cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ACT on RE+FLEX: Accelerating Coal Transition Through Repurposing Coal Plants Into Renewable and Flexibility Centers

Decarbonizing the power sector forms a critical part of the global combat against climate change. This requires inter alia retirement of the global coal power plant fleet of 2,100 GW. Although a significant part of this capacity is aging, there are complex issues that need to be addressed including the economic viability of existing coal plants in some countries relative to renewable projects and barriers to exit of coal. We have used detailed power plant level operational cost data for ten developing countries with significant share of coal and compared these with levelized cost of renewables, to demonstrate that competitiveness of coal varies significantly across different geographies. Countries like India where renewable projects have been highly competitive and there is an aging fleet of coal plants many of which are far away from mines, are already highly uncompetitive. On the other hand, countries like South Africa that have relatively inexpensive coal plants, but the average cost of renewable projects have not yet dropped sufficiently (as of 2020), will require special efforts to phase out coal completely beyond plants that have reached, or gone well past their technical life. Accelerated retirement of coal would require a new business model that allows repurposing some of these sites for alternative usage including generation from renewables, conversion of the incumbent generator into a synchronous condenser coupled with a fly wheel to provide reactive power and inertia; and installation of energy storage systems. As a repurposed coal plant for energy related activities can retain part of the workforce, it can also address some of the complex social issues. In order to develop a comprehensive repurposing program at a national level, the process needs to follow a least-cost planning methodology to identify prospective coal plant candidates for repurposing and then undertake a cost-benefit analysis of individual projects. We have demonstrated this methodology using a case study for Morocco.
Occurrence and distribution of microbial pollutants in coastal areas of the Adriatic Sea influenced by river discharge.

Abstract The transport of a variety of pollutants from agricultural, industrial and urbanised areas makes rivers major contributors to the contamination of coastal marine environments. Too little is known of their role in carrying pathogens to the coast. We used DNA-based metabarcoding data to describe the microbial community composition in seawater and sediment collected in front of the estuary of the Tronto, the Chienti and the Esino, three Italian rivers with different pollution levels that empty into the north-central Adriatic Sea, and to detect and measure within these communities the relative abundance of microbial pollutants, including traditional faecal indicators and alternative faecal and sewage-associated pollutants. We then applied the FORENSIC algorithm to distinguish human from non-human sources of microbial pollution and FAPROTAX to map prokaryotic clades to established metabolic or other ecologically relevant functions. Finally, we searched the dataset for other common pathogenic taxa. Seawater and sediment contained numerous potentially pathogenic bacteria, mainly faecal and sewage-associated. The samples collected in front of the Tronto estuary showed the highest level of contamination, likely sewage-associated. The pathogenic signature showed a weak but positive correlation with some nutrients and strong correlations with some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This study confirms that rivers transport pathogenic bacteria to the coastal sea and highlights the value of expanding the use of HTS data, source tracking and functional identification tools to detect microbial pollutants and identify their sources with a view to gaining a better understanding of the pathways of sewage-associated discharges to the sea.
Lipids and Lipid Derivatives for RNA Delivery

RNA-based therapeutics have shown great promise in treating a broad spectrum of diseases through various mechanisms including knockdown of pathological genes, expression of therapeutic proteins, and programmed gene editing. Due to the inherent instability and negative-charges of RNA molecules, RNA-based therapeutics can make the most use of delivery systems to overcome biological barriers and to release the RNA payload into the cytosol. Among different types of delivery systems, lipid-based RNA delivery systems, particularly lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), have been extensively studied due to their unique properties, such as simple chemical synthesis of lipid components, scalable manufacturing processes of LNPs, and wide packaging capability. LNPs represent the most widely used delivery systems for RNA-based therapeutics, as evidenced by the clinical approvals of three LNP-RNA formulations, patisiran, BNT162b2, and mRNA-1273. This review covers recent advances of lipids, lipid derivatives, and lipid-derived macromolecules used in RNA delivery over the past several decades. We focus mainly on their chemical structures, synthetic routes, characterization, formulation methods, and structure-activity relationships. We also briefly describe the current status of representative preclinical studies and clinical trials and highlight future opportunities and challenges.
Contemporary Events: 1939–1952

Awealth of new concepts, discoveries, and techniques emerged in this period. Here I will note briefly some that were (or soon became) relevant to further investigations of membrane transport and cellular energetics.
A Stopping Algorithm for Mechanical Systems

Analysis and control of underactuated mechanical systems in the nonzero velocity setting remains a challenging problem. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of a recently developed alternative representation of the equations of motion for this large class of nonlinear control systems. The alternative representation gives rise to an intrinisic symmetric form. The generalized eigenvalues and eigenvectors associated with the symmetric form are used to determine control inputs that will drive a class of mechanical systems underactuated by one control to rest from an arbitrary initial configuration and velocity. Finally, we illustrate the stopping algorithm by presenting numerical simulation results for the planar rigid body, snakeboard and planar rollerblader.
Geochemical and petrographic evidence for adze production at Pu'u Pāpa'i, East Moloka'i, Hawai'i

Abstract An unusually long and flat adze found in the ocean off O'ahu Hawai'i has distinctive micro-texture, including apatite microphenocrysts, and unusual chemical composition with ~ 2.5 wt.% P 2 O 5 . The 37-cm-long adze is among the largest in the Bishop Museum collection and has a relatively flat, un-tanged morphology reminiscent of ancient adzes from the Marquesas Islands. However, the petrologic characteristics of the adze match exactly those of a lava flow erupted from Pu'u Pāpa'i on the Hawaiian island of Moloka'i, including microtexture, whole-rock composition and the chemistry of included apatite crystals. These data indicate that the adze and the Pu'u Pāpa'i lava are indistinguishable, strongly suggesting the presence of a previously unrecognized adze quarry on East Moloka'i. New field investigations revealed working areas on Pu'u Pāpa'i, consisting of large flakes and cores showing evidence of percussion. Although our data strongly support the hypothesis that this unusual adze was fabricated on Moloka'i, they do not explain why the adze has a nearly unique morphology for Hawaiian adzes, nor its age. This study uses a novel approach to determining the adze source, utilizing distinctive petrography, major element composition and mineral chemistry to indicate a previously unknown adze source in the Hawaiian Islands.
Regulation of Mitosis III. Cytological Effects of 2,4,5-Trichloro-Phenoxyacetic Acid and of Dioxin Contaminants in 2,4,5-T Formulations

The conclusion of earlier studies that the pronounced cytological effects of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) formulations are actually due to 2,4,5-T is unwarranted. Inhibition of mitosis and the development of cytological abnormalities are caused by a contaminant, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin. The appearance and behaviour of dividing endosperm cells of the African blood lily ( Haemanthus katherinae Baker) subjected to a 10 -4 M solution of highly purified 2,4,5-T, observed in vitro by phase-contrast microscopy for a 2-h treatment period, did not differ significantly from controls. Subjecting these cells to 0.2 or 1.0 µg/l. dioxin, to 0.2 µg/l. dioxin plus 10 -4 M 2,4,5-T (highly purified sample), or to 10 -4 M 2,4,5-T containing dioxin as a contaminant caused a dramatic inhibition of mitosis. These preparations also induced formation of dicentric bridges, chromatin fusion with formation of multinuclei or a single large nucleus. Impairment of the functioning of the mitotic apparatus was evident; chromosomes ‘floated free’ in the cytoplasm. Both quantitative and qualitative data substantiate these conclusions. In view of the extreme toxicity of dioxins to man, of their demonstrated teratogenic effects in some animals under experimental conditions, of their effectiveness in producing cytological effects in dividing cells formerly ascribed to 2,4,5-T of their presence as contaminants in 2,4,5-T, pentachlorophenol, and other polychlorophenols, and of the potential for widespread contamination of the environment with dioxins, investigation of all facets of this class of compounds should be given high priority. It is quite possible that contamination of the environment with dioxins from sources of polychlorophenols is far greater than that contributed by 2,4,5-T. Amplification of dioxin levels in food chains is, of course, of particular concern.
Effect of dietary raw soybean and soybean trypsin inhibitor on trypsin and chymotrypsin activities in the pancreas and in small intestinal juice of growing swine

Sixty-eight growing gilts with a 12 kg average initial weight were used in seven trials to study the effect of dietary raw soybean (Harosov) and SBTI (Kunitz soybean trypsin inhibitor) on pancreatic and small intestinal trypsin and chymotrypsin activities. A solvent-extracted, heated soybean meal (SBM) was used, cause reduced growth. Both a single-meal and continuous feeding of the raw soybean diet caused a decrease in the pancreatic trypsin and chymotrypsin activities. In contrast, to the rat and the chick, the pancreas of the pigs did not enlarge subsequent to consumption of the raw soybean or SBTI diets. Raw soybean feeding also resulted in an inhibition of the intestinal trypsin and chymotrypsin activities. This inhibiting effect was greater than that of the SBTI, especially the chymotrypsin-inhibiting effect. This suggested that soybean constituents other than the SBTI, such as the Bowman-Birk inhibitor, caused inhibition. In the pig the inhibition of the intestinal proteolysis may be a major cause of reduced growth when raw soybean is fed.
Mitochondrial DNA structure and expression in specialized subtypes of mammalian striated muscle

Mitochondrial DNA (mt DNA) in cells of vertebrate organisms can assume an unusual triplex DNA structure known as the displacement loop (D loop). This triplex DNA structure forms when a partially replicated heavy strand of mtDNA (7S mtDNA) remains annealed to the light strand, displacing the native heavy strand in this region. The D-loop region contains the promoters for both heavy- and light-strand transcription as well as the origin of heavy-strand replication. However, the distribution of triplex and duplex forms of mtDNA in relation to respiratory activity of mammalian tissues has not been systematically characterized, and the functional significance of the D-loop structure is unknown. In comparisons of specialized muscle subtypes within the same species and of the same muscle subtype in different species, the relative proportion of D-loop versus duplex forms of mtDNA in striated muscle tissues of several mammalian species demonstrated marked variation, ranging from 1% in glycolytic fast skeletal fibers of the rabbit to 65% in the mouse heart. There was a consistent and direct correlation between the ratio of triplex to duplex forms of mtDNA and the capacity of these tissues for oxidative metabolism. The proportion of D-loop forms likewise correlated directly with mtDNA copy number, mtRNA abundance, and the specific activity of the mtDNA (gamma) polymerase. The D-loop form of mtDNA does not appear to be transcribed at greater efficiency than the duplex form, since the ratio of mtDNA copy number to mtRNA was unrelated to the proportion of triplex mtDNA genomes. However, tissues with a preponderance of D-loop forms tended to express greater levels of cytochrome b mRNA relative to mitochondrial rRNA transcripts, suggesting that the triplex structure may be associated with variations in partial versus full-length transcription of the heavy strand.
Explorations in Neuroscience, Psychology and Religion

Kevin S Seybold. (2007). Burlington, VT: Ashgate. 174 pp., $99.95 (hardcover). In his book, Explorations in Neuroscience, Psychology and Religion, Kevin Seybold undertakes a bold attempt to summari...
The effect of temporal gap identification on speech perception by users of cochlear implants.

Purpose This study examined the ability of listeners using cochlear implants (CIs) and listeners with normal hearing (NH) to identify silent gaps of different duration and the relation of this abil...
The Hunter's Game: Poachers and Conservationists in Twentieth-Century America

This provocative book takes a new look at the angry struggles between American conservationists and local hunters since the rise of wildlife conservation at the end of the 1800s. From Italian immigrants in Pennsylvania, to rural settlers and Indians in New Mexico, to Blackfeet in Montana, local hunters' traditions of using wildlife have clashed with conservationist ideas of "proper" hunting for over a century. Louis Warren contends that these conflicts arose from deep social divisions and that the bitter history of conservation offers a new narrative for the history of the American West. At the heart of western-and American-history, Warren argues, is the transformation of many local resources, like wildlife, into "public goods," or "national commons." The Hunter's Game reveals that early wildlife conservation was driven not by heroic idealism, but by the interests of recreational hunters and the tourist industry. As American wildlife populations declined at the end of the nineteenth century, elite, urban sportsmen began to lobby for game laws that would restrict the customary hunting practices of immigrants, Indians, and other local hunters. Not surprisingly, poor subsistence and market hunters resisted, sometimes violently. Dramatic shifts in deer and elk populations-the result of complex environmental dynamics-further complicated the struggles. Warren concludes that the history of wildlife conservation sheds much light on the tensions between local and national priorities that pervade twentieth-century American culture.
AMS carbon-14 dating of ice: progress and future prospects

Abstract The “sublimation technique” for the recovery of carbon dioxide from ice samples and the conversion of the recovered carbon dioxide into graphite for AMS dating will be described, together with its use in some applications. The technique involves placing the ice sample in a carefully degassed glass vacuum system, “cleaning” the ice by removing the outer few millimeters by sublimation, then subliming the ice completely using infrared lamps as an energy source. The gases evolved from the subliming ice first pass through a trap at − 80°C to remove water. The remaining gases pass through a trap immersed in liquid nitrogen where the carbon dioxide is recovered. The gases which pass the liquid nitrogen trap are trapped on molecular sieve held at liquid nitrogen temperatures. In our apparatus we can sublime a 3 kg sample of ice core in 18 hours. We measure the quantity of water sublimed, the amount of air and carbon dioxide recovered and the 14 C content of the carbon dioxide. From these data we can calculate the altitude of the ice sheet and the CO 2 concentration of the atmosphere at the time given by our 14 C date. We have run ice samples as small as 1 kg in the “bomb pulse” zone where the activity is high and the spatial resolution in the ice core is of concern. The future prospects for the technique look promising and we ultimately hope to be able to date polar ice cores back in time as far as is achieved by AMS dating of more conventional materials.
Evaluation of microwave irradiation technique to quantitate acetylcholine in the diaphragm

Abstract This report evaluates rapid enzyme inactivation prior to acetylcholine quantitation in the diaphragm. Methods of sacrifice were decapitation and microwave irradiation. Six-hundred millisecond exposure to microwave irradiation was sufficient to raise diaphragmatic temperature to 91°C and inactivated 90% of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme. The acetylcholine content of the diaphragm was found to be 3.0 nmol/g, independent of the method of sacrifie. The postmortem changes observed in brain acetylcholine content following decapitation did not occur in the diaphragm.
Predicting the amount of ethanol consumed per bout from schedule of access to ethanol

The present paper suggests that the difficulty in inducing animals to orally self-administer quantities of ethanol sufficient to produce dependence is related to the schedule of ethanol access. If the variables that control the various patterns of ethanol consumption can be identified, then the patterns of ethanol consumption leading to excessive intake and the development of dependence will be able to be identified and generated experimentally. Evidence is presented which shows that the amount of ethanol consumed per bout, the daily frequency of ethanol bouts, as well as the total amount of ethanol consumed, is a function of the frequency of ethanol access periods, feeding condition, ethanol concentration, and the temporal proximity of ethanol access periods.
Mogamulizumab: 2 birds, 1 stone

In this issue of Blood, Duvic et al demonstrate that mogamulizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the chemokine receptor CCR4, is well tolerated and has significant clinical activity (overall response rate 36.8%, median duration of response 10.4 months) in heavily pretreated patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sezary syndrome (SS).
Scale Invariance of the Stress Production Mechanism in Polymeric Systems

Stress production in a model monodisperse polymeric material is investigated on multiple scales. The analysis is performed by means of equilibrium and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics. A family of mobile intrinsic coordinate systems is introduced, each system having one axis tied to the end-to-end vector of a generic chain segment of specified length. A similar mobile coordinate system tied to the large semiaxis of the ellipsoidal chains is defined on the chain scale. The atomic level stress is evaluated based on bonded and nonbonded interatomic interactions and averaged in the global coordinate system, to result in the global, system level stress, and in the various intrinsic systems, to result in intrinsic stresses. It is observed that the deviatoric intrinsic stress is scale independent, a bond, a chain segment, and the chain scale intrinsic frame carrying the same stress. The hydrostatic component of the stress tensor scales with the segment length. This concept extends the previously introduced intrinsic stress framework, scale linking the bond and chain scales. During melt deformation, the chain segments stretch and rotate. Chains shorter than the entanglement length mainly rotate during an elongational deformation of limited amplitude, their size remaining essentially constant. Longer chains distort and rotate. Two regimes are evidenced during the return to isotropy of the orientation on multiple scales. The faster mode is associated with the return to equilibrium of the internal structure of the generic chain, while the slower mode is associated with chain rotation in the global coordinate system. The intrinsic deviatoric stress carried by a chain changes during the first mode, and is essentially constant during the second. The physical picture of stress production defined on the scale of a bond (Kuhn segment) in the intrinsic stress framework translates to the chain scale during this late relaxation regime: each rotating chain carries a constant deviatoric intrinsic stress, the preferential chain orientation leading to a nonzero global deviatoric stress.
Modeling participatory learning as a control mechanism

We discuss the participatory learning model originally introduced by Yager [IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern.SMC-20, 1229–1234 (1990)]. We analyze the learning mechanism as a stable control strategy. We show how the learning mechanism used in participatory learning can be expressed in the form of a fuzzy rule base. We use this rule base formulation to provide new learning rules. We modify the Widrow-Hoff rule to include a participatory learning mechanism. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Characterizations of Gabor-Gram matrices and efficient computations of discrete Gabor coefficients

The motivation of this paper is to give a direct way for determining the crucial Gabor coefficients. Based on the characterized Gabor-Gram matrix structures, we are able to propose fast and direct computational algorithms. We derive also a new way for dual Gabor atoms.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Image as investigation: sciences of the otherworldly at the Bauhaus

While modern architecture and design have often been seen as harsh and impersonal, this essay reassesses this association through a closer look at the influence of mysticism and the occult on the Bauhaus, an interwar German reform movement and school for art, craft, design, and architecture. Even as they developed their famous streamlined designs, members of the school also produced images based on alternative religions, spiritism, and other experimental and occult practices. Such images participated in a broader context of research into the otherworldly and a rediscovery of nature and the environment. Reintegrating this other history into what we know of the Bauhaus allows us to understand modernism anew, not as cold and soulless but as part of larger attempts to perceive and shape a new world that was quickly unfolding around its subjects.
Maternity and the ideology of sexual difference in the Handmaid's tale

(1995). Maternity and the ideology of sexual difference in the Handmaid's tale. Lit: Literature Interpretation Theory: Vol. 6, Margaret Atwood, pp. 233-256.
The timing of spontaneous closure of the ductus arteriosus in infants with respiratory distress syndrome.

Abstract Previous studies evaluating the incidence of patent ductus arteriosus have not made a distinction between physiologic ductal patency and abnormally persistent ductus arteriosus. However, it has recently been shown that healthy premature infants without respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) undergo spontaneous closure of the ductus arteriosus in the first 4 days of life at times comparable to full-term infants. Thus, ductal patency within this time frame would appear to be physiologic. Although sick premature infants are well recognized to be at risk for ductal shunting, the purpose of this investigation was to evaluate systematically the actual impact that RDS has on duration of ductal shunting by assessing the timing of spontaneous functional closure. The presence of ductal shunting was evaluated using echocardiographic color flow Doppler techniques. Thirty-six premature infants (30 to 37 weeks gestational age) were evaluated. By the fourth day of life, only 4 of 36 (11.1%) of the infants continued to have evidence of ductal patency. The remainder of the infants underwent spontaneous functional closure of the ductus arteriosus at times comparable to healthy infants without RDS. For most infants ≥30 weeks gestation, uncomplicated RDS does not alter the usual timing of functional ductal closure.
Learning how to learn schemata.

Ss, reproducing from memory patterns which had a schema, performed better when pretrained with patterns having other schemata than when pretrained with patterns having no schema. Performance also improved within each block of patterns having the same schema. Neither type of improvement was contingent on knowledge of results.
Gravity-gradient stabilization of gyrostat satellites with rotor axes in principal planes

Three special classes of equilibrium orientations of gyrostat satellites subject to gravitational torques have been treated in the literature. Here we find the set of all equilibria for a restricted class of gyrostat configurations. Those configurations for which the internal angular momentum vector (or the rotor axis) is aligned with a principal axis have been treated in a separate work, where it is shown that at one, and only one, rotor speed there exists a continuum of equilibrium orientations. When the rotor axis is moved away from a principal axis in such a way that it is contained in a plane formed by two principal axes, it is shown that the continuum disappears, and we have a new set of eight equilibrium orientations which have not previously been described. The stability of these orientations is then investigated using the Hamiltonian as a Liapunov testing function. For properly chosen satellite inertia ratios some of these orientations are stable, and might be used in future gravitygradient stabilized satellites.
Conversational skills for autistic adolescents: Teaching assertiveness in naturalistic game settings

A naturalistic social skills training program was used to teach assertive responses to three autistic adolescents. Training and assessment of positive and negative assertions occurred in the context of two game situations—a card game and a ball game. Training consisted of modeling and behavioral rehearsal prior to each game, with tokens delivered contingent on assertive responses. Evaluation of training effects was accomplished in a multiple baseline across response classes. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the procedure in generating high levels of positive and negative assertions that maintained across a 4.5-month follow-up interval. This in vivo procedure for teaching social behaviors permits the concurrent acquisition of assertive responses and leisure behaviors, two skills that are of special importance in improving the quality of autistic youth's experiences with their peers.
Outlook 2020: Results from a Real-Time Delphi Survey of Global Pentecostal Leaders

Abstract In the fall of 2011 a Real-time Delphi survey was conducted with members of Empowered21, entitled: “Outlook 2020: The future of Spirit-empowered Christianity.” The survey consisted of thirteen projections for the year 2020, ranging from positive statements, such as “The church will experience a fresh, historic outpouring of the Holy Spirit,” to negative ones, such as “There will be an increase of public moral failures among Spirit-empowered leaders.” Of the 132 members invited, 29 percent, or 38 participants completed the survey. Participants reached a consensus on eight of thirteen projections. The results show that Empowered21 leaders have high expectations for 2020 — that the church would experience a historic outpouring of the Holy Spirit, sustained by new leadership. Yet, this would be accompanied by an increasing divide between how emerging and established generations express their Spirit-empowered faith.
Analysis of biomedical polymer surfaces: polyurethanes and plasma-deposited thin films.

Abstract The surface characterization of biomaterials is important for understanding the biological reactivity of surfaces and for monitoring surface reproducibility and contamination. Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), contact-angle methods, vibrational spectroscopic methods, and scanning probe microscopies are briefly reviewed. Examples are presented using these methods to characterize RF plasma-deposited surfaces based upon acetone and oxygen for cell culture and BiomerTM surfaces.
An improved assay for nanomole amounts of inorganic phosphate

A calorimetric assay for the determination of nanomole amounts of inorganic phosphate is described. The procedure combines a very high molar extinction with color stability and insensitivity to newly released phosphate from labile organophosphates. For studies on the energetics of active ion transport in various epithelial membrane systems, we needed a dependable ultramicromethod for the determination of inorganic phosphate. The most sensitive calorimetric method, that of Itaya and Ui (1) as modified by Hess and Derr (2), has some serious drawbacks: (a) the optical density of both the blank and the samples increase with time to an objectionable level, and more importantly (b) both ATP and ADP are hydrolyzed in the presence of the reagents. Both the highly acidic conditions and the catalytic effect of molybdate contribute to the hydrolysis of labile organophosphates and result in various phosphate levels being recorded according to the length of time allowed for color development (3,4). Since our laboratory started to measure ATPase activity routinely, we settled on our slight modification of the Baginski method of Pi determination (5). This method (through the use of a citratelarsenite mixture added immediately after the molybdate reagent) is relatively sensitive, color stable, and has the advantage of being insensitive to any newly released phosphate (e.g.,
Anatomy of Conflict: The Making and Unmaking of Affirmative Action at the University of California

California's land-grant institution provides an important window into the affirmative action debate not only because of the 1995 edict by the Board of Regents, and later the passage of Propostion 209, but also because of the demographic context of the university effort to diversify its student body. This article provides a historical analysis of how the University of California has approached the issue of educational opportunity over time, focusing largely on undergraduate admissions. The author argues that affirmative action, and specifically the use of race as a factor in admissions, is historically consistent with the larger effort by the University of California to admit students from a broad range of California society. Yet, the translation of broad and ill-defined policy goals into specific programs has posed substantial problems and paradoxes. The ad hoc and decentralized growth of affirmative action programs within a vast nine-campus UC system led to a disjuncture between the values of the university's Board of Regents and the academic and administrative community.
A preliminary analysis of health-related quality of life in the first year after permanent source interstitial brachytherapy (PIB) for clinically localized prostate cancer.

Abstract Purpose: To prospectively assess the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and changes in HRQOL during the first year after permanent source interstitial brachytherapy (PIB). Methods and Materials: Thirty-one men treated with PIB between September 1997 and March 1998 completed a quality of life (functional assessment of cancer therapy-prostate: FACT-P) and a urinary symptom questionnaire (international prostate symptom score: IPSS) prior to treatment (T0), 1 month (T1), 3 months (T3), 6 months (T6), and 12 months (T12) following PIB. All participants were treated with 125 I alone. Repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) were conducted on all quality of life and urinary outcome measures for all 31 patients at all time points. Results: The median age of the study population was 66 (range 51–80). All men had clinical T1c–T2b prostate cancer. The Gleason score was ≤ 6 in 27/31 (87%). Median pretreatment PSA was 7.8 ng/ml (range 1.1–20.6). The mean score (and standard deviation) at T0, T1, T3, T6, and T12 for the FACT-P questionnaire are as follows: 140.5 (13.5), 132.7 (15.3), 137.2 (17.4), 140.1 (16.0), and 142.4 (15.3). For the global test across time, statistically significant differences were observed for the cumulative scores of FACT-P ( p p Conclusion: The results of this preliminary analysis suggest that clinically meaningful decreases in HRQOL, as measured by the FACT-P instrument, are evident within weeks after PIB. By 3 months, however, FACT-P scores return to near baseline levels. A validated instrument designed to measure urinary symptoms (IPSS) demonstrates that moderate to severe urinary symptoms persist for at least 3–6 months following PIB. One year following PIB, the scores on the FACT-P and IPSS questionnaires had returned to baseline.
Relative pronouns in it -clefts: The last seven centuries

It has often been claimed that it -cleft complements differ syntactically from restrictive relative clauses. Alleged differences in the distribution and relative frequency of wh -forms in the two clause types are generally offered to support this view, but such claims have not been empirically verified. In this study, we examine synchronic and diachronic data for clefts and relative clauses and show that the major claims are unsupported. The diachronic data further show that cleft complements and restrictive relative clauses have changed together over time and at the same rate. On the constant rate hypothesis, the evidence supports the position that the two clause types are not syntactically distinct.
Ambrosia Fungi: A Taxonomic Revision, and Nutritional Studies of Some Species

(1967). Ambrosia Fungi: A Taxonomic Revision, and Nutritional Studies of Some Species. Mycologia: Vol. 59, No. 6, pp. 976-1017.
Pseudoaccommodation and progressive addition lenses.

Abstract The limitations of traditional multifocal lenses to replace normal ocular accommodation are well known. The recent development of progressive addition lenses circumvent many of those problems, furnishing smoothly varying power in desired amounts for various distances and allowing freedom from distracting lines. Optical characteristics, screening considerations, prescribing and fitting requirements, and the advantages and limitations of progressive addition lenses are discussed
Kinetic parameters of desulfuration and dearylation of parathion and chlorpyrifos by rat liver microsomes

Parathion and chlorpyrifos are phosphorothionate insecticides, but parathion is substantially more toxic than chlorpyrifos to rats, and both are more toxic to females than to males. A kinetic analysis of cytochrome P-450 mediated desulfuration (activation) and dearylation (detoxication) of the two insecticides indicated that rat hepatic microsomes have a higher capacity to activate and a lower capacity to detoxify parathion than chlorpyrifos; these capacities correspond to their acute toxicity levels. Greater capabilities of both activation and detoxication were found in males than in females for both insecticides, which is especially apparent by comparing the clearance terms (Vmax/Km). Since dearylation clearances, but not desulfuration clearances, correspond with the sex differences in toxicity levels of the two compounds, dearylation may be the more important factor in determining the acute toxicity level. An extrapolation of lethal dose levels of the two insecticides to concentrations that could be encountered in a severe intoxication indicated that activation of both insecticides could readily occur; however, the dearylation of chlorpyrifos, but not of parathion, would occur readily. This difference in the likelihood of dearylation could be an important contributor to the lower acute toxicity levels of chlorpyrifos.
Five-Year Review of Endometrial Ablation with the SideFire Laser Fiber

Abstract Study Objective . To determine 5-year results of endometrial ablation with the SideFire laser fiber. Design . All women seen in private office who were candidates for this, procedure were followed over 5 years (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). Setting . Patients were pretreated with depot leuprolide, acetate in a private office. All procedures were done in an outpatient surgery center, and no patient was admitted to the hospital. Patients . Eighty-six women with increased bleeding. Intervention . Endometrial ablation with the SideFire laser fiber. Measurements and Main Results . After follow-up of 12 to 72 months, 100% of patients had excellent results; 70 (82%) had total amenorrhea. Results were not less satisfactory in younger women. Conclusion . The SideFire laser fiber seems to be a good alternative that achieves improved outcomes compared with electrosurgery and balloon devices with hot fluid or electrodes.
Spectroscopic Studies of Pyridine-Containing Polyurethanes Blended with Metal Acetates

Natural-abundance 15N nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments show direct evidence for metal−pyridine interactions in blends of pyridine-containing polyurethanes and metal acetates. After blending with zinc acetate, the pyridine nitrogen peak shifts from −320 to −304 ppm; blending with magnesium acetate causes a shift to −309 ppm. Sodium acetate did not complex with the pyridine-containing polyurethanes; no shifts in the 13C NMR signal for the acetate carbonyl or in the 15N NMR for the pyridine nitrogen are apparent. Additionally, no interactions were evident for the urethane nitrogen site in any of the blends. Peak shifts, changes in cross-polarization dynamics, and increases in relaxation times were also apparent in the 13C NMR spectra of the metal acetate−polymer blends. Effects of blending on the hard-domain hydrogen bonding were evident in FTIR and 15N NMR contact-time experiments. The N−H stretching band shifted to higher wavenumbers and the 15N NMR N−H signal persisted to longer contact times ...
Entire posterior wall isolation in an unusual case of common ostium between the right inferior and left inferior pulmonary veins

A 47-year-old male patient was referred for pulmonary vein (PV) isolation. The pre-procedural cardiac computed tomography (CT) scan showed an unusual common ostium between the right inferior and left inferior PVs, on the mid-postero-inferior wall of the left …
Modeled and Observed Variations in Storm Divergence and Stratiform Rain Production in Southeastern Texas

AbstractStorm divergence profiles observed by an S-band Doppler radar are compared to ensemble simulations of 10 disparate precipitating systems occurring in warm-season, weakly baroclinic, and strongly baroclinic environments in southeastern Texas. Eight triply nested mesoscale model simulations are conducted for each case using single- and double-moment microphysics with four convective treatments (i.e., two convective parameterizations and explicit versus parameterized convection at 9 km). Observed and simulated radar reflectivities are objectively separated into convective, stratiform, and nonprecipitating anvil columns and comparisons are made between ensemble mean echo coverages and levels of nondivergence (LNDs). In both the model and observations, storms occurring in less baroclinic environments have more convective rain area, less stratiform rain area, and more elevated divergence profiles.The model ensemble and observations agree best for well-organized leading-line trailing-stratiform systems. ...
Estimation of Incident Delay and Its Uncertainty on Freeway Networks

Estimating incident-induced delay on freeways is important for measuring the impacts of incidents. Information regarding delay can be used for transportation planning or the assessment of traffic improvement projects. Traditional delay estimation methods cannot account for the stochastic attributes of dynamic traffic networks. Introducing the incident duration model and the reduced capacity model into the traditional deterministic queuing model allows researchers to understand better the stochastic characteristics of dynamic networks and to develop a new stochastic incident-induced delay model. The mean delay, the variance of delay, and the expected total delay are estimated on the basis of the proposed model. The analysis shows that the deterministic queuing model can estimate the mean delay as well as the stochastic delay model, but it seriously underestimates the variance of delay and the expected total delay in dynamic networks, which are found to be dominated by incident duration. In addition, depending on the parameter values in the probability distribution of incident duration and reduced capacity, the standard deviation of delay can be higher than the mean delay.
Still another failure of arousal theory : a critique of personality, situation and physiological arousability by G. Stemmler and E. Meinhardt

Abstract The study by Stemmler and Meinhardt is criticized for its use of multivariate statistics with a small sample size, the use of subjects of one gender, the interpretation of questionably significant results, the failure to counterbalance conditions thus confounding order effects and conditions, and the question of whether the procedures attenuated arousal thus preventing an adequate test of the theory. Actually the authors finally conclude that the data do not support the hypotheses based on Eysenck's theory, a conclusion reached in previous larger psychophysiological studies. Like others the authors seem to confuse stimulus intensity with arousal potential thus confounding the stimulus or situation with the subjects' reactions to it. While the authors expected to find differences between high and low N subjects in response to emotionally arousing situations, the data on anxiety neurotics would suggest that such differences would be found on measures of basal arousal. Impulsivity seems to be a dimension of personality more relevant to the arousal concept than either E or N.
Teaching for Historical Understanding in Inclusive Classrooms

Fifth-grade students with and without mild disabilities participated in an eight-week project-based, technology-supported investigation about the 19th century westward expansion in the United States. A narrative framework was used to organize and support students' understanding of the experiences of three emigrant groups. During their investigations, students analyzed primary and secondary sources to understand the experiences of these emigrants. The analysis of these sources was preceded by teacher-led discussions about the possibility of bias in evidence that affects the trustworthiness of historical documentation. Students designed a multimedia presentation about the experiences of one emigrant group and presented their work to their peers and parents. Quantitative analyses showed that these investigations were associated with gains in students' knowledge about the period of westward expansion, a better understanding of historical content and historical inquiry, and improvements in their self-efficacy ...
The mechanism of estrogen inhibition of comb growth in the cockerel, with histologic observations.

It has been established that androgens stimulate comb growth in the capon and in the young chick. It has also been shown that in the chick this striking growth response is due in large part to the deposition of considerable amounts of a mucinous intercellular ground substance (Ludwig and Boas, 1950). It has been further demonstrated that an important component of this ground substance is hyaluronic acid (Boas, 1949). Estrogens, on the other hand, invariably suppress normal comb growth in the young chick (Parkes and Emmens, 1944). Despite many reports on this phenomenon, little attention has been paid to the histological changes induced by estrogens. In view of our observations that testosterone enchances the deposition of ground substance in the comb, it became necessary to examine the histological changes produced by estrogens, a comb growth-inhibiting agent. It has been claimed that the effect of androgens and estrogens on the comb represent true sex hormone antagonism (Muhlbock, 1939).
An annual cycle of Arctic cloud characteristics observed by radar and lidar at SHEBA

[1] The temporal distributions of cloudiness, vertical distribution of cloud boundary heights, and occurrence of liquid phase in clouds are determined from radar and lidar data sets collected from October 1997 to October 1998 during the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) project. The radar/lidar combination was necessary for comprehensive cloud detection over a variety of physical conditions and is significantly more detailed (5–9 s temporal resolution, 30–40 m vertical resolution) than measurements made by surface observers or satellites. The combined measurements revealed that clouds were almost continuously present, with an annual average occurrence of 85%, and displayed an overall annual trend of a cloudier summer and clearer winter. A monthly averaged cloud occurrence maximum of 97% was observed in September and a minimum of 63% was observed in February. Monthly averaged lowest cloud base heights were between 0.25 and 1.0 km above ground level (agl) and monthly averaged highest cloud top heights were between 2.5 and 5.5 km agl, and displayed no significant seasonal variation. The number of cloud layers was typically 1 or 2, with the summer months tending to be multilayered. The lidar utilized depolarization ratios to detect liquid water; the percentage of lidar-observed clouds containing liquid was 73% for the year. The least amount of liquid water phase was observed during December in 25% of the lidar-detected clouds and the maximum was observed during July in 95% of the lidar-detected clouds. Liquid was distributed in a combination of all-liquid and mixed phase clouds, and was detected at altitudes as high as 6.5 km agl and at temperatures as low as −34°C.
Unsettled territories: State, civil society, and the politics of religious conversion in India

The article argues that the secular Indian state and the Hindu nationalist movement are invested in restricting changes in religious membership in ways that intensify religious and caste-based inequalities. The secular state and the Hindu nationalist movement attempt to enforce a shared model of religion that takes the form of a fixed territory. In this model, changes in religious membership through conversion are restricted. An analysis of state-civil society interactions in India must therefore move away from a presumed opposition between state secularism on the one hand and religious nationalism and conflict within civil society on the other. The article draws on three cases: (1) nationalist debates over caste and religious conversion, (2) Hindu nationalist mobilization against religious conversion, and (3) state caste-based affirmative action policies that restrict benefits based on religious conversion.