cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment Literacy of Pre-Service Teachers and the NCBTS Domain

Assessment Literacy is a requisite skill pre-service teachers need to develop to ensure the quality of teaching and learning. Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) are the best venue where this skill is developed. This study seeks to find out the classroom assessment literacy of pre-service teachers of Xavier University utilizing the Classroom Assessment Literacy (CALI) Tool of Dr. Craig Mertler. This tool was revalidated using the Rasch Model and items were revised in the Philippine context. Standards for each item in CALI were matched with the Strands of Domain 5 (Planning, Assessing & Reporting) of the National Competency-Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS) of the Philippines. Fifty-nine pre-service teachers participated in the study. The descriptive analysis included frequencies and percentages. Results show highest performance on choosing appropriate assessment tools with 81.36% while least in developing valid grading procedures with 8.47%. Furthermore, five out of seven assessment standards in CALI were well represented in the NCBTS. However, the standards for developing valid grading procedures and recognizing unethical practices were least addressed. The need to re-examine how assessment concepts were taught to pre-service teachers emerged. This study provided an avenue to suggest to the NCBTS Team the necessity of revisiting the strands of the NCBTS Framework. Keywords - Education, assessment literacy, NCBTS standards, Rasch Model, descriptive research design, Philippines
Migration of channel heads following wildfire in the Colorado Front Range, USA

The High Park Fire burned ~35 300 ha of the Colorado Front Range during June and July 2012. In the areas of most severe burn, all trees were killed and the litter and duff layers of soil were completely removed. Post-fire erosion caused channel heads to develop well upslope from pre-fire locations. The locations of 50 channel heads in two burned catchments were documented and the range of drainage areas contributing to these channel heads to drainage areas of unburned channel heads in the region measured previously were compared. Mean drainage area above channel heads in the burned zone decreased by more than two-orders of magnitude relative to unburned sites. Drainage area above channel heads between the two burned catchments does not differ significantly with respect to slope, likely as a result of differences in surface roughness between the two sites following the fire. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chromium(II) Sulfate

[13825-86-0] CrO4S (MW 148.05) InChI = 1S/Cr.H2O4S/c;1-5(2,3)4/h;(H2,1,2,3,4)/q+2;/p-2 InChIKey = RYPRIXSYXLDSOA-UHFFFAOYSA-L (reducing agent for alkynes, alkenes, organohalides;1 reductions via amine or ammonia complexes2) Alternate Names: chromium sulfate; chromous sulfate. Solubility: sol water and aqueous DMF; slightly sol ethanol; insol acetone. Form Supplied in: not commercially available. Analysis of Reagent Purity: an aqueous solution of CrSO4 can be standardized by a titration against (CuCl4)2− or K2Cr2O73 as well as FeCl3.4 Preparative Methods: the most common procedure for preparing an aqueous CrSO4 solution employs a reduction of Cr2(SO4)3 with mossy Zn and Hg in water and is used as is.4 Alternate syntheses start with very pure Cr metal5 or K2Cr2O7.3 A method for preparing crystalline blue CrSO4·5H2O has been published.5, 6 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: aqueous CrSO4 solutions are stable at temperatures between 20 and 60 °C for several days if stored in an oxygen-free environment.7 The aqueous solution should be stored in a vented container as the powerful reducing agent will reduce water and, over time, liberate hydrogen gas which may lead to an explosion.8 Rigorously dried CrSO4·5H2O can be stored in the presence of air for at least eight months.5 However, it degrades quickly in the presence of oxygen if it is finely ground.5
Retrieving collocations from text: Xtract

Natural languages are full of collocations, recurrent combinations of words that co-occur more often than expected by chance and that correspond to arbitrary word usages. Recent work in lexicography indicates that collocations are pervasive in English; apparently, they are common in all types of writing, including both technical and nontechnical genres. Several approaches have been proposed to retrieve various types of collocations from the analysis of large samples of textual data. These techniques automatically produce large numbers of collocations along with statistical figures intended to reflect the relevance of the associations. However, none of these techniques provides functional information along with the collocation. Also, the results produced often contained improper word associations reflecting some spurious aspect of the training corpus that did not stand for true collocations.In this paper, we describe a set of techniques based on statistical methods for retrieving and identifying collocations from large textual corpora. These techniques produce a wide range of collocations and are based on some original filtering methods that allow the production of richer and higher-precision output. These techniques have been implemented and resulted in a lexicographic tool, Xtract. The techniques are described and some results are presented on a 10 million-word corpus of stock market news reports. A lexicographic evaluation of Xtract as a collocation retrieval tool has been made, and the estimated precision of Xtract is 80%.
Cognitive-behavioral treatment of depression, part I: Assessment of depression and suicide risk

Cognitive-behavioral therapy has been found effective in the treatment of depression. However, most guides to conducting cognitive-behavioral therapy focus on a session-by-session description of treatment issues. The present manuscript describes the first in a series of interrelated therapy modules to help guide the treatment of depression. The use of modules helps the therapist adapt the therapy to the unique needs of each individual client, emphasizing some elements while omitting others. Also, the use of modules can maximize the short-term application of psychotherapy, allowing therapists to select certain elements to be omitted or repeated as needed for a specific client. Procedures are described for assessing the severity of depression, evaluating the need for medications, and determining when hospitalization is needed. Also, recommendations are provided for monitoring suicide risk factors and preventing self-injury in depressed and suicidal clients.
Vector Based Adaptive Sampling in Wireless Sensor Networks

While in-network aggregation and query processing are the common forms of collecting data in a typical wireless sensor network, continuous monitoring allows for more complex querying of the data collected. The process of collecting this data subject to constraints on the network resources is termed adaptive sampling. In this paper we present a simple quantitative scheme for adaptive sampling by using a vector of suitably defined parameters. The adaptive sampling vector (ASV) specifies the baseline of the data which needs to be collected to meet information quality needs.
An exact lumped‐element equivalent circuit model for transmission‐line transformers formed from coupled microstrip lines

This paper introduces an exact lumped-element equivalent circuit model for Ruthroff transmission-line transformers (TLTs) constructed from coupled microstrip lines. Measured results are compared with model predictions from 0.01 GHz up to 16.7 GHz for the case of three spiral TLTs fabricated in a silicon multichip-module-deposited (MCM-D) process. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 2983–2988, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22939
Analysis of Rotational Precision for an Isosceles-Trapezoidal Flexural Pivot

An isosceles-trapezoidal flexural pivot can be of great use for practical designs, especially in the cases that a pure rotation about a virtual pivot is required. The analysis of rotational precision for such a structure is important for the mechanical design in precise-required applications. For this purpose, a rigid isosceles-trapezoidal linkage model is first proposed to provide an accurate analytical result for its notch-type flexural counterpart. The influence of dimensional parameters on the center shift is discussed. In order to disclose the equivalence between leaf-type flexure structure and its pseudo-rigid-body model, a transitional model is introduced, from which an equivalent pseudo-rigid-body model for leaf-type isosceles-trapezoidal flexure structure is then derived. The results of both simulation and experiment verify that the equivalent rigid model is also accurate enough in the case of a larger deflection.
A study of effective and ineffective presidential campaign speaking

This article seeks to isolate factors associated with effective and ineffective campaign speeches made by Adlai E. Stevenson in 1956. To distinguish effective from ineffective speeches, the author solicited the judgments of 105 campaign associates, Democratic and Republican politicians, journalists, and students of public address. Eighty‐seven replies were received and sixty‐four were sufficiently complete for analysis. There was high agreement that six speeches were effective and six ineffective. Factors associated with effectiveness (their opposites with ineffectiveness) included the following: single issue discussed; relatively uncontroversial subject; constructive material emphasized and refutation de‐emphasized; responsive and sympathetic audience; speaker spent great deal of time editing and revising but little on basic draft; revisions were to clarify and identify with audience rather than to qualify remarks; emphasis on solutions rather than problems; introductions contained humor, irony, and sati...
Prevalence And Trends In Obesity Among Aged And Disabled U.S. Medicare Beneficiaries, 1997–2002

Given Medicare’s recent national coverage decision on bariatric surgery, as well as potential coverage expansions for other obesity-related treatments, data on obesity in the Medicare population have great relevance. Using nationally representative data, we estimate that between 1997 and 2002, the prevalence of obesity in the Medicare population increased by 5.6 percentage points, or about 2.7 million beneficiaries. By 2002, 21.4 percent of aged beneficiaries and 39.3 percent of disabled beneficiaries were obese, compared with 16.4 percent and 32.5 percent, respectively, in 1997. Using 2002 data, we estimate that three million beneficiaries would be eligible for bariatric surgery coverage under current Medicare policy.
Mean deep coalescence cost under exchangeable probability distributions

Abstract We derive formulas for mean deep coalescence cost, for either a fixed species tree or a fixed gene tree, under probability distributions that satisfy the exchangeability property. We then apply the formulas to study mean deep coalescence cost under two commonly used exchangeable models—the uniform and Yule models. We find that mean deep coalescence cost, for either a fixed species tree or a fixed gene tree, tends to be larger for unbalanced trees than for balanced trees. These results provide a better understanding of the deep coalescence cost, as well as allow for the development of new species tree inference criteria.
Defining scholarship for the twenty‐first century

Many factors determine the definition of scholarship at any given time, including the discipline, the priorities of the institution and academic unit, and the interests of the individual. This chapter discusses these influences, traces recent developments in how we view the scholarly role of faculty members, and it recommends an institutional approach for bringing fairness and quality into faculty reward systems.
Hemispherectomy for intractable unihemispheric epilepsy etiology vs outcome.

Background: Surgical removal of one hemisphere has been performed for several decades to treat intractable unihemispheric epilepsy. A prior case series focused on the outcomes after 58 surgeries at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1997. This series, and an additional 53 cases, were reviewed to bring the outcomes up to date. Methods: Charts of the 111 patients undergoing hemidecortications at the Pediatric Epilepsy Center from 1975 to 2001 were reviewed and families were contacted. Three children died in the immediate perioperative period and three were lost to follow-up immediately after surgery. Follow-up ranged from 3 months to 22 years. Results: Two children died several years later due to intractable seizures. Overall, 65% are seizure-free, 21% have occasional, non-handicapping seizures, and 14% have troublesome seizures. Eighty percent are on one anticonvulsant or none and 89% are able to walk without assistance. Etiology strongly predicted seizure outcome. Patients with migrational disorders are less likely to be seizure-free than all other etiologies (predominantly Rasmussen and congenital vascular injuries) combined (51% vs 71%, p = 0.05). Conclusions: Hemidecortication continues to be a beneficial procedure in reducing seizure frequency in cases of unilateral cortical epilepsy. Fewer children with migrational disorders are seizure-free.
Human skin-surface lipid fatty acids--mosquito repellents.

On a decouvert que les lipides de l'epiderme humain sont repulsifs pour la femelled'Aedes aegypti. Cet effet est du en partie a la presence d'acides gras non satures. Les acides gras satures ne contribuent pas a cette action.
Melanisation of Cryptococcus neoformans in human brain tissue

Summary Melanin-specific reagents revealed melanin in cryptococcal cell walls from human brain tissue, and fungal-cell melanin "ghosts" were recovered from infected tissue. The results indicate that Cryptococcus neoformans melanises during human infection.
Synthesis and acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of 3-O-glycosyl-l-serine and -threonine

Abstract The acid stability of the glycosidic linkage of 3-O-β- d -xylopyranosyl- l -serine and -threonine, of import for graded acid hydrolysis of glycopeptides, was assessed through model compounds. Crystalline 3-O-(2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-β- d -xylopyranosyl)- l -serine and threonine were synthesized in 20% yield. Syrupy 3-O-(4,6-di-O-acetyl-2,3-dideoxy-α- d -erythro-hex-2-enopyranosyl)-N-benzyloxycarbonyl- l -serine and -threonine p-nitrobenzyl ester afforded upon hydrogenation crystalline 3-O-(4,6-di-O-acetyl-2,3-dideoxy-α- d -erythro-hexopyranosyl)- l -serine and -threonine in 50% yield. Extensive kinetic studies of the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis in 0.05 m sulfuric acid of these four crystalline 3-O-glycosyl derivatives of serine and threonine and comparisons of their kinetic rate-constants and thermodynamic parameters with those of methyl α- and β- d -xylopyranosides were made. Although a protonated amino group is vicinal to the glycosidic acetal linkage in the 3-O- l -serine and -threonine xylosides, the rates of their hydrolysis are only slightly more than an order of magnitude lower than those of ordinary alkyl glycosides. The rate constants for the 2,3-dideoxy-α- d -erythro-hexopyranosides of l -serine and -threonine are similar in magnitude to those for the methyl glycosides. The values for the 2,3-dideoxy-α- d -erythro-hexopyranoside derivatives are nearly the same as those of the alkyl glycosides, whereas the d -xylopyranosides of l -serine and -threonine exhibit values some 2 kcal. mole-1 greater. All of the values are positive, but show no order interpretable in terms of structure-function relationships.
Pharmacotoxic myocardial disease: an endomyocardial study.

Drug-induced toxic changes in the myocardium have become an increasing problem. The effect of drugs on heart morphology may be acute or cumulative. In general, adverse drug reactions manifest themselves as myocarditis (toxic or hypersensitivity), cardiomyopathy with chamber dilatation, or restrictive disease. Drugs affecting embryologic development of the heart will not be discussed. Drugs causing myocarditis can be divided into: toxic myocarditis, e.g., cyclophosphamide. The morphologic changes are dose-related and have lesions of different ages, which include myocyte necrosis with hemorrhage and vasculitis. Fibrous endocarditis, e.g., methysergide. These reactions include thickening of the endocardium and sometimes the cardiac valves with fibrosis. Drugs causing hypersensitivity myocarditis, e.g., thiazide diuretics. In this case, the lesions are not dose-related, are the same age, and there is an eosinophilic infiltrate. Drugs causing cardiomyopathic-like changes of ventricular dilatation and failure, e.g., anthracyclines, particularly adriamycin. This group of drugs cause a gradual myofibrillar loss within cardiac myocytes and a sarcotubular dilatation which is characteristic. The damaged cells are replaced by fibrosis and ventricular failure ensues. With the rapid synthesis of new drugs, the problem of drug cardiotoxicity may be an ever-increasing problem. With the more widespread use of the endomyocardial biopsy, drug-induced heart disease can be documented and the effects of different methods of drug delivery and pharmacologic antagonists studied.
Development of lichen sclerosus et atrophicus while receiving a therapeutic dose of imatinib mesylate for chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Background: Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec®) is a selective Bcr-Abl protein tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, and it also inhibits the receptor tyrosine kinases for stem cell factor (c-kit) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGFR). It is being investigated for use in the treatment of sclerosing dermatoses. Observation: A 44-year-old woman with a history of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) was referred for the evaluation of a pruritic eruption that developed over 6 months. Examination revealed atrophic plaques confined to the groin, vulva, axillae, inframammary region, trunk, antecubital and popliteal fossae, and posterior thighs bilaterally. A biopsy showed lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSetA). At the time of presentation, the patient was receiving imatinib mesylate 400 mg daily for CML. Conclusion: This is the first report of development of LSetA, a sclerosing dermatosis, while receiving a therapeutic dose of imatinib mesylate, a drug thought to have anti-sclerotic properties. Skupsky H, Abuav R, High W, Pass C, Goldenberg G. Development of lichen sclerosus et atrophicus while receiving a therapeutic dose of imatinib mesylate for chronic myelogenous leukemia.
Electronic structure and properties of strained polymers: 2. Rigid-rod PBI, PBO and PBZT

Abstract A theoretical study of single-chain moduli employing the molecular-orbital semi-empirical AM1 (Austin model 1) approach is presented for the poly( p -phenylene benzobisimidazole) (PBI), poly( p -phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) and poly( p -phenylene benzobisthiazole) (PBZT) rigid-rod polymers. This computational study is important for comparisons of mechanical properties for the series of related polymers. An analysis of molecular deformation on tension and compression of these rigid-rod polymers offers an insight into tensile and compressive processes at the molecular level, allowing their relative ordering by theoretical tensile and/or compressive strength and moduli. Furthermore, an examination of the electronic structures of these molecular systems containing various hetero atoms provides insight into the charge distribution and bond order changes on the application of strain. This approach will be useful for the relative prediction of the properties of polymers that have not yet been synthesized.
Pocket milling with tool engagement detection

Abstract This paper presents an algorithm for generating a tool path for cutting a pocket with islands, which includes detecting when the tool is certain to be making a minimal engagement cut. Minimal engagement is defined as the amount of engagement present in peripheral milling of a flat side face of a workpiece in a straight line with constant stepover. Feed rates and spindle speeds are reset by the algorithm when machining conditions change from a minimal engagement cut to any other type of cut or vice versa.
A novel membrane fusion protein family in Flaviviridae

Enveloped viruses must fuse their lipid membrane to a cellular membrane to deliver their genome into the cytoplasm for replication. Viral envelope proteins catalyze this critical membrane fusion event. They fall into three distinct structural classes. In 2013, envelope proteins from a pestivirus and hepatitis C virus were found to have two distinct novel folds. This was unexpected because these viruses are in the same family as flaviviruses, which have class II fusion proteins. We propose that the membrane fusion machinery of the closely related pestiviruses and hepatitis C virus defines a new structural class. This and other recently identified structural relationships between viral fusion proteins shift the paradigm for how these proteins evolved.
Rotavirus infection activates the UPR but modulates its activity

Background Rotaviruses are known to modulate the innate antiviral defense response driven by IFN. The purpose of this study was to identify changes in the cellular proteome in response to rotavirus infection in the context of the IFN response. We also sought to identify proteins outside the IFN induction and signaling pathway that were modulated by rotavirus infection.
Substances that can change alternative splice-site selection.

Alternative pre-mRNA splicing is an important element in eukaryotic gene expression, as most of the protein-coding genes use this process to generate multiple protein isoforms from a single gene. An increasing number of human diseases are now recognized to be caused by the selection of ‘wrong’ alternative exons. Research during the last few years identified a number of low–molecular-mass chemical substances that can change alternative exon usage. Most of these substances act by either blocking histone deacetylases or by interfering with the phosphorylation of splicing factors. How the remaining large number of these substances affect splicing is not yet fully understood. The emergence of these low-molecular-mass substances provides not only probes for studying alternative pre-mRNA splicing, but also opens the door to the possible harnessing of these compounds as drugs to control diseases caused by the selection of ‘wrong’ splice sites.
Launch vehicle attitude control using sliding mode control and observation techniques

In determining flight controls for launch vehicle systems, several uncertain factors must be taken into account, including a variety of payloads, a wide range of flight conditions and different mission profiles, wind disturbances and plant uncertainties. Crewed vehicles must adhere to human rating requirements, which limit the angular rates. Sliding mode control algorithms that are inherently robust to external disturbances and plant uncertainties are very good candidates for improving the robustness and accuracy of the flight control systems. Recently emerging Higher Order Sliding Mode (HOSM) control is even more powerful than the classical Sliding Mode Controls (SMC), including the capability to handle systems with arbitrary relative degree. This paper proposes sliding mode launch vehicle flight controls using classical SMC driven by the sliding mode disturbance observer (SMDO) and higher-order multiple and single loop designs. A case study on the SLV-X Launch Vehicle studied under a joint DARPA/Air Force program called the Force Application and Launch from CONtinental United States (FALCON) program is shown. The intensive simulations demonstrate efficacy of the proposed HOSM and SMC-SMDO control algorithms for launch vehicle attitude control.
The technological dilemma of the United States

The rapid growth of federally supported research and development during and following World War II, and particularly between 1950 and 1960, appears to have had several major effects on the technological activity of the United States and its industry. However, the most important effect of this growth was the rise in the cost of research and development, including the cost of the technical personnel involved in it. In an assessment of the U.S. investment in R&D for space and defense versus civilian-oriented research and development, it is seen that the United States lags behind the eight European nations studied, and trails Japan even further. With this in mind, it is clear that if both the social and material needs of the people are to be met, new policies and new directions are required of governmental, industrial, and academic institutions.
Electron?ion coupling effects on simulations of radiation damage in pyrochlore waste forms

We have performed molecular dynamics simulations of cascade damage in the gadolinium pyrochlore Gd2Zr2O7, comparing results obtained from traditional simulation methodologies that ignore the effect of electron–ion interactions with a 'two-temperature model' in which the electronic subsystem is modeled using a diffusion equation to determine the electronic temperature. We find that the electron–ion interaction friction coefficient γp is a significant parameter in determining the behavior of the system following the formation of the primary knock-on atom (PKA; here, a U3 + ion). The mean final PKA displacement and the number of defect atoms formed is shown to decrease uniformly with increasing γp; however, other properties, such as the final equilibrium temperature and the oxygen–oxygen radial distribution function, show a more complicated dependence on γp.
Low-cost amorphous silicon photovoltaic module encapsulated with liquid resin

To reduce the cost of amorphous silicon photovoltaic modules, a monolithic structure and an encapsulation process with liquid resin has been developed. The line speed of the encapsulation process can be up to 190 cm/min with a simple apparatus, which corresponds to 40 MW/y. The process was applied with actual amorphous silicon photovoltaic modules with a size of 910 × 455 mm2. The aperture efficiency of the photovoltaic module was 10.6% (41.9 W). The modules passed five acceleration tests stated in JIS C 8917, i.e., dump-heat test, salt-mist cyclic test and humidity-freeze test. Field tests which have been carried out in Japan and Arizona assured that the encapsulation with liquid resin is as reliable as the conventional encapsulation with EVA/Tedler. The cost of the liquid resin could be reduced to 80% of original one without reducing reliability, by investigating the recipe of an organic compound.
Revising Thermo/Fluids Education for the 21st Century

During the 1960s, major revisions took place in undergraduate thermo/fluids (thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer) textbooks and in the pedagogy used to teach these disciplines. In the decades since, students and instructors have both changed. Many students arrive with less-than-adequate mathematics and study skills, rely almost exclusively on the Internet for reference materials, and have very little "hands on" knowledge of how things work. The number of instructors with practical expertise or industrial experience has decreased markedly as well. Yet the methods by which material is presented and the tools and resources students are exposed to have not changed sufficiently. In contrast, the tools available in industry have improved significantly and the knowledge needed by graduates to use these tools has not kept pace. This paper looks at how thermo/fluids has evolved over the past five decades and points out some areas that are not receiving sufficient attention. These include the use of computers as teaching aids, the training of students in the software packages prevalent in modern industry, and the need to update the database of design information. The almost exclusive use of the Internet and other non-refereed sources of information by students is also a significant problem that needs addressing.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
A solid-phase fluoroimmunoassay of tobramycin

Abstract A solid-phase fluoroimmunoassay has been developed for the determination of tobramycin in serum. The principle of this method is based on direct competition of a fluorescein-labeled and unlabeled hapten for a fixed amount of spec ific antibody immobilized on a dipstick sampler. The bound and free labeled hapten are separated simply by removing the sampler from the reaction mixture. The fluorescence signal from the bound fluorescein-labeled hapten is measured with a FIAX® fluorometer. The fluorscein-labeled tobramycin, which is easily prepared, has excellent shelf life. The assay is fast and simple, involves only one pipetting step, and avoids the use of radiochemicals. Within-assay coefficients of variation are less than 10%. The assay correlates well with radioimmunoassay (r = 0.97) and radioenzymatic assay (r = 0.96).
Sickle and Xyele

Mr John Boardman's suggestion that the sickles dedicated to Artemis Orthia at Sparta were used as strigils is most enlightening, and perhaps I may be allowed to find support in it for a theory that I have advanced elsewhere, that this form of sickle is the ξυήλη of Xenophon, Anabasis iv 7.16; iv 8.25. It is true that the dedicating inscriptions never use the word ξυήλη. The sickle is only named twice, being called δρέπανον once and once δρϵπάνη. But this may be explained by the late date of all the inscriptions. Ξυήλη is only found in the two passages already cited from Xenophon, in the lexicographers (Hesychius and the Souda s-v.), who also give the Doric form ξνάλη, and in Xenophon's Cyropaedia (vi 2.32), where it means a spokeshave for smoothing the shafts of spears. It is probable that the word was obsolete even at Sparta in the Hellenistic period, and that even in Xenophon's time it was not in common use throughout Greece. Pollux (i 137) mentions the Laconian ξυΐνη in a list of weapons, including δρϵπάνη and δορνδρέπανον, and this misspelling (more probably that of a scribe writing from dictation than Pollux's own) does indicate the unfamiliarity of the word.
COMPUTER SIMULATION OF URETHANE FORMATION.

Computer model calculations have been used to simulate the reaction of polyoxypropylene triol with hexamethylene diisocyanate. Various molecular weight distributions and degrees of polymerisation are used in the calculation. The effect of side reactions is investigated and compared with experiment. Good agreement for both cyclisation and gel points is found for bulk and concentrated solutions. The model can be used to simulate random polycondensation reactions with a reliability approaching that of experiments, and it gives crucial results that cannot be obtained in any other way.
Modeling test and treatment strategies for presymptomatic alzheimer disease

Objectives In this study, we developed a model of presymptomatic treatment of Alzheimer disease (AD) after a screening diagnostic evaluation and explored the circumstances required for an AD prevention treatment to produce aggregate net population benefit.
CHLOROPHYLL MONOLAYERS IN CHLOROPLASTS

1. The data on the fine structure of the chloroplasts and the chlorophyll analyses, in two algal flagellates, Euglena gracilis and Poteriochromonas stipitata, are consistent with the assumption that the chlorophyll molecules are arranged in monomolecular layers at the interfaces between the lipid (dense) and the aqueous protein complex layers. 2. The cross-sectional area available to each chlorophyll molecule in the chloroplasts of Euglena and Poteriochromonas was found to be 222 x 10(-16) cm(2). and 246 x 10(-16) cm(2). By comparison, the cross-sectional area of the hydrophilic head of the chlorophyll molecule is approximately 240 x 10(-16) cm(2). 3. The model of the molecular network depicted in Text-fig. 1 is purely speculative. It predicts a lower limit for the number ratio of chlorophyll to other pigment molecules of about 1:1 and a weight ratio of 2:1. A loose packed structure such as that shown in Text-fig. 1 predicts a weight ratio of 4:1 to 6:1. These values bracket the large majority of experimental values found for this ratio. The relative constancy of the number of chlorophyll molecules per chloroplast and the volume of the chloroplast indicated by the data in Table III suggest that chloroplasts probably possess a similar structural arrangement in a variety of photosynthetic microorganisms and plants.
Improved neurodevelopmental outcomes for extremely low birth weight infants in 2000-2002.

BACKGROUND. Neurodevelopmental impairment of extremely low birth weight infants increased in the 1990s. Modern therapeutic changes may have influenced more recent neonatal outcomes. OBJECTIVE. We sought to compare neonatal therapies and outcomes among all extremely low birth weight infants born in 2000–2002 (period III) to 2 previous periods: 1982–1989 (period I) and 1990–1999 (period II). METHODS. The population included 496 extremely low birth weight infants born at our perinatal center during period I, 749 during period II, and 233 during period III. Therapies, rates of death, and survival with and without impairment at 20 months9 corrected age were compared. RESULTS. Between periods I and II, survival increased from 49% to 68% as did neonatal morbidity. This resulted in increased survival without impairment but also increased survival with impairment. Changes in therapy during period III included an increase in antenatal steroid use and a decrease in postnatal steroid use, although the rate of chronic lung disease did not change. Sepsis decreased, as did severe intraventricular hemorrhage. On follow-up, the rate of cerebral palsy decreased from 13% to 5%, resulting in a decrease in neurodevelopmental impairment from 35% to 23%. As a result, during period III versus II, survival without impairment increased, whereas survival with impairment decreased. CONCLUSION. Since 2000, neurodevelopmental impairment has decreased among extremely low birth weight infants. A variety of perinatal and neonatal factors were associated with the improved outcomes including increased antenatal steroid use and cesarean section delivery, as well as decreased sepsis, severe cranial ultrasound abnormalities, and postnatal steroid use despite no change in the rate of chronic lung disease.
Uniform almost everywhere domination

We explore the interaction between Lebesgue measure and dominating functions. We show, via both a priority construction and a forcing construction, that there is a function of incomplete degree that dominates almost all degrees. This answers a question of Dobrinen and Simpson, who showed that such functions are related to the proof-theoretic strength of the regularity of Lebesgue measure for Gδ sets. Our constructions essentially settle the reverse mathematical classification of this principle.
Role of butyrylcholinesterase in canine tracheal smooth muscle function

Abstract The role of butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in regulating acetylcholine (ACh) lifetime was investigated by use of selective cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitors. Addition of 1 μM tetraisopropylpyrophosphoramide (iso-OMPA) led to a 98% inhibition of BuChE activity with little or no effect on AChE activity. This inhibition wa accompanied by a 26% increase in the amplitude and a 43% prolongation in the half-relaxation time of contractions elicited by electric field stimulation (EFS). Coapplication of BW 284C51 (a selective AChE inhibitor) and 1 μM iso-OMPA resulted in increases of 2-fold in the amplitude and 10-fold in the half-relaxation time of EFS-induced contractions. These alterations were accompanied by small but sustained baseline contractures that were antagonized completely by incubation with exogenous BuChE (2.5 U ml ). The results suggest that BuChE serves to coregulate the lifetime of ACh in canine tracheal smooth muscle.
Assuring Life in Composite Systems

A computational simulation method is presented to assure life in composite systems by using dynamic buckling of smart composite shells as an example. The combined use of composite mechanics, finite element computer codes, and probabilistic analysis enable the effective assessment of the dynamic buckling load of smart composite shells. A universal plot is generated to estimate the dynamic buckling load of composite shells at various load rates and probabilities. The shell structure is also evaluated with smart fibers embedded in the plies right below the outer plies. The results show that, on the average, the use of smart fibers improved the shell buckling resistance by about 9% at different probabilities and delayed the buckling occurrence time. The probabilistic sensitivities results indicate that uncertainties in the fiber volume ratio and ply thickness have major effects on the buckling load. The uncertainties in the electric field strength and smart material volume fraction have moderate effects and thereby in the assured life of the shell.
Case Files of the California Poison Control System, San Francisco Division: Blue Thunder Ingestion: Methanol, Nitromethane, and Elevated Creatinine

Keywords Nitromethane.Methanol.CreatinineCase PresentationA 41-year-old man with a history of ethanol abuse wasfound on the streets with his clothing saturated with fecalmaterial. In the emergency department (ED), he wasconfused and had an unsteady gait. He was sleepy andslow in responding, although easily arousable. He admittedto being depressed and said that he tried to commit suicideby consuming vodka and “Blue Thunder”, a fuel for radio-controlled racing cars that he had purchased from a hobbyshop the day before presentation. He denied any other drugingestion or previous medical history and was not takingany medications. He did not have any focal neurologicalsymptoms, visual disturbance, gastrointestinal symptomssuch as nausea or vomiting, or chest discomfort.His vital signs were within normal limits: temperature36.4°C, blood pressure 145/87 mm Hg, heart rate 95/min,respiratory rate 16/min and pulse oximetry saturation 97%on room air. His physical examination was unremarkableexcept for an unsteady gait. His cranial nerves, motor, andsensory findings were grossly intact. As he had attemptedto leave the ED several times despite being ataxic, he wasplaced in restraints and sedated with intravenous boluses oflorazepam and admitted for further workup.Computed tomography of his brain did not show anygross abnormalities. Initial laboratory data included: sodium135 mmol/L, potassium 3.8 mmol/L, chloride 97 mmol/L,bicarbonate 21 mmol/L, blood urea nitrogen 7.9 mmol/L(22.0 mg/dL), creatinine 8,270 μmol/L (93.6 mg/dL), andglucose 6.5 mmol/L (117 mg/dL). The anion gap was17 mmol/L. Lactic acid and hepatic enzymes were withinnormal limits. The serum ethanol, acetaminophen, andsalicylate levels were below detection limits. UrinalysiswasnormalwithapHof5.5.Serumsampleswerereferredtoanoutside laboratory for methanol, ethylene glycol, acetone,isopropyl alcohol, and paraldehyde levels. After 4 h ofsupportive treatment including intravenous fluids, repeatlaboratory results were: sodium 134 mmol/L, potassium3.8 mmol/L, chloride 98 mmol/L, bicarbonate 23 mmol/L,blood urea nitrogen 6.9 mmol/L (19.0 mg/dL), and glucose6.5 mmol/L (117 mg/dL).The laboratory had independently decided that nitro-methane was an interfering substance and did not repeat thecreatinine level. The anion gap was now 13 mmol/L and thecalculated osmolality [1] was 282 mmol/kg. Serum osmo-lality determined by freezing point depression was430 mmol/kg (reference range 275-295 mmol/kg). Theosmolar gap was estimated to be 148 mmol/kg.Is this Patient’s Presentation Consistent with MethanolPoisoning?After ingestion, the hepatic enzyme alcohol dehydrogenaseconverts methanol to formaldehyde, which is then con-verted to formic acid by formaldehyde dehydrogenase [2].Although formaldehyde is more toxic than formic acid, it
Contact Between Adoptive and Birth Families: Perspectives From the Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project

A growing number of adoptive families have contact with their children’s birth relatives. The Minnesota Texas Adoption Research Project is examining longitudinally the consequences of variations in contact arrangements for birth mothers, adoptive parents, and adopted children in domestic infant adoptions, and is studying the dynamics of relationships within these family systems. Individuals who had contact were more satisfied with their arrangements than those who did not have contact. Satisfaction with contact predicted more optimal adjustment among adopted adolescents and emerging adults. Adoption-related communication predicted identity development among adopted adolescents and emerging adults. Birth mothers who were more satisfied with their contact arrangements, regardless of level of contact, had less unresolved grief 12 to 20 years after placement. Adoptive and birth relatives who engage in contact need flexibility, strong interpersonal skills, and commitment to the relationship. These skills can be learned, and they can be supported by others, through informal, psychoeducational, and therapeutic means.
Stochastic analysis of multiphase flow in porous media: II. Numerical simulations

The first paper (Chang et al., 1995b) of this two-part series described the stochastic analysis using spectral/perturbation approach to analyze steady state two-phase (water and oil) flow in a, liquid-unsaturated, three fluid-phase porous medium. In this paper, the results between the numerical simulations and closed-form expressions obtained using the perturbation approach are compared. We present the solution to the one-dimensional, steady-state oil and water flow equations. The stochastic input processes are the spatially correlated logk where k is the intrinsic permeability and the soil retention parameter, α. These solutions are subsequently used in the numerical simulations to estimate the statistical properties of the key output processes. The comparison between the results of the perturbation analysis and numerical simulations showed a good agreement between the two methods over a wide range of logk variability with three different combinations of input stochastic processes of logk and soil parameter α. The results clearly demonstrated the importance of considering the spatial variability of key subsurface properties under a variety of physical scenarios. The variability of both capillary pressure and saturation is affected by the type of input stochastic process used to represent the spatial variability. The results also demonstrated the applicability of perturbation theory in predicting the system variability and defining effective fluid properties through the ergodic assumption.
Upper II: Calculation of physical properties of the chlorobenzenes

Abstract The twelve chlorobenzenes are used to evaluate the previously described UPPER scheme. Twenty-one physical properties are calculated strictly from molecular structure with no adjustable or fitted parameters and compared with experimental values. The UPPER scheme does reasonably well with estimating all of the considered properties.
Electrophysiologic studies on atrioventricular nodal Wenckebach cycles

Wenckebach cycles with a 4:3 ratio, produced by rapid atrial pacing, were studied in 27 anesthetized denervated dogs using programmed stimulation. A test stimulus (S') could be inserted after any preselected beat of the Wenckebach cycle. An on-line computer measured the atrial (A) to His bundle (H) intervals. In all dogs a progressive increase in atrioventricular (A-V) nodal refractoriness was seen in the effective refractory period for each beat and a rightward shift of the A'-H' relative to the A-A' refractory curves. Atypical Wenckebach cycles could be produced by small changes in the basic cycle length. No evidence for reentry was found from the refractory curves of Wenckebach cycles and by interruption of stimulation after the third stimulus of a 4:3 Wenckebach cycle. Analysis of the A'-H' relative to the H-A' refractory curves did not confirm a positive feedback mechanism. In order to mimic a Wenckebach cycle, a blocked premature beat was inserted during stressed 1:1 conduction. The changes in the refractory curves for successive beats after the premature beat were rate-dependent and similar to those in Wenckebach cycles but smaller in magnitude. In Wenckebach cycles there is a progressive increase in refractoriness, caused by cumulative effect similar to that seen after a blocked beat during stressed 1:1 conduction, until block occurs and the cycle resets.
Development of the Neural Crest in the Zebrafish

The embryonic zebrafish is rapidly becoming an important model system for studies of early events in vertebrate development. We review recent work describing the development of zebrafish neural crest and experimental studies examining the cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms of crest development.
Current events sessions

Will the Poincare Conjecture be solved this week? What is the Geometric Langlands Conjecture about? What could one do to analyze a stream of data flowing by too fast to capture? Asking such questions is part of being a mathematician, provoked by our sense that underneath the vastness of mathematics is a fundamental unity that allows us to look into many different corners—though we couldn’t possibly work in all of them—as well as by simple curiosity and common-room gossip. The idea behind the Current Events Session at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, begun last year, was to create an event where the speakers were expected not to report on their own work but to survey some of the most interesting current developments in mathematics, pure and applied. The wonderful tradition of the Bourbaki Seminar was an inspiration, but I hoped for an even wider range of subjects. A broadly constituted advisory committee was charged to select topics and excellent speakers. The programs of the sessions in January 2003 and 2004 will give an idea of the sessions.
Effects of step length on patellofemoral joint stress in female runners with and without patellofemoral pain

Abstract Background Patellofemoral pain is common among runners and is frequently attributed to increased patellofemoral joint stress. The purpose of our study was to examine the effects of changing step length during running on patellofemoral joint stress per step and stress per mile in females with and without patellofemoral pain. Methods Ten female runners with patellofemoral pain and 13 healthy female runners performed running trials at 3.7 m/s in three conditions: preferred step length, at least + 10% step length, and at least − 10% step length. Knee flexion angles and internal knee extension moments served as inputs for a biomechanical model to estimate patellofemoral joint stress per step. We also estimated total patellofemoral joint stress per mile based on the number of steps necessary to run a mile during each condition. Findings Patellofemoral joint stress per step increased 31% in the long step length condition ( P P P P Interpretation These results suggest a direct relationship between step length and patellofemoral joint loads. Total stress per mile experienced at the patellofemoral joint decreased with a short step length despite the greater number of steps necessary to cover this distance. These findings may have relevance with respect to both prevention and treatment of patellofemoral joint pain.
Effects of dynamic symmetry breaking on cross-sections and angular distributions in the photoionization of molecular nitrogen

Abstract Cross-sections and angular distributions of photoelectrons were computed for the K-shell photoionization of molecular nitrogen. Calculations with a delocalized and a localized hole in D ∞ h and C ∞ v symmetry, respectively, were compared. The difference between the results obtained from the two treatments turned out to be quite small, in contradiction to previous claims in the literature.