a hidden Markov model, greatly reduces the errors made by nearest road matching. We trained and tested the new algorithm on data taken from a large pool of real drivers.
Use of ultrasound in the management of thyroid cancer

The use of ultrasound for thyroid cancer has evolved dramatically over the last few decades. Since the late 1960s, ultrasound has become essential in the examination of the thyroid gland with the increased availability of high-frequency linear array transducers and computer-enhanced imaging capabilities of modern day portable ultrasound equipment in a clinic- or office-based setting. As a noninvasive, rapid, and easily reproducible imaging study, ultrasound has been demonstrated to have a broadened utility beyond the simple confirmation of thyroid nodules and their sizes. Recently, office-based ultrasound has become an integral part of clinical practice, where it has demonstrated overwhelming benefits to patients being evaluated and treated for thyroid cancer. Ultrasound has become useful in the qualitative characterization of thyroid nodules based on benign or malignant features. On the basis of such classifications and the relative risk for thyroid malignancy, the need for ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration, preoperative and intraoperative staging, lymph node mapping, and the extent of surgery can subsequently be determined. Furthermore, ultrasound has additional value in the surveillance of patients treated for thyroid cancer.
Negotiating language ownership: Hebrew charter schools and the American Jewish press

Abstract Since 2007, Hebrew language charter schools – publicly-financed K-8 schools teaching Modern Hebrew to religiously, linguistically, and culturally diverse students – have emerged in cities across the United States. This article analyzes the contested notion of language ownership by exploring a set of discussions in over 75 articles in the American Jewish press about Hebrew charters. This article demonstrates how anxieties about communal production and reproduction are traceable through the circulated discourses about Hebrew learning. Analysis reveals how Hebrew charters are perceived as both a threating practice and an opportunity for communal renewal and growth. Hebrew charters illuminate how language ownership is negotiated through printed media and how one community grapples with the challenges and possibilities that language diffusion presents.
Direct Conversion of Cellulose into Ethyl Lactate in Supercritical Ethanol-Water Solutions.

Biomass-derived ethyl lactate is a green solvent with a growing market as the replacement for petroleum-derived toxic organic solvents. Here we report, for the first time, the production of ethyl lactate directly from cellulose with the mesoporous Zr-SBA-15 silicate catalyst in a supercritical mixture of ethanol and water. The relatively strong Lewis and weak Bronsted acid sites on the catalyst, as well as the surface hydrophobicity, were beneficial to the reaction and led to synergy during consecutive reactions, such as depolymerization, retro-aldol condensation, and esterification. Under the optimum reaction conditions, ∼33 % yield of ethyl lactate was produced from cellulose with the Zr-SBA-15 catalyst at 260 °C in supercritical 95:5 (w/w) ethanol/water.
Assay of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.1.1.49) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.1.1.43) in red cells

Abstract In the assay for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, it is shown that hemolysis with saponin or digitonin gives somewhat higher values than those obtained with hemolysis by water. These hemolytic agents apparently free the enzymes from the stroma while hemolysis in water accomplishes this only to a partial and variable degree. This fact leads to a simplified assay in which washed red cells are pipetted into a saponin solution in the cell of the ultraviolet spectrophotometer and combined reagents (which can be stored frozen) are added. The generation of NADPH, followed at 340 mμ, is linear for several minutes. The stoichiometry of the two reactions has been carefully rechecked, and it is concluded that the only valid measurement of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity is obtained by subtracting the activity with 6PG as substrate from the activity with G6P and 6PG as combined substrate. The second reaction is roughly the speed of the first reaction but varies from individual to individual.
Cure kinetics for silane coupled silica filled SBR compounds

Abstract Vulcanization kinetics for silane-modified, silica-filled SBR has been investigated using the cure meter and swelling measurements to determine the crosslink density. The silane modifier was Si-69, bis(3-triethoxy-silylpropyl)tetrasulfane. To simulate the induction and curing periods as a function of temperature and compounding recipe, a three component kinetic model for curing was developed. The kinetic model consists of (a) curing in the bulk elastomer phase, (b) curing at the silica surface and (c) cross-phase curing between the bulk components and the silica surface. In order to describe the partitioning of reagents between the bulk and surface domains, the parameter reactive surface thickness,θ, was introduced into the kinetic model. An average value of 24.7 nm for θ was calculated from the kinetic data and the silica particle surface area. Physically significant model kinetic parameters were extracted from the experimental data using a cure meter at different temperatures for (a) bulk curin...
From NASA

The IDEAS event, hosted by Autodesk, brought together a collection of scientists, astronauts, engineers, science fiction authors, and thinkers to use science fiction prototyping and determine what design should imagine.
Influence of interaction time and population redistribution on the localization of atomic excitation through electromagnetically induced transparency

We study numerically the localization of atomic excitation based on the dark states formed through electromagnetically induced transparency using interfering coupling beams. In particular, we examine the formation of dark states in a system exhibiting hyperfine splitting, including the effects of optical pumping in this multilevel system, laser polarization, and finite interaction time, and explore the conditions that lead to optimal spatial resolution of the excitation. We find that optimal localization requires long interaction times, due to the slow approach of the atomic system to steady state near the nodes of the standing wave pattern.
The Human Infrastructure Impact Statement (HIIS)

This paper introduces the human infrastructure impact statement (HIIS), a tool intended to help practitioners and researchers assess the socio-organizational impacts of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) before the final equipment selection decisions are made. The tool will help selection of equipment to ensure that the new technology will be compatible with existing and evolving organizational, personnel, job design and training practices. Use of HIIS should help to identify equipment parameters that create incompatability problems as well as practices that need to be changed before the equipment arrives.
Mine with high water characterization of inorganic filling material expansion secrete water analysis

Analysed Yuyang coal inorganic filling material with high water exudation of components,through chemical methods the titration analysis to determine the concentration of the sulfuric acid root ion( 1 344 mg/L). Infrared analysis found that the organic matter content in the solution,and is harmless to human body cement additive components; atomic absorption spectroscopy to detect the calcium,magnesium ions and concentration of silicic acid root,the root and calcium silicate ion and even beyond the scope of testing instruments 1 000 mg / L,the content of Mg2 +362 mg / L. Comprehensive detection analysis found that secrete water filling is mainly for the high water filling material of gypsum,cement,fly ash,cement admixtures,such as soluble ingredients.
Adsorptive charateristics and controlling factors of coal seams in TU-Ha basin

The research on adsorptive characteristics and controlling factors of coal seams in Tu-Ha basin indicated that the methane adsorptive capacity is still strong,although the rank of coal seams are relatively low,which is the major controlling factor for adsorptive capacity of coal seams.The other factors,such as maceral components,moisture content and oil-bearing property,have also different degree of influence.
Chapter 2: What is Rhetorical about Cognition?

This chapter lays the foundations for thinking about rhetoric from this bio-cultural perspective. Rhetorical practices are aided and abetted by mental simulation, self-consciousness, metacognition and mimetic skill, each of which is mutually constrained by the capacities specific to human bodies and brains and the cultural milieu in which those bodies and brains develop. The last chapter leaned slightly toward the internalized aspects of mind; the present chapter leans slightly toward emphasizing the externalized aspects of mind, as rhetorical theory is concerned with the externalization of thought. Rhetoric is not just about changing minds but changing reality. Therefore, a rereading of cognitive theory through the prism of the Western rhetorical tradition will be the focus of this chapter and in preparation for the next chapter, a rereading of the Cognitive Linguistics tradition of inquiry as a rhetorical enterprise.
Neuronal aromatase expression in pain processing regions of the medullary and spinal cord dorsal horn

In both acute and chronic pain conditions, women tend to be more sensitive than men. This sex difference may be regulated by estrogens, such as estradiol, that are synthesized in the spinal cord and brainstem and act locally to influence pain processing. To identify a potential cellular source of local estrogen, here we examined the expression of aromatase, the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to estradiol. Our studies focused on primary afferent neurons and on their central targets in the spinal cord and medulla as well as in the nucleus of the solitary tract, the target of nodose ganglion-derived visceral afferents. Immunohistochemical staining in an aromatase reporter mouse revealed that many neurons in laminae I and V of the spinal cord dorsal horn and caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus and in the nucleus of the solitary tract express aromatase. The great majority of these cells also express inhibitory interneuron markers. We did not find sex differences in aromatase expression and neither the pattern nor the number of neurons changed in a sciatic nerve transection model of neuropathic pain or in the Complete Freund's adjuvant model of inflammatory pain. A few aromatase neurons express Fos after cheek injection of capsaicin, formalin, or chloroquine. In total, given their location, these aromatase neurons are poised to engage nociceptive circuits, whether it is through local estrogen synthesis or inhibitory neurotransmitter release.
Common Statistical Methods for Primary and Secondary Analysis in Substance Abuse Research

This chapter presents statistical methods and issues commonly encountered in the design and analysis of substance abuse research studies. It begins with a general discussion contrasting primary and secondary data analysis, followed by an overview of study design from the perspective of the conduct of primary research, including hypothesis and planned analysis specification, sampling schemes, and power analysis. Next, descriptions of study characteristics are included from the perspective of secondary analysis, paying particular attention to characteristics that need to be considered when determining appropriate analytic methods and interpreting results. Statistical methods reviewed include: various types of regression (linear regression, logistic regression, survival analysis), related topics, such as moderators and mediators, as well as multilevel models (for longitudinal or clustered observations), and latent variable modeling techniques, including structural equation modeling, latent class analysis, latent transition analysis, and growth mixture modeling. Finally, overviews of four major special topics particularly important when using secondary data are provided, which include: multiplicity of hypotheses, combining data and results from multiple studies, missing data, and propensity scores. Where helpful, concepts and methods are illustrated using practical examples.
Making the invisible visible: improving conspicuity of noncalcified gallstones using dual-energy CT.

To determine whether virtual monochromatic imaging (VMI) increases detectability of noncalcified gallstones on dual-energy CT (DECT) compared with conventional CT imaging. This retrospective IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant study included consecutive patients who underwent DECT of the abdomen in the Emergency Department during a 30-month period (July 1, 2013-December 31, 2015), with a comparison US or MR within 1-year. 51 patients (36F, 15M; mean age 52 years) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. All DECT were acquired on a dual-source 128 × 2 slice scanner using either 80/Sn140 or 100/Sn140 kVp pairs. Source images at high and low kVp were used for DE post-processing with VMI. Within 3 mm reconstructed images, regions of interest of 0.5 cm2 were placed on noncalcified gallstones and bile to record hounsfield units (HU) at VMI energy levels ranging between 40 and 190 keV. Noncalcified gallstones uniformly demonstrated lowest HU at 40 keV and increase at higher keV; the HU of bile varied at higher keV. Few of the noncalcified stones are visible at 70 keV (simulating a conventional 120 kVp scan), with measured contrast (bile-stone HU difference) 20 HU in 2%. Contrast was maximal at 40 keV, where 100% demonstrated >20 HU difference from surrounding bile, 75% >44 HU difference, and 50% >60 HU difference. A paired t test demonstrated a significant difference (p < 0.0001) between this stone-bile contrast at 40 vs. 70 keV and 70 vs. 190 keV. Low keV virtual monochromatic imaging increased conspicuity of noncalcified gallstones, improving their detectability.