cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mammalian faunas, ecological indices, and machine-learning regression for the purpose of paleoenvironment reconstruction in the Miocene of South America

Abstract Reconstructing paleoenvironments has long been considered a vital component for understanding community structure of extinct organisms, as well as patterns that guide evolutionary pathways of species and higher-level taxa. Given the relative geographic and phylogenetic isolation of the South American continent throughout much of the Cenozoic, the South American fossil record presents a unique perspective of mammalian community evolution in the context of changing climates and environments. Here we focus on one line of evidence for paleoenvironment reconstruction: ecological diversity, i.e. the number and types of ecological niches filled within a given fauna. We propose a novel approach by utilizing ecological indices as predictors in two regressive modeling techniques—Random Forest (RF) and Gaussian Process Regression (GPR)—which are applied to 85 extant Central and South American localities to produce paleoecological prediction models. Faunal richness is quantified via ratios of ecologies within the mammalian communities, i.e. ecological indices, which serve as predictor variables in our models. Six climate/habitat variables were then predicted using these ecological indices: mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual precipitation (MAP), temperature seasonality, precipitation seasonality, canopy height, and net primary productivity (NPP). Predictive accuracy of RF and GPR is markedly higher when compared to previously published methods. MAT, MAP, and temperature seasonality have the lowest predictive error. We use these models to reconstruct paleoclimatic variables in two well-sampled Miocene faunas from South America: fossiliferous layers (FL) 1–7, Santa Cruz Formation (Early Miocene), Santa Cruz Province, Argentina; and the Monkey Beds unit, Villavieja Formation (Middle Miocene) Huila, Colombia. Results suggest general concordance with published estimations of precipitation and temperature, and add information with regards to the other climate/habitat variables included here. Ultimately, we believe that RF and GPR in conjunction with ecological indices have the potential to contribute to paleoenvironment reconstruction.
Characteristics of youth with reported family history of psychosis spectrum symptoms in the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort.

Abstract Little is known about the impact of family history of psychosis on youth from community samples. To fill this gap, we compared youth with a first-degree relative with psychosis spectrum symptoms (i.e. family history of psychosis spectrum symptoms, FHPS) to youth without FHPS in a cross-sectional analysis of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (PNC). The PNC is a racially diverse community sample of 9498 youth ages 8–21 years old, of whom 8928 completed the Family Interview for Genetic Studies to determine FHPS status. Polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (PRS S) was available for a subsample of 4433 European Americans. FHPS youth (n = 489) constituted 5.5% of the analytic sample. After adjusting for environmental risk factors (sociodemographic variables and traumatic stressful events), FHPS youth had lower functioning on the Children's Global Assessment Scale and elevated psychosis spectrum, mood, externalizing, and fear symptoms compared to non-FHPS youth (all p S. Thus, ascertaining FHPS is important because it is uniquely associated with symptoms and functional impairment in community youth beyond PRS-S and the environmental risk factors we investigated. Future research identifying environmental causes of FHPS-associated impairment could inform the development of interventions for the broad array of symptoms observed in FHPS youth.
Daily precipitation isotope variation in Midwestern United States: Implication for hydroclimate and moisture source

Abstract Stable isotopes of oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δD) in precipitation can be used as dual conservative tracers in the hydrologic cycle and help to understand hydrological and atmospheric processes. Although long-term monthly precipitation global isotope datasets are available in some locations, currently there are limited daily precipitation isotope data, particularly in the Midwest region of the USA. In this study we report a daily precipitation δ18O and δD dataset from March 2014–December 2017 in Dayton, Ohio, the USA. The daily δ18O and δD vary from −28.0 to 0.4‰, and −214.0 to 9.0‰ respectively. The data exhibit strong seasonality with lower δ18O and δD values in the winter and higher values in the summer. The precipitation isotopic values are mainly controlled by temperature, and show no correlation with precipitation amount and relative humidity. However, δ18O-temperature relationship varies among different seasons. The correlation is the strongest in winter (R2 = 0.56), weaker in spring (R2 = 0.28) and fall (R2 = 0.24), and almost non-existent in summer (R2 = 0.1). The slope values also vary with highest value in winter (0.68‰/OC) and much smaller in other seasons. The HYSPLIT back trajectory analyses show that Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Arctic and Continental moistures are the main sources for southwestern Ohio with different seasonal contributions. The isotopic compositions of precipitation from different sources show small intra-season variations but large seasonal variability. Our daily-resolved dataset provides new insights into the main controls on the isotopic composition of precipitation and its seasonal variations, which could help to understand atmospheric processes and enable their proper use in interpretation of paleoclimate proxies, particularly those with seasonal bias.
Spatial access to primary care providers and colorectal cancer-specific survival in Cook County, Illinois

Background Spatial access to primary care has been associated with late-stage and fatal breast cancer, but less is known about its relation to outcomes of other screening-preventable cancers such as colorectal cancer. This population-based retrospective cohort study examined whether spatial access to primary care providers associates with colorectal cancer-specific survival. Methods Approximately 26 600 incident colorectal cancers diagnosed between 2000 and 2008 in adults residing in Cook County, Illinois were identified through the state cancer registry and georeferenced to the census tract of residence at diagnosis. An enhanced two-step floating catchment area method measured tract-level access to primary care physicians (PCPs) in the year of diagnosis using practice locations obtained from the American Medical Association. Vital status and underlying cause of death were determined using the National Death Index. Fine-Gray proportional subdistribution hazard models analyzed the association between tract-level PCP access scores and colorectal cancer-specific survival after accounting for tract-level socioeconomic status, case demographics, tumor characteristics, and other factors. Results Increased tract-level access to PCPs was associated with a lower risk of death from colorectal cancer (hazard ratio [HR], 95% confidence interval [CI]) = 0.87 [0.79, 0.96], P = .008, highest vs lowest quintile), especially among persons diagnosed with regional-stage tumors (HR, 95% CI = 0.80 [0.69, 0.93], P = .004, highest vs lowest quintile). Conclusions Spatial access to primary care providers is a predictor of colorectal cancer-specific survival in Cook County, Illinois. Future research is needed to determine which areas within the cancer care continuum are most affected by spatial accessibility to primary care such as referral for screening, accessibility of screening and diagnostic testing, referral for treatment, and access to appropriate survivorship-related care.
An Objective and Reliable Method for Identifying Sarcopenia in Lumbar Spine Surgery Patients: Using Morphometric Measurements on Computed Tomography Imaging

STUDY DESIGN A retrospective observational study. PURPOSE Establish a quantifiable and reproducible measure of sarcopenia in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery based on morphometric measurements from readily available preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE Sarcopenia-the loss of skeletal muscle mass-has been linked with poor outcomes in several surgical disciplines; however, a reliable and quantifiable measure of sarcopenia for future assessment of outcomes in spinal surgery patients has not been established. METHODS A cohort of 90 lumbar spine fusion patients were compared with 295 young, healthy patients obtained from a trauma da¬tabase. Cross-sectional vertebral body (VB) area, as well as the areas of the psoas and paravertebral muscles at mid-point of pedicles at L3 and L4 for both cohorts, was measured using axial CT imaging. Total muscle area-to-VB area ratio was calculated along with intraclass correlation coefficients for interobserver and intraobserver reliability. Finally, T-scores were calculated to help identify those patients with considerably diminished muscle-to-VB area ratios. RESULTS Both muscle mass and VB areas were considerably larger in males compared with those in females, and the ratio of these two measures was not enough to account for large differences. Thus, a gender-based comparison was made between spine patients and healthy control patients to establish T-scores that would help identify those patients with sarcopenia. The ratio for paravertebral muscle area-to-VB area at the L4 level was the only measure with good interobserver reliability, whereas the other three of the four ratios were moderate. All measurements had excellent correlations for intraobserver reliability. CONCLUSIONS We postulate that a patient with a T-score <-1 for total paravertebral muscle area-to-VB area ratio at the L4 level is the most reliable method of all our measurements that can be used to diagnose a patient undergoing lumbar spine surgery with sarcopenia.
In Vitro Study on the Effect of a New Bioactive Desensitizer on Dentin Tubule Sealing and Bonding.

Bioactive mineral-based dentin desensitizers that can quickly and effectively seal dentinal tubules and promote dentin mineralization are desired. This in vitro study evaluated a novel nanohydroxyapatite-based desensitizer, Predicta (PBD, Parkell), and its effect on bond strength of dental adhesives. Human dentin discs (2-mm thick) were subjected to 0.5 M EDTA to remove the smear layer and expose tubules, treated with PBD, and processed for surface and cross-sectional SEM examination before and after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) for four weeks (ISO 23317-2014). The effects of two dental desensitizers on the microshear bond strength of a universal adhesive and a two-step self-etch system were compared. SEM showed coverage and penetration of nanoparticles in wide tubules on the PBD-treated dentin at the baseline. After four weeks in SBF, untreated dentin showed amorphous mineral deposits while PBD-treated dentin disclosed a highly mineralized structure integrated with dentin. Desensitizers significantly reduced microshear bond strength test (MSBS) of adhesives by 15–20% on average, depending on the bonding protocol. In conclusion, PBD demonstrated effective immediate tubules sealing capability and promoted mineral crystal growth over dentin and into the tubules during SBF-storage. For bonding to desensitizer-treated dentin, a two-step self-etching adhesive or universal bond with phosphoric acid pretreatment are recommended.
Prenatal diagnosis of Proteus syndrome: Diagnosis of an AKT1 mutation from amniocytes

Proteus syndrome is a mosaic genetic overgrowth disorder caused by a postzygotic, mosaic activating mutation in AKT1. Rare prenatal presentations include segmental tissue overgrowth, and skeletal and CNS anomalies. We present the first report of prenatally diagnosed and molecularly confirmed Proteus syndrome. Prenatal imaging identified megalencephaly, brain and eye malformations, focal soft tissue enlargement, and ambiguous genitalia. Exome sequencing performed on cultured amniocytes demonstrated an AKT1 pathogenic variant consistent with Proteus syndrome, and postnatal examination confirmed the diagnosis. Postnatal Sanger sequencing could not identify the AKT1 pathogenic variant. This case underscores the importance of prenatal exome sequencing on cultured amniocytes for mosaic overgrowth disorders, as well as provides additional information on the prenatal phenotype of Proteus syndrome, and highlights the impact of prenatal diagnosis on postnatal management.
Basic creep and fracture response of fine recycled aggregate concrete

Abstract We investigate the basic creep and fracture response of fine recycled aggregate concrete using nanoscale mechanical characterization modules integrated with nonlinear micromechanical modeling and machine learning methods. Fine recycled concrete aggregate mortar exhibits a larger volume fraction of micropores and low-density calcium silicate hydrates compared to natural sand mortar. In return, natural sand mortar exhibits a larger volume fraction of hard aggregates. The macroscopic logarithmic creep modulus for fine recycled concrete aggregate mortar is five times lower than that of natural sand mortar. Finally, the fracture toughness of fine recycled aggregate concrete is 8% lower than that of plain concrete.
Teaching as a Profession: United States

Abstract The status of teaching as a profession in the United States has changed in the twenty-first century. The landmark accountability legislation No Child Left Behind has challenged efforts to professionalize teaching, pushing it further from semiprofessional status. This article examines issues of teacher certification, the role of professional organizations, workplace conditions (including attrition and pay), and efforts to create staged teaching careers in this new policy environment.
Time resolved x-ray diffraction in solids and liquids

A novel, time resolved x-ray system is described which allows for the study of transient structure changes in molecular and solid state systems. The apparatus has been used for ultrafast time resolved x-ray diffraction studies with nanosecond and picosecond resolution. Some of the processes studied include crystal lattice dynamics under short laser pulse heating and amorphous solids and liquid structures.
Cyberbullying: When is It 'School Speech' and When is It Beyond the School's Reach?

Determining whether internet speech is "school speech" is a question of fact and should be determined by a totality of the circumstances test before any attempt is made to apply Supreme Court rules on the regulation of students' speech to an instance of cyberbullying. There is no need for another ruling from the Supreme Court because there are sufficient guidelines as to "on-campus speech" and off-campus speech is outside the school's purview and cannot be regulated without triggering first amendment protections. Given the pressure that school officials face, however, to crack down on bullying, a school official will likely be shielded by qualified immunity if he/she does violate a student's first amendment rights by suppressing internet speech.
A 30 Gb/s Monolithic Traveling-Wave Amplified Mach-Zehnder Modulator

A hybrid approach incorporates traveling-wave amplifier stages into the MachZehnder modulator (MZM) to reduce the area and power and improve bandwidth in a 90-nm silicon photonic (SiPh) CMOS process. Optical measurements demonstrate data rates up to 30 Gb/s.
Grabbing Your Bootstraps: Threats to Economic Order Boost Beliefs in Personal Control

Individuals are motivated to maintain perceptions of order and predictability in the social environment. Compensatory control theory proposes that when an individual’s perception of her or his own control is threatened, the individual can turn to external systems that may provide a perception of control (e.g., organized government). Conversely, the theory also predicts that when external systems of control are threatened, individuals may respond by exaggerating perceptions of personal control, although this effect has received relatively little empirical support. In the present study, we examined how a threat to an external system of economic control affects individual perceptions of personal control. Specifically, we found that a threat to the perceived distribution of economic resources based on hard work and effort (i.e., meritocracy) led to greater perceptions of personal control. Moreover, this increase in personal control directly increased participants’ optimism about their future economic outcomes. This study provides important insight into the broad influence of external systems on individuals' perceptions of personal control and assessment of future action.
Fixed Points for Discrete Logarithms

We establish a conjecture of Brizolis that for every prime p > 3 there is a primitive root g and an integer x in the interval [1,p − 1] with log g x = x. Here, log g is the discrete logarithm function to the base g for the cyclic group (ℤ/pℤ)×. Tools include a numerically explicit “smoothed” version of the Polya–Vinogradov inequality for the sum of values of a Dirichlet character on an interval, a simple lower bound sieve, and an exhaustive search over small cases.
Web-based virtual classrooms: a model for LIS education

This paper suggests that it is vital that all library and information science students should be trained to think and work in a virtual networked environment by taking at least one class in a web-based virtual classroom. It discusses the components of such a classroom and outlines a model class.
Water, Supply and Desalination

This article addresses water supply and use with special emphasis on the role and nature of water desalination. The major desalination processes, using membranes or distillation, are described. These are multistage flash evaporation (MSF), multi-effect distillation (ME), vapor compression distillation (VC), freeze–desalination, reverse osmosis (RO), and electrodialysis (ED). The use of renewable energy for water desalination by solar stills, ocean–thermal energy conversion plants, wind, and photovoltaic cells is presented. Two of the key technical problems in desalination, scale deposition and prevention, and corrosion and the proper choice of materials to resist it, are discussed. Basic equations are provided for the evaluation and preliminary design of MSF and RO, which are currently the leading water desalination processes. The leading professional and governmental organizations involved with desalination, and their activities, are described. Keywords: Water; Desalination; Supply; Freshwater transport; Problems; Salination; Water pollution; Municipal distribution; Saline water; Industry water; Agriculture water; Desalination programs; Associations; Major processes; Plant security
A note on estimating the returns from new technology: how much learning?

Very little information is available regarding the accuracy of firms' estimates of the returns from the adoption of a new technology. This paper presents empirical findings on this score concerning flexible manufacturing systems, based on data obtained from 63 firms, and concerning 18 new processes introduced by one of the nation's largest firms in the 1960s. While the data are not entirely comparable, they indicate that the forecasting errors in the later situation were smaller than in the earlier one. It seems likely that some learning of this sort has occurred, but firms continue to find it very difficult to forecast many of the problems and bugs in a new technology. Additional learning in this area would be most welcome.
Cloud types for eventual consistency

Mobile devices commonly access shared data stored on a server. To ensure responsiveness, many applications maintain local replicas of the shared data that remain instantly accessible even if the server is slow or temporarily unavailable. Despite its apparent simplicity and commonality, this scenario can be surprisingly challenging. In particular, a correct and reliable implementation of the communication protocol and the conflict resolution to achieve eventual consistency is daunting even for experts.To make eventual consistency more programmable, we propose the use of specialized cloud data types. These cloud types provide eventually consistent storage at the programming language level, and thus abstract the numerous implementation details (servers, networks, caches, protocols). We demonstrate (1) how cloud types enable simple programs to use eventually consistent storage without introducing undue complexity, and (2) how to provide cloud types using a system and protocol comprised of multiple servers and clients.
BSMV genome mediated expression of a foreign gene in dicot and monocot plant cells.

Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) possesses a tripartite genome composed of RNAs alpha, beta and gamma that have been cloned into in vitro transcription vectors from which infectious transcripts can be obtained. The BSMV genome has been engineered here to serve as an expression vector in plant protoplasts. Open reading frame (ORF) b of RNA beta, encoding a non-structural protein, was replaced by the firefly luciferase (luc) reporter gene to yield RNA beta 2-luc. In the presence of both RNAs alpha and gamma, RNA beta 2-luc mediated efficient expression of the luc gene upon transfection into tobacco and maize protoplasts. This expression ranged from 20- to 123-fold higher than the luciferase activity obtained from transfection with a luc gene mRNA. Replication of RNA beta and its derivatives i.e. 'minus' strand synthesis, was confirmed by Northern analysis, indicating that the high level of luc gene expression using RNA beta 2-luc resulted from RNA amplification. ORFa of RNA beta, encoding the coat protein, was also replaced by the luc gene to yield RNA beta 1-luc. Although transfection of RNA beta 1-luc alone produces luciferase efficiently, neither 'minus' strand synthesis nor further increase of luciferase activity was observed in the presence of RNAs alpha and gamma, or RNAs alpha, beta and gamma, suggesting that the deleted sequences within ORFa are cis-acting for replication of RNA beta. Our results demonstrate that a foreign gene can be expressed by replacement of a viral non-structural protein gene that is essential for virus multiplication in plants, leading to a potential strategy for virus 'containment' with use of 'disarmed' plant viral vectors.
Interior-Point Methods for Nonconvex Nonlinear Programming: Filter Methods and Merit Functions

Recently, Fletcher and Leyffer proposed using filter methods instead of a merit function to control steplengths in a sequential quadratic programming algorithm. In this paper, we analyze possible ways to implement a filter-based approach in an interior-point algorithm. Extensive numerical testing shows that such an approach is more efficient than using a merit function alone.
Novel Joint Time Frequency Vibration Diagnostics of Turbine Engine Accessories

Traditional engine health management development has focused on major gas turbine engine components (i.e., disks, blades, bearings, etc.) due to the fact that these components are expensive to maintain and their failures frequently have safety implications. However, the majority of events that lead to standing down of aircraft arise from gas turbine accessory components such as pumps, generators, auxiliary power units, and motors. Common vibration diagnostics, which are based on frequency domain analysis that assumes the monitored signal is “stationary” during the analysis period, are not effective for these components. This is true because operating conditions are often non-stationary and evolving, which leads to spectral smearing and erroneous analysis that can cause missed detections and false alarms. Traditionally, this is avoided by defining steady state operating conditions in which to perform the analysis. Although this may be acceptable for major engine components, which are typically highly loaded during normal steady operation, many engine accessories are only high loaded during transients, especially startup. For example, an engine starter or fuel pump may be more highly loaded and therefore susceptible to damage during engine start up, typically avoided by traditional vibration analysis methods. More importantly, certain component faults and their progression can also lead to non-stationary vibration signals that, because of the smearing they induced, would be missed by traditional techniques. As a result, the authors have developed a novel engine accessory health monitoring methodology that is applicable during non-stationary operation through application of joint time-frequency analysis (JTFA). These JTFA approaches have been proven in other disciplines, such as speech analysis, radar processing, telecommunications, and structural analysis, but not yet readily applied to engine accessory component diagnostics. This paper will highlight the results obtained from applying JTFA techniques, including Short-Time Fourier Transform, Choi-Williams Distribution, Continuous Wavelet Transform, and Time-Frequency Domain Averaging, to very high frequency (VHF) vibration data collected from healthy and damaged turbine engine accessory components. The resulting accuracy of the various approaches were then evaluated and compared with conventional signal processing techniques. As expected, the JTFA approaches significantly outperformed the conventional methods. On-board application of these techniques will increase prognostics and health management (PHM) coverage and effectiveness by allowing accessory health monitoring during the most life influencing regimes regardless of operating speed and reducing inspection and replacement costs resulting in minimizing the vehicle down time.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Dependence of the duration of geomagnetic polarity reversals on site latitude.

An important constraint on the processes governing the geodynamo—the flow in the outer core responsible for generating Earth's magnetic field—is the duration of geomagnetic polarity reversals; that is, how long it takes for Earth's magnetic field to reverse1. It is generally accepted that Earth's magnetic field strength drops to low levels during polarity reversals, and the field direction progresses through a 180° change while the field is weak1. The time it takes for this process to happen, however, remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from a few thousand up to 28,000 years. Here I present an analysis of the available sediment records of the four most recent polarity reversals. These records yield an average estimate of about 7,000 years for the time it takes for the directional change to occur. The variation about this mean duration is not random, but instead varies with site latitude, with shorter durations observed at low-latitude sites, and longer durations observed at mid- to high-latitude sites. Such variation of duration with site latitude is predicted by simple geometrical reversal models, in which non-dipole fields are allowed to persist while the axial dipole decays through zero and then builds in the opposite direction, and provides a constraint on numerical dynamo models.
Human IgE antibody serology: A primer for the practicing North American allergist/immunologist

The allergist/immunologist judiciously diagnoses allergic disease by using confirmatory IgE antibody data from in vivo and in vitro assays after the collection of a clinical history. After an overview of historical events, clinically available allergen-specific IgE assays from Phadia, Siemens, and Hycor are contrasted by their design and performance characteristics. The assays share comparable working ranges, analytical sensitivities, and excellent precision, reproducibility, and linearity to a performance standard of
Image Coding for Compressive Focal Tomography

We consider image coding to alias high spatial frequencies in a focused image into low-frequency components which survive low-pass defocusing. Coding before defocusing is shown to structure measurements appropriately for decompressive inference.
Comparative aspects of oxidative metabolism of neutrophils from human blood and guinea pig peritonea: magnitude of the respiratory burst, dependence upon stimulating agents, and localization of the oxidases

We have compared the subcellular sites of H2O2 and presumably also superoxide-(O2-) production, and certain aspects of metabolic responses (O2 consumption, O2- production) of stimulated neutrophils from human blood and those elicited into guinea pig peritonea. Stimulation was accomplished with either opsonized zymosan or phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). Striking quantitative differences were observed between these cell types with regard to the increased respiration and O2- production observed during stimulation. These differences were most apparent when opsonized zymosan served as the stimulating agent. They were minimized when the soluble stimulating agent, PMA, was used. With either stimulus, the subcellular sites of H2O2 production were the same for both types of neutrophils, i.e., the plasmalemma and phagosomal membranes. No H2O2 production could be detected cytochemically in the absence of stimulation. Treatment of both unstimulated human blood and elicited guinea pig peritoneal neutrophils with the nonpenetrating, covalently linking reagent, p-diazobenzenesulfonic acid, failed to diminish O2- production upon subsequent stimulation, in contrast to a previous report. These data are discussed in terms of the possible cytological arrangements of the respiratory enzyme(s), and the different modes of stimulation of neutrophil metabolism by various agents. Ancillary data on elicited mouse peritoneal neutrophils are presented.
IC-03-04: Voxel-based correlations between cerebral glucose metabolism and cerebrospinal fluid AD biomarkers in normal controls

Kathryn A. Ellis, Victor L. Villemagne, David Ames, Nat Lenzo, Kerryn E. Pike, Graeme O’Keefe, Henri Tochon-Danguy, Roger Price, Gareth Jones, Mira Rimajova, Pierrick Bourgeat, Parnesh Raniga, Jurgen Fripp, Olivier Salvado, Ralph Martins, Colin L. Masters, Christopher C. Rowe, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Austin Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; The Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; National Ageing Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; WA PET Centre, Perth, WA, Australia; Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia; Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia; WA PET Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; CSIRO ICT Centre, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Contact e-mail: kellis@unimelb.edu.au
Effects of perfusion mode on regional and global organ blood flow in a neonatal piglet model.

Abstract Background . Organ injury (brain, kidney, and heart) has been reported in up to 30% of pediatric open heart surgery patients after conventional hypothermic non-pulsatile cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) support with or without deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). The effects of pulsatile (with a Food and Drug Administration approved modified roller pump) versus non-pulsatile perfusion on regional and global cerebral, renal, and myocardial blood flow were investigated during and after CPB with 60 minutes of DHCA in a neonatal piglet model. Methods . Piglets, mean weight 3 kg, were used in both pulsatile (n = 7) and non-pulsatile (n = 7) groups. After initiation of CPB, all animals were subjected to hypothermia for 25 minutes, reducing the rectal temperatures to 18°C, 60 minutes of DHCA followed by 10 minutes of cold reperfusion and 40 minutes of rewarming with a pump flow of 150 mL/kg/min. During cooling and rewarming, alpha-stat acid-base management was used. Differently labeled radioactive microspheres were injected pre-CPB, on normothermic CPB, pre-DHCA, post-DHCA, and after CPB to measure the regional and global cerebral, renal, and myocardial blood flows. Results . Global cerebral blood flow was significantly higher in the pulsatile group compared to the non-pulsatile group at normothermic CPB (100.4 ± 6.3 mL/100 gm/min versus 70.2 ± 8.1 mL/100 gm/min, p p p p Conclusions . Pulsatile perfusion provides superior vital organ blood flow compared to non-pulsatile perfusion in this model.
The Soviet Famine of 1932–1933 Reconsidered

Abstract Recent advances in research on the 1932–1933 Soviet famine, most notably the monograph by R. W. Davies and S. G. Wheatcroft [2004, The Years of Hunger: Soviet Agriculture, 1931–1933 (Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan)], have generated a debate, involving Michael Ellman and Mark Tauger, on the pages of this journal. The present essay re-examines this debate in two areas: intentionality (did Stalin cause the famine in order to kill millions?) and the Ukrainian factor (was the famine a Ukrainian ethnic genocide?). I argue that there is not enough evidence to answer in the affirmative. The essay concludes by discussing the international context of the famine as a factor of critical importance.
ESTABLISHING THE VALIDITY OF AN ABBREVIATED LOCUS OF CONTROL SCALE: IS A BRIEF LEVENSON'S SCALE ANY BETTER?

Application of a brief locus of control scale suggested by Lumpkin in 1985 led John, et al. to question its validity and reliability and suggest an abbreviated version of Levenson's 1974 scale may perform better. In this paper is a summary of an application of such a scale. The brief Levenson's scale did not perform as well as the brief Rotter's scale and so is not recommended as an alternative.
Evaluating International Technology Transfer in a Comparative Marketing Framework

Much has been written about international technology transfer. Many previous studies have not explicitly provided an integrative framework for the political, economic and marketing forces which address the transfer mechanism as well as the actors' roles in driving theo utcomes. The model reported here begins to address this global issue in a holistic manner.
Hill Coefficients of a Polymodal Monod-Wyman-Changeux Model for Ion Channel Gating

Allosteric transitions of ion channels can be driven by multiple sources of free energies. One class of model for describing such transitions is the multistimulus Monod-Wyman-Changeux model, in which each stimulus interacts with a specific sensor on the protein and activation of the sensor is allosterically coupled to conformational changes of the protein. In general, when a protein is stressed by multiple stimuli, one stimulus can influence the response to another, which can result in both a shift of the midpoint of the dose-response curve and a change of the slope of the curve. Here I show that, for a Monod-Wyman-Changeux model with independent sensors, the different dose-response curves of open probability for one stimulus have the same slope at the same agonist concentration. In the other words, the slope of the dose-response curve for one stimulus is an intrinsic property of the sensors for that stimulus; it is independent of other stimuli or their sensor properties. As the dose-response curve for many receptors can be fit to a Boltzmann or Hill equation, this property provides a practical, usable test for applicability of such models.
Reluctance of paramedics and emergency medical technicians to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation

Recently, a reluctance of lay and medical personnel to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (MMR) in hospital and community settings has been documented, with 45% of respondents declining to perform MMR on a stranger. In the present study, we examined whether the perceived risk and fear of contracting infectious diseases diminishes the willingness of paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to perform MMR. Seventy-seven EMTs and 27 paramedics responded to a questionnaire, administered by one of two physicians, containing mock cardiac arrest scenarios that were designed to assess willingness to perform MMR as a citizen responder. Faced with a situation in which an adult stranger required MMR, 57% of the participating EMTs and all of the paramedics stated that they would refuse to perform MMR. None of the paramedics and only 32.5% of the EMTs stated that they would perform MMR on a man in a gay neighborhood. In addition, 23% of the EMTs and 37% of the paramedics indicated that they would refuse to perform MMR on a child. White respondents were more willing than nonwhite respondents to perform MMR. Twenty-nine percent of the prehospital-care providers had been in situations requiring MMR in the community, and 40% either had walked away or did only external compression. Of those participating paramedics and EMTs who had performed MMR in emergency situations, only 45% indicated that they would do so again. The respondents indicated that they would not be willing to administer MMR because of the fear of contracting infectious agents, especially the human immunodeficiency virus. Despite the proven effectiveness of MMR in saving lives, paramedics and EMTs are highly reluctant to perform MMR as citizen responders. Their perceived risks of contracting infectious agents during MMR are high, despite the low actual risks. We recommend that instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation for providers of pre-hospital care, the medical community, and the general public should emphasize the benefits of providing MMR, the actual low risks of contracting infectious diseases during administration of MMR, and the use of widely available and effective barrier masks to minimize any risks due to administration of MMR.
Self-assessment of functional ability in schizophrenia: Milestone achievement and its relationship to accuracy of self-evaluation

Between 50% and 80% of patients with schizophrenia do not believe they have any illness, and their self-assessment of cognitive impairments and functional abilities is also impaired compared to other information, including informant reports and scores on performance-based ability measures. The present article explores self-assessment accuracy in reference to real world functioning as measured by milestone achievement such as employment and independent living. Our sample included 195 people with schizophrenia examined with a performance-based assessment of neurocognitive abilities and functional capacity. We compared patient self-assessments across achievement of milestones, using patient performance on cognitive and functional capacity measures as a reference point. Performance on measures of functional capacity and cognition was better in people who had achieved employment and residential milestones. Patients with current employment and independence in residence rated themselves as more capable than those who were currently unemployed or not independent. However, individuals who had never had a job rated themselves at least as capable as those who had been previously employed. These data suggest that lifetime failure to achieve functional milestones is associated with overestimation of abilities. As many patients with schizophrenia never achieve milestones, their self-assessment may be overly optimistic as a result.
Review of surface representations and fitting for reverse engineering

The selection of an appropriate surface representation scheme for reverse engineering and inspection depends upon several criteria, including fitting schemes, data collection, intersection algorithms, surface extension and constraint management. A comparison is presented between algebraic and parametric surfaces based on these criteria. The results of the paper are useful in choosing surface representations for various reverse engineering applications.
Optimum Bus Headway for Preemption: A Simulation Approach

Preemption techniques are designed to provide preferential treatment for buses at signalized intersections. A preemption strategy, if properly designed, can provide continuous green phases for buses at successive intersections, thereby reducing travel times and delays along the bus route. However, the length of delay incurred by all the vehicles in the system may be affected by the different bus headways under preemption operation. Unfortunately, no formal technique is available to assess the cumulative delay consequences of bus headways. The application of a simulation model, NETSIM, to test the effect of different headways is presented. NETSIM was selected because it can microscopically simulate vehicular movements on a street network and because an animation feature within NETSIM is available that allows the user to track an individual vehicle from the source to the sink. A major bus route in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was used as the experiment site. The major conclusions are that NETSIM can generate delay data at various levels of aggregation (e.g., link, node, and route) that can be used to assess the operational consequences of bus headways under preemption conditions. For the volume levels studied in the project, the savings in delay along the bus route resulting from preemption appears to be a good measure for determining the optimum headway.
Microradiography of dentine using characteristic X-ray

Abstract Typical microradiographs made with titanium, calcium, silicon and aluminum K-radiations are given of sections of the healthy and carious dentine of human teeth. They are offered to indicate the kind of new information about composition which can be obtained by using monochromatic instead of heterochromatic X-rays for microradiography.
Studying longitudinal change in teacher practices using the multilevel model and latent growth model with an examination of alternative covariance structures

The purpose of this research was to compare results of the multilevel model (MLM) and latent growth model (LGM) for examining change over time. The study came out of the field of education and used data collected from 191 teachers through a professional development intervention in science education. Teachers’ reported use of reform-oriented practices (ROP) was used as the outcome. Change was examined using a piecewise change model and different error covariance structures were examined. Parameter estimates obtained from a model using the error covariance structure commonly assumed in the MLM framework (i.e., random slopes, homogeneous level 1 variance) were nearly identical as were the results of models with various alternative covariance structures commonly associated with the LGM framework. Most of the model fit information was in agreement regarding the best fitting model, with the exception of the standardised root mean square residual (SRMR) fit index.
Leader peptide efficiency correlates with signal recognition particle dependence in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Secretion of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was examined with four different leader peptides: the invertase signal peptide, the mfalpha1 signal peptide, a synthetic signal peptide, and a synthetic pre pro leader. BPTI secretion from a low-copy CEN plasmid varies from 1.8 to 10.4 microgram/mL among these constructs. Secretion titers correlate with dependence on signal recognition particle (SRP), with greatest secretion from the most SRP-dependent construct. Examination of co- vs post-translational translocation pathways and overall translocation efficiency by ubiquitin translocation assay (UTA) does not provide insight into the variation in BPTI secretion efficiency, perhaps due to alteration in translocation kinetics from the additional polypeptide fusion required by the assay. BPTI translocation efficiency (as measured by UTA) is found to drop markedly upon depletion of Srp54p, prior to any observable growth defect. Subsequent to stress response induction and the onset of slow growth (15-h doubling time), BPTI translocation efficiency recovers to the level observed prior to SRP depletion.
Performance of a two-phase commit protocol

Abstract Distributed database systems are subject to data inconsistency in the presence of failures. In order to coordinate the execution of the subtransactions of a global transaction, it is necessary to commit or abort all these subtransactions to maintain data consistency. Two classes of atomic commitment protocols have been proposed in the literature. The first class, known as fault tolerant protocol, aborts a transaction without checking for alternative solutions. The second, optimistic protocol, ignores the occurrence of errors and assumes that a global transaction commits in most cases. However, this would lead to compensating transactions so as to preserve data consistency, in case the global transaction aborts. In this paper, we study the performance of a Prudent Two-Phase Commit protocol, which in the presence of failures does not abort a transaction needlessly. The prudent protocol gives the transaction a second chance before deciding to abort. This prudent approach prevents a transaction from aborting in case of transient communication error or failure. In this way, it improves system performance and reliability. For the purpose of this study, we simulate a distributed database system. The performance of the simulated distributed system is measured while using the Prudent, Basic, and Optimistic Two-Phase Commit protocols. The performances of such protocols are compared and evaluated according to a number of widely accepted performance metrics. The final performance results are presented with a discussion and interpretation of the graphs generated by the simulation. The results of these simulations confirm the improvement in system performance with the Prudent Two-Phase Commit protocol.
Field trial results for integrated WiMAX and radio-over-fiber systems on high speed rail

As high speed rails become more and more popular, providing broadband internet access on high speed rails is not widespread due to the large inter-carrier interference, terrestrial obstacles and inherent carriage shielding. In this paper an integrated Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access-Radio over Fiber (WiMAX-RoF) system is proposed and deployed along Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) rail tracks. Field trial and laboratory experiment results are presented. According to the field trial results, excessive delay induced by unequal fiber length deteriorates the throughput performance and can be overcome by equalizing the fiber length. On the other hand, rate adaptation for maximum throughput is challenging at high mobility. Careful calibration is needed to tradeoff the throughput gain against robustness to signal fluctuations. Laboratory experiments distinguish the impact of echo channel and remote antenna unit (RAU) distance from others. The results give insights in the analysis of field trial results.
An Examination of Academic Mentoring Behaviors and New Faculty Members' Satisfaction with Socialization and Tenure and Promotion Processes

This study explored the relationship between academic mentoring behaviors and the organizational socialization of new faculty members within the communication discipline. Participants included 259 faculty members from the National Communication Association. Results indicated that mentors' tendencies to provide support and encouragement, a sense of collegiality, and research assistance are related to an organizational newcomer's feelings of connectedness and ownership with the work environment. Overall, the results suggested that the benefits of mentoring are reciprocal and benefit the institution as well as the prot\'eg\'e.
Political Attitudes during an Election Year: A Report on the 1980 NES Panel Study

This article is based on data from the 1980 National Election Study surveys. It reports findings concerning the rates at which voters become familiar with presidential candidates and their policy positions, trends in public opinion during the 1980 presidential campaign, and the dynamics of individual attitudes that underlie those trends. The impact of political attitudes on the individual vote decision is assessed within the context of a simultaneous equation model. In addition, the net effects of attitudinal distributions on the election outcome are estimated. The analysis yields support for the retrospective voting model and provides no evidence for the contention that Reagan's victory was the result of his policy or ideological positions.