cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Practical Advances In Core-Based Water Saturation Analysis of Shaly Tight Gas Sands

New core analysis methods are presented for R w , formation water resistivity, and Q v ., cation exchange capacity per unit pore volume. Accurate R w values are needed for all resistivity-based water saturation models. Representative values of the rock property Q v are necessary for Qv-based shaly sand models such as Waxman-Smits-Thomas and Dual-Water. Traditional core analysis methods for R w and Qv in shaly tight gas sands are limited and tend to be inaccurate or impractical due to the clay-bound water, extensive cementation, and very low permeability that characterize these formations. The new methods address the influence of clay-bound water on results and include its quantification by nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. They are designed to overcome the limitations and inaccuracies of the traditional methods, particularly with respect to tight gas sands, and result in practical approaches for R w , and Q v . Additionally, an improved and unifying equation is presented for the shaly sand parameter B, the counter-ion conductance term found in the Waxman-Smits-Thomas model. Effective use of this model includes application of representative B values for both the laboratory and reservoir environments. Standard sources of B for each environment are identified and standard values are compared to those provided from published equations. The poor and biased comparisons lead to development of a single equation with results that compare more favorably with the reservoir-environment standard and exactly with the laboratory-environment standard.
Advances in Quenching

In this paper we shall survey the literature on the so called quenching problem since 1985, when the last survey on the subject appeared [18]. We shall also present some open problems which have arisen in consequence of the results of the recent literature.
Intergenerational Continuity in Substance Abuse: Does Offspring's Friendship Network Make a Difference?

Abstract Purpose A parental history of substance abuse is a key risk factor for offspring's substance abuse. Identification of factors that may mitigate this effect is prerequisite to promoting resilience. In this study, we consider the substance use of peers in an adolescent's friendship network as a potential moderator of intergenerational continuity in substance abuse. Methods Prospective, longitudinal data from the Rochester Youth Development Study and the Rochester Intergenerational Study for 246 father–child dyads and 167 mother–child dyads were utilized. Ordinal generalized estimating equations were specified to examine the moderating role of friend's substance use in the relationship between parental substance use disorder and child's substance abuse between the ages of 13 and 17. Results Father's substance use disorder was associated with an increased risk of substance abuse by his child. Moreover, the harmful effect of paternal substance abuse on child's abuse of substances was apparent only when some or most of the child's friends used substances. Maternal substance use disorder was extremely rare in the sample and was not found to be associated with child's substance abuse, irrespective of the substance use of friends. Conclusions The intergenerational transmission of risk for substance abuse between father and child was mitigated when children were not exposed to friends who use substances, and exacerbated when children had substantial exposure to substance-using friends. Preventing the child's association with substance-using peers may be particularly important for children with this type of familial risk.
Identifying and addressing gaps in reproductive health education for adolescent girls with type 1 diabetes.

Aims Adolescent girls with diabetes are at risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes due to age, risk-taking behavior, poor glycemic control, and lack of knowledge. Our aims were to assess attitudes and behaviors related to reproductive health education (RHE) among diabetes healthcare providers and adolescent girls with diabetes, and to pilot a brief clinic-based RHE intervention. Methods We surveyed 29 providers and 50 adolescent girls with type 1 diabetes about RHE experiences, attitudes, and behaviors. We piloted the RHE intervention with 9 adolescent-parent dyads. Results 50% of providers were very uncomfortable discussing pregnancy or contraception. Most (72%) did not proactively initiate RHE; common barriers included insufficient time and subject knowledge. Fewer than 10% recommended long-acting reversible contraceptives. A minority (10%) of adolescents had discussed pregnancy or contraception with a provider. RHE sessions lasted a median of 16 (range 13–24) minutes, and there were promising trends for changes in adolescents’ self-efficacy and intentions to use contraception and seek preconception counseling and in their knowledge of reproductive health. Conclusion Adolescent girls with diabetes rarely receive education on pregnancy and contraception due to provider discomfort, limited knowledge, and limited time. RHE using easily-accessible materials with an educator may help address this gap in care.
PRIMo: Parallel raster inundation model

Abstract Simulation of flood inundation at metric resolution is important for making hazard information useful to a wide range of end-users involved in flood risk management, and addressing the alarming increase in flood losses that have been observed over recent decades. However, high data volumes and computational demands make this challenging over large spatial extents comparable to the metropolitan areas of major cities where flood impacts are concentrated, especially for time-sensitive applications such as forecasting and repetitive simulation for uncertainty assessment. Additionally, several factors present difficulties for numerical solvers including combinations of steep and flat topography that promote transcritical flows, the need to resolve flow in relatively narrow features such as drainage channels and roadways in urban areas which channel flood water during extreme events, and the need to depict compound hazards resulting from the interaction of pluvial, fluvial and coastal flooding. A new flood inundation model is presented here to address these challenges. The Parallel Raster Inundation Model ( PRIMo ) solves the shallow-water equations on an upscaled grid that is far coarser than the underlying raster digital topographic model (DTM), and uses a subgrid modeling approach so that the solution benefits from DTM-scale topographic data. Additionally, an approximate Riemann solver is applied in an innovative way to integrate fluxes between cells, as needed to update the solution by the finite volume method, which makes the method applicable to subcritical, supercritical and transcritical flows. PRIMo is implemented using a two-dimensional domain decomposition approach to Single Process Multiple Data (SPMD) parallel computing, and overlapping communications and computations are implemented to yield ideal parallel scaling for well-balanced test cases. With both a subgrid model and ideal parallel scaling, the model can scale to meet the demands of any application. Several benchmarks are presented to demonstrate predictive skill and the potential for timely, whole-city, metric-resolution flooding simulations. Limitations of the methods and opportunities for improvements are also presented.
Defrosting concepts, destabilizing doxa: Critical phenomenology and the perplexing particular:

A key problem for critical theory is how to problematize the very concepts that undergird its own frameworks once they have become canonical. The more that certain constructs come to dominate an in...
Manufacturing in Africa: an example from Zambia

Structural change in the development process usually involves the decline of agriculture and the rise of manufacturing. Structural change in Sub-Saharan Africa (and some other developing countries) has altered with agriculture declining as a share of GDP and total employment, but manufacturing as a share actually declining or remaining stagnant. It is argued in this paper that this is at least partly the result of liberalising reforms beginning in the late 1980s and partly the result of a significant dependence on a natural resource, in this case copper. However, it is further hypothesised in this paper that growth in agricultural productivity is critical to the development of manufacturing. Specifically, growth in this sector's productivity restrains the cost of agricultural goods and thus allows the manufacturing sector to expand. If agricultural productivity lags relative to manufacturing productivity rising relative agricultural costs make it extremely difficult for manufacturing to expand. These ideas are illustrated by examining the experience of Zambia.
CONGENITAL DISLOCATION OF THE HIP: The Development of a Regional Service

1. A scheme was started in 1960 with the object of ensuring that the hips of all babies born in the North-Eastern Region of Scotland were examined shortly after birth. 2. 1,671 children with suspected abnormalities have been seen during the ensuing ten years, and the findings are discussed. 3. Clinical examination is essential. Radiographic examination of the newborn is not necessary and may be misleading, but it does prove that some hips with limited abduction but no instability are in fact dislocated. 4. Treatment is not started when the diagnosis is made shortly after birth. The children are re-examined at three weeks, when spontaneous recovery has occurred in about half. The others, whether they show instability or only limitation of abduction of the hips, are treated in a simple splint until they are three months old. Any residual stiffness is an indication for further splintage. 5. The first radiographs are taken when the children are three months old, and no child is discharged until the radiographs show that the upper femoral epiphyses have appeared and are in normal position. 6. We appreciate that we are treating some children who would have recovered spontaneously, but we do not know how to distinguish them. There is no evidence that splintage harms a hip. 7. Eighty-six children (5 per cent of the total) needed operation usually because the diagnosis was missed at birth. 8. Children with familial joint laxity or genu recurvatum should be examined especially carefully for associated hip abnormality. 9. The incidence of abnormality of the hips at birth is about one in fifty live births.
Increasing the Braille Reading Rate.

The possibilities of increasing the braille reading rate include changing the ability of braille readers, changing the way in which braille characters are displayed, and changing the braille code. ...
LodoNet: A Deep Neural Network with 2D Keypoint Matching for 3D LiDAR Odometry Estimation

Deep learning based LiDAR odometry (LO) estimation attracts increasing research interests in the field of autonomous driving and robotics. Existing works feed consecutive LiDAR frames into neural networks as point clouds and match pairs in the learned feature space. In contrast, motivated by the success of image based feature extractors, we propose to transfer the LiDAR frames to image space and reformulate the problem as image feature extraction. With the help of scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) for feature extraction, we are able to generate matched keypoint pairs (MKPs) that can be precisely returned to the 3D space. A convolutional neural network pipeline is designed for LiDAR odometry estimation by extracted MKPs. The proposed scheme, namely LodoNet, is then evaluated in the KITTI odometry estimation benchmark, achieving on par with or even better results than the state-of-the-art.
Excited states in the full QCD hadron spectrum on a 163 × 40 lattice

We report the hadron mass spectrum obtained on a 16 3 × 40 lattice at β = 5.7 using two flavors of staggered fermions with ma = 0.01. We calculate the masses of excited states that have the same quantum numbers as the π , ρ and N . They are obtained by a combined analysis of the hadron correlators from sources of size 16 3 and 8 3 . We also report on the hadron spectrum for a wide range of valence quark masses.
The Acquisition of Articulatory Timing for Liquids: Evidence From Child and Adult Speech

Purpose Liquids are among the last sounds to be acquired by English-speaking children. The current study considers their acquisition from an articulatory timing perspective by investigating anticipatory posturing for /l/ versus /ɹ/ in child and adult speech. Method In Experiment 1, twelve 5-year-old, twelve 8-year-old, and 11 college-aged speakers produced carrier phrases with penultimate stress on monosyllabic words that had /l/, /ɹ/, or /d/ (control) as singleton onsets and /ae/ or /u/ as the vowel. Short-domain anticipatory effects were acoustically investigated based on schwa formant values extracted from the preceding determiner (= the) and dynamic formant values across the /ə#LV/ sequence. In Experiment 2, long-domain effects were perceptually indexed using a previously validated forward-gated audiovisual speech prediction task. Results Experiment 1 results indicated that all speakers distinguished /l/ from /ɹ/ along F3. Adults distinguished /l/ from /ɹ/ with a lower F2. Older children produced subtler versions of the adult pattern; their anticipatory posturing was also more influenced by the following vowel. Younger children did not distinguish /l/ from /ɹ/ along F2, but both liquids were distinguished from /d/ in the domains investigated. Experiment 2 results indicated that /ɹ/ was identified earlier than /l/ in gated adult speech; both liquids were identified equally early in 5-year-olds' speech. Conclusions The results are interpreted to suggest a pattern of early tongue-body retraction for liquids in /ə#LV/ sequences in children's speech. More generally, it is suggested that children must learn to inhibit the influence of vowels on liquid articulation to achieve an adultlike contrast between /l/ and /ɹ/ in running speech.
The Progress of Evolution and Spiritual Science

For cosmopolitan religious thinkers, especially in Germany, Goethe personified the omniscient intellect, the persona who had comprehensively and successfully fused all knowledge-making fields—science, religion, philosophy, and literature—into a cohesive whole. Faust, Goethe’s tragic philosopher-healer, embodied the scientist’s resolve, status, and purpose to effectively and creatively explore the depths of life’s secrets. In their spiritual-scientific vision, Goethe’s Faust and his willingness to explore and indulge his thirst for knowledge in the dark caverns of Lucifer’s sphere ideally captured the harmonious material-spiritual expedition that they sought to recapitulate. Goethe’s engagement with the arcane world as a source of erudition reverberated among cosmopolitan spiritual thinkers. One of Theosophy’s first journals in England was called Lucifer, and its two editors, Madame Blavatsky and the occult novelist and anti-vivisectionist campaigner, Mabel Collins (1851–1927), justified the title with the following comment in its initial issue in 1887:From this viewpoint, what was judged as the unholy and cryptic, despite their rejection by society’s intellectually coward, manifested a salient means to shed light on life’s full spiritual essence. According to these cosmopolitan spiritual pundits, their concept of Lucifer, like Goethe’s Faust, provided an efficacious source for reconstituting complete knowledge about human life—“to look truth straight in the face.”
Surface Analysis and Tools

This article is a chapter of the book entitled, "Tribology of Mechanical Systems," to be published by ASME Press, New York, NY. It describes selected analytical techniques, which are being used in understanding phenomena and mechanisms of oxidation, adhesion, bonding, friction, erosion, abrasion, and wear, and in defining the problems. The primary emphasis is on microanalytical approaches to engineering surfaces.
Microbial activities in undecompressed and decompressed deep-seawater samples.

Microbial transformations of 14C-labeled substrates (sodium glutamate, Casamino Acids, glucose, and sodium acetate) were measured in undecompressed seawater samples collected from depths of 1,800 to 6,000 m, during 14- to 21-day incubation periods at in situ temperature (3°C). Each substrate was tested at two concentrations (ca. 0.5 and 5.0 μg/ml) and two in situ pressures. The data were compared to 1-atmosphere (ca. 1.013 × 102 kPa) controls. The rates of 14C incorporation and 14CO2 production as well as the amounts of total substrate utilization were generally lower at pressure than in the decompressed controls but were significantly different for each of the four substrates used. The utilization of acetate was the least affected by pressure; rates were similar to those measured at 1 atmosphere in two out of four experiments. In contrast, transformation rates of the amino acids at pressure averaged to only 38% of those in the controls. A single but reproducible “barophilic” response was observed with glucose as a substrate in samples collected from a depth of 4,500 m at a specific area in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Except for this latter set of experiments, the transformation of all substrates showed an increased lag period at pressure as compared to the 1-atmosphere controls.
Efficient luminescence extraction strategies and anti-reflective coatings to enhance optical refrigeration of semiconductors

Abstract Laser refrigeration of solids has emerged as a viable solution for vibration-free and compact cooling that does not require any moving parts or cryogenic liquid. So far, rare-earth doped glasses are the only bulk materials that have provided efficient laser cooling based on the anti-Stokes process. These materials have low indices of refraction and are suitable for efficient luminescence extraction. However, up until this date, laser cooling of bulk semiconductors has not been achieved. One major challenge that needs to be addressed is the photoluminescence trapping and the consequent photon recycling. In this paper, we explain various methods to enhance light extraction for the purpose of laser cooling. We specifically provide guidelines for design and fabrication of graded index and subwavelength structures to maximize the extraction efficiency. Furthermore we present novel techniques for increasing the external quantum efficiency and enhancing the overall laser cooling efficiency.
Resident and hospitalist perspectives on the "great teaching case": Correlation with actual patient assignment decisions.

BACKGROUND With the advent of limits to resident duty hours and the size of teaching services, many academic institutions have introduced nonteaching services, often triaging perceived better teaching cases to the resident services. OBJECTIVE To compare resident versus faculty perceptions of ideal cases for teaching services and compare these perceptions with actual triage decisions made by faculty who assigned patients to either teaching or nonteaching services. DESIGN Residents and hospitalist faculty were surveyed about their perceptions of ideal and actual teaching admissions, first with qualitative, open-ended questions and then with quantitative, specific questions generated from responses to the first survey. Characteristics of patients admitted to teaching and nonteaching services were analyzed retrospectively and compared with resident and faculty perceptions. RESULTS Residents and faculty agreed that rare cases, patients with unique physical findings, and a variety of pathology were ideal for teaching services and that social admissions, benefactors, and patients with chronic or functional pain were not. Residents believed that traditional (“bread and butter”) medicine cases were under-represented on the teaching services. Although residents perceived that they received a disproportionate number of older patients, outside transfers, patients with chronic pain, and patients with cancer, the only statistically significant difference was in patient age, with the teaching service actually receiving younger patients (66.7 vs 69.3 years; P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS Residents and faculty have similar views about ideal teaching cases, but a triage system based on perceived educational merit creates the possibility of resident misperceptions about their case mix, even if patients are distributed relatively equitably. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2014;9:508–514. © 2014 Society of Hospital Medicine
A Faceless Bureaucrat Ponders Special Education, Disability, and White Privilege

The other is a way of distinguishing those who are different from us. Being the other can be based on skin color, language, culture, ethnicity, religious affiliation, class, sexual orientation, gen...
The toxicology of benzene.

Abstract Benzene is metabolized, primarily in the liver, to a series of phenolic and ring-opened products and their conjugates. The mechanism of benzene-induced aplastic anemia appears to involve the concerted action of several metabolites acting together on early stem and progenitor cells, as well as on early blast cells, such as pronormoblasts and normoblasts to inhibit maturation and amplification. Benzene metabolites also inhibit the function of microenvironmental stromal cells necessary to support the growth of differentiating and maturing marrow cells. The mechanism of benzene-induced leukemogenesis is less well understood. Benzene and its metabolites do not function well as mutagens but are highly clastogenic, producing chromosome aberrations, sister chromatid exchange, and micronuclei. Benzene has been shown to be a multi-organ carcinogen in animals. Epidemiological studies demonstrate that benzene is a human leukemogen. There is need to better define the lower end of the dose-response curve for benzene as a human leukemogen. The application of emerging methods in biologically based risk assessment employing pharmacokinetic and mechanistic data may help to clarify the uncertainties in low-dose risk assessment.
Pill taking 'routinization': a critical factor to understanding episodic medication adherence.

This exploratory study examines the contextual factors that lead to episodic nonadherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy. Unlike global adherence that refers to the overall probability that a participant will take his or her medication over a given time period, episodic adherence refers to whether an individual took a particular dose (e.g., Saturday morning, 17 September). Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 27 consecutive participants enrolled in ongoing adherence trials who had missed at least one dose of antiretroviral medication during the past 2 days. A qualitative analysis revealed that routinization of pill regimens and factors associated with the participant's ability to maintain these routines (e.g., time of day of scheduled dose; location of participant at time of dose) play an important role in successful adherence. In addition, psychosocial factors such as psychological distress, substance abuse, and active and unpredictable social lives may act as barriers to adherence. Implications for adherence interventions are discussed.
Currents, torques, and polarization factors in magnetic tunnel junctions

Bardeen's transfer-Hamiltonian method is applied to magnetic tunnel junctions having a general degree of atomic disorder. The results reveal a close relationship between magnetoconduction and voltage-driven pseudotorque, and also provide a means of predicting the thickness dependence of tunnel-polarization factors. Among the results: (i) The torque generally varies with moment direction as $\mathrm{sin}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\theta}$ at constant applied voltage. (ii) Whenever polarization factors are well defined, the voltage-driven torque on each moment is uniquely proportional to the polarization factor of the other magnet. (iii) At finite applied voltage, this relation implies significant voltage-asymmetry in the torque. For one sign of voltage the torque remains substantial even if the magnetoconductance is greatly diminished. (iv) A broadly defined junction model, called ideal middle, allows for atomic disorder within the magnets and $\mathrm{F}∕\mathrm{I}$ interface regions. In this model, the spin-$(\ensuremath{\sigma})$ dependence of a basis-state weighting factor proportional to the sum over general state index $p$ of ${(\ensuremath{\int}\ensuremath{\int}dydz{\ensuremath{\Psi}}_{p,\ensuremath{\sigma}})}^{2}$ evaluated within the (e.g., vacuum) barrier generalizes the local state density in previous theories of the tunnel-polarization factor. (v) For small applied voltage, tunnel-polarization factors remain legitimate up to first order in the inverse thickness of the ideal middle. An algebraic formula describes the first-order corrections to polarization factors in terms of newly defined lateral autocorrellation scales.
Provirus-Anchored Long-Range (PAL) Mapping of Mammalian Genomes

To design a strategy for more efficient long-range physical mapping of large mammalian genomes, we have developed a method for directional mapping from anchor points of randomly integrated retroviral proviruses containing sequences that provide unique cleavage sites in the genome. Using this method, we have determined a physical map of approximately 1.6 Mb flanking an Mo MLV-proviral integration site in mouse NIH/3T3 cells. Our results indicate that this provirus-anchored long-range (PAL) mapping strategy, which uses only two proviral sequences as universal hybridization probes, can potentially allow rapid construction of physical maps for chromosomal regions devoid of other genetic markers.
Gas chromatographic analysis of ketamine and norketamine in plasma and urine: Nitrogen-sensitive detection

Abstract A sensitive gas chromatographic method for quantitative analysis of ketamine and norketamine in human and animal biological fluids is described. The nitrogen-sensitive detection procedure used is more stable than electron-capture detection and reduced analysis time. The method used bromo-ketamine as an internal standard for quantitation and is linear from 10–25,000 ng/ml. No interferences were shown with drugs commonly associated with cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary by-pass. This assay is sensitive, specific, using either native or derivatized drugs and can be used for routine analysis of ketamine and norketamine in plasma or urine.
On stability analysis of a flexible cylinder in an array of rigid cylinders

The concept of an unsteady control volume is used to predict the onset of instability for a simple array of cylinders. The array consists of a flexible cylinder placed amidst rigid cylinders. The fluid is assumed to be incompressible with a “slip” boundary condition used on the solid/liquid interface. The equations derived for the model from first principles are solved in the complex plane. The results are compared to experimental data. The paper is concluded with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the model and an assessment of the accuracy of the predictions.
Cross Cultural Differences on the Facts on Ageing Quiz

This report, using the ‘Facts on Ageing Quiz’ developed by Erdman Palmore as a measure, compares responses from US (N=206) and Japan (N=591) samples, thus adding a cross cultural dimension to the literature on age bias measurement. The scale taps for ‘facts’ and indirectly obtains evaluations of stereotypes and attitudes. The data indicate the FAQ is a reliable measure but the validity of the measure's age bias dimension is more complex than previously indicated. Contrary to normative expectations, the Japanese responses indicate a negative age bias that has implications for social norms which affect Japan's elderly.
Cluster-molecule systems: Analysis and tuning of the interaction potential

The interaction (modelled by a LEPS potential) of a D2 molecule with an icosahedral Ni13 cluster is mapped and analyzed in the form of equipotential contour plots. The topological features of the map correlate with the energetic and dynamical characteristics of the dissociative adsorption of the molecule on the cluster, which were extracted from quasiclassical trajectory simulations. A modification of the LEPS potential used originally is introduced. It brings the calculated reactivity of the cluster into agreement with the experimental data.
Cuban industrial growth, 1965–1984

Abstract This article first reviews recent independent estimates of Cuban industrial growth. It then discusses the nature of Cuban prices and their possible impact on measurements of economic growth. Next, using 1981 Cuban net value added branch weights and constant 1981 Cuban wholesale prices, it develops new estimates of Cuban industrial performance which tend to corroborate official reports of strong growth since 1970 and a growth spurt in the early 1980s. Finally, it compares the results of various studies and breaks down the sources of the differentials in their estimates.
Pressure-Induced Amorphization and Porosity Modification in a Metal−Organic Framework

The impact of modest, industrially accessible pressures (0−1.2 GPa) on the structure and porosity of the zeolitic imidazolate framework Zn(2-methylimidazole)2, ZIF-8, was investigated using in situ powder X-ray diffraction in combination with sorption measurements for pressure-treated samples. The framework is highly compressible, with a bulk modulus (K = −V ∂P/∂V) of 6.52(35) GPa, the most compressible metal−organic framework (MOF) documented to date. The framework undergoes an irreversible pressure-induced amorphization following compression beyond 0.34 GPa. The pressure-amorphized ZIF-8 remains porous, although the sorption characteristics are distinctly altered compared to the pristine material. As such, pressure can provide a new route to systematically modify the sorption behavior and other functional properties of MOFs, a nontraditional form of postsynthetic modification. Importantly, pressure modification of MOFs is effective at lower pressures than in other porous materials (e.g., zeolites) and, ...
The Cultural Production of the Educated Person: Critical Ethnographies of Schooling and Local Practice

The Cultural Production of the Educated Person: Critical Ethnographies of Schooling and Local Practice. Bradley A. Levinson. Douglas E. Foley. and Dorothy C. Holland. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996. xiv. 338 pp., notes, references, contributors, index.
Formaldehyde emissions from ventilation filters under different relative humidity conditions.

Formaldehyde emissions from fiberglass and polyester filters used in building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems were measured in bench-scale tests using 10 and 17 cm2 coupon...
Environmental patchiness, litter decomposition and associated faunal patterns in a Spartina alterniflora marsh

Abstract Spartina alterniflora leaf litter bundles were placed in a North Carolina salt marsh to study the effects of environmental heterogeneity on decomposition and animal colonization. Sediment type (mud vs. sand), tidal inundation zone (near bay, mid-marsh and upper marsh) and Spartina growth form (tall vs. short) were studied. Tidal zone had the greatest effect on decomposition rate. The main effects of sediment type and growth form were not significant. All treatments affected animal distribution patterns in the leaf bundles. Nearly all common taxa were more common on mud than sand. Most taxa showed a strong association with one tidal zone. Half of the taxa were associated with one of the Spartina growth forms. Many interactions among the treatments were also significant. This study demonstrates the significance of environmental heterogeneity in a Spartina marsh both for litter decomposition and animal distributions.
The impact of structural adjustment on government spending and debt in Latin America

In theory, the policies associated with adjustment and stabilization (AS) in Latin America were designed to contain wasteful government spending, enhance economic efficiency, and forestall recurrent debt and liquidity crises. In practice, AS succeeded in shrinking the size of government, but regional debt rose and debt servicing remained historically high. Government spending on physical infrastructure and subsidies fell sharply, while military spending in much of the region escalated. The changing magnitude and relative pattern of government expenditures corresponded with slower economic growth, higher unemployment, and continued liquidity crises.
Some Studies Concerning Rotating Axes and Polyatomic Molecules

The theory of small vibrations when the potential energy is invariant under the rotation-displacement group is developed. The results are compared with the Brester-Wigner theory of the normal coordinates, and it is shown that the use of these coordinates implies the use of a particular (normal) system of rotating axes whose construction is given. It is shown that when the motion of a normal molecule is referred to these axes, those terms of the Hamiltonian which are linear in the angular momenta will be especially small and of the same order of magnitude as the quadratic terms (Casimir's condition). When the amplitude of one or more of the normal vibrations becomes large, this is no longer true of the normal axes; this will always be the case when one of the normal frequencies is small compared to the others, as has been noted by other writers. The normal axes are not the principal axes of inertia of the instantaneous configuration of the system, and certain conclusions recently published by the author are wrong for that reason.
Validation of the STOP-BANG Questionnaire among Patients Referred for Suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Validation of the STOPBANG Questionnaire among Patients Referred for Suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnea Background: The STOP-BANG is a simple obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) screening tool, part questionnaire (STOP) and part demographic or physical measures (BANG), developed for use in preoperative surgical clinics. This study assessed sensitivity and specificity of the instrument among patients referred to a sleep disorders laboratory, and also its performance characteristics when BANG physical measures are patient-reported rather than measured. Methods: Adults referred for diagnostic polysomnography completed the STOP questions and answered four yes/no questions (BANG self-reported) about their body mass index (weight and height), age, neck circumference, and gender, which were also assessed by laboratory technologists (BANG-measured).
State of the art management in spine oncology: a worldwide perspective on its evolution, current state, and future.

Study Design. A review of the past and current status of the evolving field of spine oncology. Objective. To provide a framework of reference for developments in the field, particularly the rapidly evolving field of molecular biology, as well as contemporary practice in the management of spine tumors. Methods. Literature review of the surgical treatment of spine tumors in the past and present, the emerging radiologic and biologic technologies, as well as the field of targeted therapy in cancer and the economic implications of technological advances. Results. A vast contemporary literature is currently available that provides a clear rational basis for treatment. Most treatment recommendations are currently based on retrospective data and small Phase II prospective studies. Treatment paradigms continue to evolve without their relative merits being evaluated by randomized controlled trials. The current lack of randomized trials in spine oncology reflect both the rarity of spine tumors and strongly held biases based on retrospective studies and institutional bias. Conclusion. Spine oncology is a rapidly evolving field with contributions in surgery, radiation therapy, and targeted chemotherapy resulting in overall improvement in quality of life and survival in patients with spine tumors. However, the economic consequences of these improvements are substantial and need to be kept in proper perspective.
Natural convection in an inclined enclosure containing internal energy sources and cooled from below

Abstract Natural convection in an inclined enclosure from below and containing internally heated fluid has been investigated using a finite difference calculation procedure. Results have been obtained for Rayleigh number values up to 106 and for inclination angles of 30 and 60°. For internal Rayleigh numbers that are much larger than the external Rayleigh number, the flow rises in the interior and moves down both the hot and cold walls. On the other hand, if the external Rayleigh number has a larger magnitude, the flow moves upwards along the hot surface and downwards along the cold surface. For the latter situation, the inner core is multicellular in nature at large external Rayleigh numbers. The average heat flux ratio along the cold surface (convective heat flux/corresponding conduction heat flux) increases with increasing external Rayleigh number and decreasing internal ratio is non-monotonic in nature. The heat flux ratio along both surfaces is observed to be strongly dependent on the inclination angle at high external Rayleigh numbers. A maximum in the local heat flux along the cold surface is obtained in the vicinity of x/L = 1 where hot fluid, either from the interior or directly from the opposite hot wall, meets the surface. Along the hot wall, a maximum in the heat flux ra flo
Ventricular Adrenomedullin Levels Correlate With the Extent of Cardiac Hypertrophy in Rats

We investigated the pathophysiological significance of adrenomedullin (AM) in the development of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). LVH was produced by aortic banding (AB) in rats. The left ventricular weight/body weight (LV/BW) ratio, ventricular AM peptide and mRNA levels, and hemodynamics were measured at 1, 3, 7, and 21 days after the operation. Both LV/BW ratio and ventricular AM levels showed a significant increase from 1 day after the operation in the AB rats versus the sham-operated rats. Both increased in a time-dependent manner. The ventricular AM levels correlated with the LV/BW ratio (r=0.76, P<0.01). The AM mRNA levels were highly expressed at 1 day after the operation in the AB rats but showed no difference from 3 to 21 days after the operation between the AB and sham groups. The plasma AM levels showed a peak at 1 day after the operation in both groups. Then, we treated AB rats with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (quinapril) in 2 doses (1 and 10 mg. kg-1. d-1) for 21 days. The quinapril treatment attenuated similarly both the LV/BW ratio and the ventricular AM levels. We also assessed the effects of AM and hydralazine administration for 7 days on the LV/BW ratio and hemodynamics of AB rats. Both AM and hydralazine administration reduced the blood pressure by approximately 10% compared with the nontreated AB rats, but a reduction of the LV/BW ratio was observed only in the AM-treated group (P<0.05). These results suggest that ventricular AM levels are elevated by chronic pressure overload in a time-dependent manner concomitant with the extent of LVH and that AM may play a pathophysiological role in the development of LVH in chronic pressure overload.
A Call to Arms: The Cytokine Selection Service

The process by which naive T helper (T H ) cells differentiate into the T H 1 and T H 2 subtypes has been well studied. However, there remain some unresolved issues pertaining to the requirements for the initial step of T H cell differentiation. Much debate exists about whether the roles of cytokines include the forcing of the initial steps of differentiation on naive T H cells, termed "instruction," or whether cytokines act in a supportive role, termed "selection," whereby newly differentiating T H cells are given the proper signals for survival and proliferation. A recent paper by Mullen et al ., which helps delineate the role of cytokines in T H 1 cell development, is addressed by Nelson; it appears that cytokines act in the selection stage of T H cell maturation.
Half-sib seed source and nursery sowing density affect black walnut (Juglans nigra) growth after 5 years

The effect of seed source (half-sib family) and nursery bed density on the nursery stock quality and subsequent growth of black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) was investigated. Nine black walnut female genitors were selected to represent a range of phenotypes. Seeds were collected, cleaned, cold-treated, and pre-sprouted to ensure that germination was uniform and complete. The pre-sprouted seeds were planted in a randomized complete block design into standard nursery beds in Indiana, USA at three sowing densities, (11.2 plants m−2; 24.2 plants m−2; 29.4 plants m−2). After lifting, the trees were measured for height, ground-line diameter and root volume and then planted into a plantation in a randomized complete block design and re-measured after 1 and 5 years of growth. One year after planting, the effects of family (half-sib seed source) and density were significant or very highly significant for seedling height, and ground-line diameter, although family effects were greater than those for density, especially at moderate and high nursery bed density. After 5 years of growth, the same effects contributed significantly to ground-line diameter and dbh, but only family significantly influenced height. Family was more important than nursery bed density in determining the size of the trees after 5 years. Although there were no significant family × density interactions after 5 years, family variance for all the traits was considerably higher among seedlings grown at moderate and high density in the nursery. Phenotypic correlations among traits within and among years were generally very high (0.65 < r < 0.90) and insensitive to planting density in the nursery.
Viral load monitoring in transplant recipients

Stevens et al (page [1165][1]) provide further evidence linking a high-circulating Epstein Barr viral load with the development of posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). Several prior reports have identified increased EBV load, as determined in blood lymphocytes, serum, or liver
Fertility, prolificacy and milk production in Çukurova and Taurus dairy goats under subtropical conditions in Turkey

Abstract Fertility, prolificacy and milk production of two recently developed synthetic dairy goats (Cukurova and Taurus) were compared under subtropical conditions. Cukurova, introduced in the low-lands, are based on Kilis goats. Taurus in the highlands and mountainous area, are based on Kilgoats. Cukurova (69) showed slightly better reproductive performance than Taurus (86). Twinning rate and litter size at birth were 61.0, 63.1% and 1.61, 1.63 for 3-yr-old Taurus and Cukurova goats, respectively. Mean corrected milk yields (corrected for year) of Taurus and Cukurova goats were 376 ± 13.9 and 352 ± 14.8 kg, respectively ( P > 0.05). Taurus goats had longer lactation periods than Cukurova. It was concluded that the improved synthetic dairy goats, Taurus and Cukurova, gave satisfactory performances in milk yield, fertility and survival rate of weaning under subtropical climate conditions in the Cukurova region.
Structure of the active core of human stem cell factor and analysis of binding to its receptor kit.

Stem cell factor (SCF) is an early-acting hematopoietic cytokine that elicits multiple biological effects. SCF is dimeric and occurs in soluble and membrane-bound forms. It transduces signals by ligand- mediated dimerization of its receptor, Kit, which is a receptor tyrosine kinase related to the receptors for platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), macrophage colony-stimulating factor, Flt-3 ligand and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). All of these have extracellular ligand-binding portions composed of immunoglobulin-like repeats. We have determined the crystal structure of selenomethionyl soluble human SCF at 2.2 Å resolution by multiwavelength anomalous diffraction phasing. SCF has the characteristic helical cytokine topology, but the structure is unique apart from core portions. The SCF dimer has a symmetric ‘head-to-head’ association. Using various prior observations, we have located potential Kit-binding sites on the SCF dimer. A superimposition of this dimer onto VEGF in its complex with the receptor Flt-1 places the binding sites on SCF in positions of topographical and electrostatic complementarity with the Kit counterparts of Flt-1, and a similar model can be made for the complex of PDGF with its receptor.
Fertilization and early embryology: Development of in-vitro-fertilized primate embryos into blastocysts in a chemically defined, protein-free culture medium

The formulation of chemically defined culture media that support primate embryo development would facilitate studies on primate preimplantation embryogenesis. The specific aims of this study were (i) to evaluate the development of the macaque embryos in a simple, chemically defined, protein-free medium developed for a rodent embryo model, and (ii) to determine if a two-step progressive culture system could enhance blastocyst development and zona escape. In experiment 1, in-vitro-fertilized pronucleate-stage embryos (n = 81) from nine monkeys were randomly allocated to one of three treatments: (a) hamster embryo culture medium-6 (HECM-6; chemically defined, protein-free medium), (b) CMRL-BCS medium (modified CMRL-1066 medium containing 20% bovine calf serum; BCS), and (c) a two-step culture procedure (HECM-6 through to the 8- to 12-cell stage, and CMRL-BCS medium beyond that stage). Optimal development was attained equally (P > or = 0.05) with embryos cultured in CMRL-BCS medium or the two-step procedure (48 and 61%), but not to the blastocysts respectively). HECM-6 alone supported development to the morula stage (72%) equally as well as CMRL-BCS medium (80%) or the two-step procedure (69%), but not to the blastocyst stage (22 versus 48 and 61% respectively). Hatching of the blastocysts was essentially limited to the serum-containing media (CMRL-BCS medium, 31%; two-step procedure, 44%). In experiment 2, in-vitro-fertilized pronucleate-stage embryos (n = 87) from nine monkeys were randomly placed in each of four two-step treatments: (a) HECM-6 through to the 8- to 12-cell stage and CMRL-BCS medium beyond that stage, (b) HECM-6 through the 8- to 12-cell stage and HECM-6-BCS beyond that stage, (c) HECM-6 through to the morula stage and CMRL-BCS medium beyond that stage, and (d) HECM-6 through to the morula stage and HECM-6-BCS beyond that stage. Greater (P < or = 0.05) percentages of embryos developed into blastocysts, expanded blastocysts and hatched blastocysts when switched at the 8- to 12-cell versus the morula stage in the second step medium. When transferred into BCS-containing medium at either the 8- to 12-cell or morula stage, embryos underwent blastulation and expansion equally well in CMRL-BCS medium versus HECM-6-BCS. However, when embryos were switched to the second step medium at the 8- to 12-cell stage, hatched blastocysts were obtained more (P < or = 0.05) frequently in CMRL-BCS medium (50.9%) than in HECM-6-BCS (37%). This work is the first to produce in-vitro-fertilized primate blastocysts cultured from the pronucleate stage in chemically defined, protein-free medium, and demonstrates that while primate embryos can form morulae in such a medium, their requirements for blastocoel formation and zona escape appear to be more demanding, and may be acquired as early as the 8-cell stage.