cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative Morphometrics by Factor Analysis in Two Species of Diptera

Covariational patterns of characters were compared in adults of two species of flies (Drosophila melanogaster and Musca domestica). Fourteen characters, homologous in the two organisms, were measured for both sexes in several laboratory strains of both species. Multiple factor analysis with rotation to an oblique simple structure was used to resolve the covariation into simpler patterns. Factor analyses were based on both the pooled within-group covariation as well as on total variation in each species. The five factors extracted from the correlation matrices of both species were quite similar after rotation (this was especially true for the within-group covariation). The following factors could be identified: a wing and a leg size factor, intercorrelated in the two species; a wing and thorax size factor; and separate factors affecting numbers of aristal and sternal setae. The present study is an example of the use of multiple factor analysis in comparative morphometrics
Determination of borate at trace levels in environmental samples by ion-exclusion chromatography

Dosage des ions borates dans diverses matrices (sediment, sol, eau) provenant de sites de l'environnement contamines
Sex-dependent effects of gonadal and gonadotropic hormones on centrally-elicited attack in cats.

Abstract Sex hormones are selectively taken up by the brain and affect neural activity in regions which are also involved in the mediation and modulation of aggressive behavior. The present investigation was undertaken to study the effects of both the gonadal hormones (estrogen and testosterone) and pituitary gonadotropins (luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones) on attack elicited by electrical stimulation of the preoptic area and hypothalamus in both male and female cats. Assessment of the effects of hormone injections and gonadectomy was in terms of changes in latency to attack an anesthetized rat. The results indicated that (1) gonadotropins as well as gonadal steroids affect the response, probably by altering thresholds for its elicitation, and that (2) the direction of these hormone effects is sex-dependent. The latter finding was interpreted in terms of the sexual differentiation of the brain as a result of pre- or neonatal hormone levels.
Tensor equivalents for solution of linear systems: a parallel algorithm

In this paper, we develop a stationary iterative method to find the solution vector x for the invertible $n \times n$ linear system \[ (1.1)\qquad Ax = (I - B)x = f. \] (I and $I_k $ represent the appropriate $k \times k$ identity matrix.) We find x by replacing (1.1) with the equivalent system \[ (1.2)\qquad \tilde A\tilde x = (I - \tilde B)\tilde x = \tilde f,\quad \tilde x = x_0 \otimes x \] Solution vector x of (1.1) will be “easy to extract” from the solution of (1.2) since $\tilde x = x_0 \otimes x$ is always a decomposable tensor. For any quadratic polynomial where $\varphi (1) = 1$, we may construct tensor iteration matrix $\tilde B$ of (1.2) whose eigenvalues $ \pm \lambda $, are all determined by $\varphi $ according to the equation $( * )\lambda ^2 = \varphi (\mu )$ where $\mu $ runs over the eigenvalues of B in (1.1). With the ability to shape the spectrum of $\tilde B$ as per $( * )$, we develop an optimal stationary iterative algorithm to solve (1.2) in the special case when the spectrum of ...
Violence and violent feelings: what causes them among family caregivers?

We present a conceptual framework for understanding two distinct but related phenomena: violent feelings (i.e., the fear of becoming violent) and violent behaviors by family caregivers toward relatives with dementia. Based on both the literature on family caregiving and on family violence, four factors are hypothesized to explain these two dimensions of violence: caregiving demands, interactional stressors, caregiver characteristics, and caregiving context. Analyses of quantitative and qualitative data on 236 family caregivers to dementia victims revealed several characteristics that were predictive of violent feelings on the part of caregivers, including physical aggression by the care recipient, disruptive behaviors, and a shared living situation. Structural relationship and caregiver's age were found to be related to actual violence; spouses were more likely to engage in violence than other relatives, as were older individuals. In addition, violence by the care recipient was positively related to caregiver violence.
How medical know-how progresses☆

Abstract The conventional wisdom regarding the source of progress in medical practice highlights the role of basic scientific research into the nature of disease pathologies. This perspective neglects the important role of two other sources of progress in medicine. One is the advance of technologies that have enabled the development of new modalities of treatment and diagnosis. The other is learning in clinical practice. In many cases the advance of treatment has involved the interaction of all three of these pathways to progress.
Kinetics of thiamine hydrolysis.

The pH-rate profile of the hydrolytic cleavage of thiamine determined from kinetics measurements has been found to be unusually complex. Under essentially buffer-free conditions, the overall behavior suggests existence of at least four separate reactions: (a) acid catalyzed mechanism leading to the formation of oxythiamine at pH below 1; (b) water cleavage of protonated thiamine yielding a pyrimidine and a thiazole fraction between pH 1–6; (c) at pH 2–6.5, hydroxyl ion catalysis of protonated thiamine producing the same products found in reaction (b); (d) above pH 6.5, water cleavage of thiol thiamine to yield a pyrimidine diamine and other undetermined products. The ionic strength and temperature dependency of the reaction has also been determined. Contrary to earlier works, the hydrolytic reaction appears not to be subject to major negative or positive catalysis by amino acid species. The rate, however, is pronouncedly influenced by what appears to be general base catalysis by several buffer species.
Heat transfer and flow of a slag-type non-linear fluid: Effects of variable thermal conductivity

In this paper, we study the effects of variable thermal conductivity on the flow and heat transfer in a slag-type non-linear fluid down a vertical wall. The constitutive relation for the heat flux vector is assumed to be the Fourier's law of conduction with a variable thermal conductivity which includes the second order effects of the volume fraction. We numerically solve the non-dimensional form of the governing equations to study the effects of various dimensionless numbers on the velocity, temperature and volume fraction. The results indicate that the thermal conductivity plays a major role in the temperature distribution. Also, for certain values of the dimensionless numbers, minor differences are observed in the velocity and volume fraction distribution compared with the case of constant thermal conductivity.
An overview of monolithic GaAs MESFET travelling-wave amplifiers

Abstract Travelling-wave amplifier concepts combined with the recent advances in GaAs monolithic circuit technology resulted in significant achievements in the state-of-the-art wide-band microwave amplification. This paper is an attempt to summarize the fundamentals of this technology and review the recent experimental results.
Superconducting cuprates prepared by the melt quench process and containing excess Y or additives

Bulk YBaCuO samples doped with excess Y or other additives (including rare earths and Nb) and prepared by means of the melt quench process exhibit high magnetization and diamagnetic susceptibility. These can be attributed to the formation of a microstructure which is highly aligned and has few cracks and voids. These characteristics are associated with the presence of a second phase. The importance of this study lies in its applicability to the preparation of polycrystalline superconducting oxides with very high Jc values through careful control of their microstructure, in particular through the use of non-stoichiometric formulations and the introduction of additives in conjunction with melt-based processing methods.
Bilingual Knowledge Maps (BiK-Maps) in Second-Language Vocabulary Learning.

Bilingual knowledge maps (BiK-maps) were investigated as tools for learning German-English word pairs. Seventy-two undergraduate students participated in the 2-session experiment. They studied 32 word pairs in 1 of 4 conditions, each distinguished by the presentation format for the vocabulary: The 1st group received BiK-maps (word pairs embedded in a spatial and semantic array); the 2nd group studied lists of word pairs; and the 3rd and 4th groups were identical to the 1st and 2nd groups except for the addition of semantic emphasis materials. Free-recall, cued-recall, and multiple-choice tests were taken in Sessions 1 and 2 (48 hr later). BiK-map learners outperformed list learners on all dependent measures. Semantic emphasis negatively affected performance over time.
Argon in Apollo 15 green glass spherules (15426):40Ar39Ar age and trapped argon

The results of thermal-release argon analyses of neutron-irradiated green glass spherules separated from the lunar sample 15426 are discussed. It is shown that the gas-retention age determined by the Ar-40-Ar-39 method is similar to that of local mare basalts, and differs from the ages of Appenine Front samples recovered from the same region as 15426. Trapped argon is present in near-surface regions of the spherules, and can be resolved into at least two components requiring separate origins: a shallow (0.1 micron) component with Ar-40/Ar-39 not less than 30, and a deeper (2.0 micron) component with an Ar-40/Ar-39 ratio of 2.9. The ratio of trapped Ar-40 to Ar-36 is higher than in any lunar soil samples, and suggests that the trapped gas was implanted early in the spherules history.
Ultrarelativistic cascades and strangeness production

A two phase cascade, LUCIFER II, developed for the treatment of ultra high energy Ion-Ion collisions is applied to the production of strangeness at SPS energies. This simulation is able to simultaneously describe both hard processes such as Drell-Yan and slower, soft processes such as the production of light mesons by separating the dynamics into two steps, a fast cascade involving only the nucleons in the original colliding relativistic ions followed, after an appropriate delay, by a normal multiscattering of the resulting excited baryons and mesons produced virtually in the first step. No energy loss can take place in the short time interval over which the first cascade takes place. The chief result is a reconciliation of the important Drell-Yan measurements with the apparent success of standard cascades to describe the nucleon stopping and meson production in heavy ion experiments at the CERN SPS.
Temperature dependence and annealing effects on magnetoelastic SAW attenuation and magnetoresistance in Ni films

The magnetic field dependencies of 600 MHz magnetoelastic Rayleigh-mode surface acoustic wave (SAW) attenuation and dc magnetoresistance of Ni thin films were measured as a function of temperature and correlated with variations of the samples' anisotropy field. Thin film samples ( 10 dB/cm) in SAW attenuation response. This effect may be due to irreversible magnetoelastic annealing effects between the thin film and substrate. After annealing, the subsequent temperature dependence of sample response repeatably correlated with a linear (-0.6 Oe/K) temperature dependence of the samples' uniaxial anisotropy field. The temperature dependent anisotropy may be caused by the combined effects of the magnetostriction and differential thermal expansion between the polycrystalline Ni films and the anisotropic quartz substrates. These effects can be used to provide a method for enhancement of the sample magnetoelastic SAW attenuation and magnetoresistive response by controlling the magnitude and direction of the sample's anisotropy field.
Functional analysis of cemented medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty

Gait analysis was used to study patients who underwent cemented medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) for medial compartment degenerative knee disease. All had excellent clinical function of the operated knee, with minimal involvement of other joints. Ten patients met the inclusion criteria for this study. Gait findings from this study group, as well as those from a similar cohort of patients who had undergone total knee arthroplasty (TKA), were compared with those for a group of normal patients. A greater percentage of patients (7 of 10) following UKA maintained the normal biphasic flexion/extension moment pattern about the knee or demonstrated a quadriceps overuse pattern, when compared with similar groups following TKA. In addition, the adduction moment in patients following UKA was significantly larger than in patients following TKA. The postoperative limb alignment correlated with the peak adduction moment recorded during the patient's gait analysis. The postoperative alignment may explain the differences in the adduction moment between the UKA and TKA patients, as there tended to be residual varus in the UKA population. The results of this study imply that preservation of the anterior cruciate ligament during UKA allows patients to maintain normal quadriceps mechanics, and that residual varus alignment subjects a medial UKA to higher loads.
Implementing Lean principles with the Six Sigma advantage: How a battery company realized significant improvements

Lean Manufacturing can produce startlingly good results—but implementing them can be costly in time and other resources, whose investment does not always pay off. When Lean principles are integrated with Six Sigma practices, however, their success rate grows—and, most importantly, improvements become embedded in daily work life on a continuing basis. One battery company instituted this blend of methods, and dramatically reduced its cost of capital while streamlining its manufacturing process—as well as improving its customer satisfaction levels. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Abuse, Not Financial Incentive, Predicts Non-Credible Cognitive Performance in Patients With Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures

Participants with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) who fail symptom validity testing (SVT) perform worse on neuropsychological testing than those who do not, consistent with results found in participants with different clinical presentations (e.g., mild traumatic brain injury). However, little is known about how variables typically associated with SVT failure in other populations (e.g., the presence of financial incentives, exaggerated report of psychopathology) correlate with SVT failure in participants with PNES. Likewise the relationship between SVT failure and reported abuse, one of the most frequently described demographic characteristics of the PNES population, has not been examined. We found that failure on the Word Memory Test (WMT) in 91 participants with PNES was strongly associated with reported abuse but, contrary to expectations, was not associated with the presence of financial incentives or severity of reported psychopathology. These results indicate that the factors driving WMT failure may differ significantly in participants with PNES in ways that are potentially clinically relevant.
Growth and antigenic properties of a spontaneously regressing subline of leukemia L1210

A subline (1210/MR) of the lethal parental L1210 leukemia cell line has been demonstrated to undergo dose-dependent spontaneous regression in both syngeneic and hybrid mice, although the regressing and non-regressing cells differed only slightly in growth rate. The regressed mice, like those actively immunized, were specifically protected from the subsequent challenge with L1210 cells. In addition, L1210/MR cells when coinjected could protect CD2F1 mice from low but lethal doses of L1210 cells. These two cell lines shared at least one cross-reacting cell surface antigen as determined by an isologous anti-L1210/MR immune serum. Such immune serum after being absorbed by L1210 cells still retained its in vitro complement-dependent cytotoxicity against L1210/MR cells. We conclude that the cell lines are antigenically related but L1210/MR cells may possess additional novel antigens, and that spontaneous regression of L1210 may be an L1210-specific immunological phenomenon.
Investigating hydroxyl chemical exchange using a variable saturation power chemical exchange saturation transfer (vCEST) method at 3 T

Purpose To develop a chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) scheme sensitive to hydroxyl protons at 3 T. Clinical imaging of hydroxyl moieties can have an impact on osteoarthritis, neuropsychiatric disorders, and cancer. Theory: By varying saturation amplitude linearly with frequency offset, the direct water saturation component of the Z-spectrum is flattened and can be subtracted to produce a magnetization transfer ratio difference spectrum (MTRdiff) that isolates solute resonances. Variable saturation power allows for near optimization of hydroxyl and amine/amide moieties in one Z-spectrum. Methods Phantom studies were used to test vCEST performance in two environments: (1) aqueous single-solute (glycogen, glucose); (2) aqueous multiple solute (glycogen with bovine serum albumin). In vivo vCEST imaging of glycosaminoglycan content in patellar-femoral cartilage was performed in a subject with history of cartilage transplant. Results In solutions with overlapping resonances, vCEST resolves separate hydroxyl and amine/amide peaks. CEST hydroxyl signal in cartilage is negligible, but with vCEST, hydroxyl signal ranged from 2 to 5% ppm and showed distinct contrast between lesions and normal appearing cartilage. Conclusion Introduced a variable saturation amplitude CEST (vCEST) scheme to improve sensitivity to exchangeable hydroxyl moieties at 3 T resulting in detection of hydroxyl in the presence of multiple solutes with overlapping resonances. Magn Reson Med, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Health information technology is a vehicle, not a destination: a conversation with David J. Brailer. Interview by Arnold Milstein.

ABSTRACT: The first U.S. national health care information technology (IT) coordinator estimates that if the current rate of interoperable electronic health record (EHR) adoption is sustained throug...
People and Pedagogues: E. E. Schattschneider and the Democratic Creed

This is the 50th anniversary of E. E. Schattschneider's Party Government , that eloquent and influential manifesto, first published in 1942, celebrating party government and popular rule. It is also an occasion to recall one of the pioneers in the profession, and to reflect on his contributions to the development of political science as an intellectual discipline. I have been asked to comment, albeit briefly, on Schattschneider's public philosophy, and, less grandly, on his notion of citizenship and citizen education—a daunting task, at best. I say this because Schattschneider's views are widely known and widely cited, as even a cursory glance at entries in recent editions of the Social Science Citation Index reveals. And he writes in a style that is eloquent and accessible, and leaves little doubt in the reader's mind about where he stands on issues. As a result, any commentary on his views runs the risk of either stating what everyone already knows, or, worse yet, mis-stating it.
Control system testbeds and toys: serendipitous or suspect?

What role do experimental control system studies take with respect to theory, education, and design? Perceived advances in control systems research can easily be offset by suspect experimental evaluations resulting from narrow investigations into specific problems. Likewise, attention to implementation details is unquestionably a necessary component of any control design, often to the extent of actual experimentation. In this brief paper we provide philosophical views on issues related to the impact of experimental work on the field of control systems, and on the relative value of "toy" projects, "laboratory scale" testbeds, and full-scale experimental apparatus. In so doing we represent the university viewpoint, where experimentation serves a dual purpose: research and education.
The “standards for openness hypothesis” Why women find (conflict) avoidance more dissatisfying than men

This study tests a new standards for openness hypothesis, which argues that the association between avoidance and dissatisfaction will be non-recursive and that the discrepancy between standards for openness and topic avoidance should be associated with rumination (particularly for women), which, in turn, predicts relational dissatisfaction. One hundred dating couples talked about a conflict-inducing topic and completed a follow-up survey one week later. The standards for openness hypothesis largely held true for women, but not men, and only for perceptions of partners’ avoidance. In addition, the more dissatisfied men and women were before the conversation, the more they avoided during it, but men’s avoidance did not predict relationship dissatisfaction after the conversation like it did for women.
Stabilized epoxygenated fatty acids regulate inflammation, pain, angiogenesis and cancer

Epoxygenated fatty acids (EpFAs), which are lipid mediators produced by cytochrome P450 epoxygenases from polyunsaturated fatty acids, are important signaling molecules known to regulate various biological processes including inflammation, pain and angiogenesis. The EpFAs are further metabolized by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) to form fatty acid diols which are usually less-active. Pharmacological inhibitors of sEH that stabilize endogenous EpFAs are being considered for human clinical uses. Here we review the biology of ω-3 and ω-6 EpFAs on inflammation, pain, angiogenesis and tumorigenesis.
Motor drives and control

Summary form only given, as follows. The presentation will go over motor drive fundamentals including dc motor control and ac induction motor control. In general, the motor drive includes two control loops: (1) speed and (2) current. The speed loop normally deals with field and torque commands, and the current loop is to control the instantaneous armature current. Such a general motor drive control concept is applicable to both dc and ac motors. With understanding of dc motor speed control, the rationale for the need of ac motor vector control will be derived. Different vector control methods will be explained using the decoupled equivalent circuits. In terms of current control, both dc and ac motors need the so-called pulse-width-modulated (PWM) converters or inverters to regulate the current. Different PWM techniques will be explained in this presentation. Finally the PWM inverter related motor drive issues will be addressed.
Burnout among School Psychologists in the USA Further Data Related to its Prevalence and Correlates

A heterogeneous sample of NASP members responded to a survey that included the Maslach Burnout Inventory and a demographic and job functions questionnaire. The results cross-validated the findings ...
European Integration and Labour Market Cooperation: A Comparative Regional Perspective

National economies around the world are becoming increasingly integrated. While regional integration offers opportunities for mutual gain, it also fosters distributional consequences, thus creating economic and political risks for governments. Governments pursue different strategies for coping with risk. The first strategy is protectionism. A second strategy is to link economic openness with the provision of domestic compensation. A final strategy is for nations to develop mechanisms to coordinate rules, norms, or principles to govern working conditions and industrial relations. The political conflict between nations at different stages of economic development, and the regional responses in the EU, NAFTA, MERCOSUR, and ASEAN all follow a similar pattern, with the more advanced economies pressing for some harmonization that would moderate the competitive advantages of developing countries. Given this cleavage, various compromises have been struck, which confirmed national policy control but also amounted t...
Evanescent Acoustic Waves From Subcritical Beam Illumination: Laboratory Measurements Near a Liquid–Liquid Interface

Grazing illumination of smooth sediments by acoustical beams generates a rapidly decaying evanescent transmitted wave. One approach to laboratory-based simulation of this process is described in this paper. Immiscible liquids are placed in contact, and the acoustical source is placed in the liquid having the lower sound speed. The orientation of the source transducer (a piezocomposite panel) is adjusted to give subcritical beam illumination. An acoustical field that has a significant evanescent component close to the interface is generated in the second liquid. The second liquid (water) has a lower density than the liquid containing the source of the acoustical beam so that the liquid containing the source is trapped below the simulated sediment (the water). This arrangement is convenient for hydrophone scans of the detailed soundfield in the simulated sediment. Above the center of the illuminated region, close to the interface, the field decays exponentially with a fixed phase. Adjacent to the intensely illuminated region there is a sequence of quasi-nulls associated with the interference of relatively weak evanescent and nonevanescent components of the transmitted wave. Similar features are found to be present in soundfields computed using the OASES, a widely used wave-number-integration-based algorithm.
Comparison of estimated and experimental subaqueous seed transport

We compare the estimates from the relative bed stability (RBS) equation that indicates incipient bed movement, and the inertial settling (‘Impact’) law and Wu and Wang (2006) settling velocity equations that indicate suspended particle movement, to flume and settling velocity observations to confirm the utility of the equations for subaqueous hydrochory analyses, and to calibrate our estimates by examining the method by which seed volume is obtained. Comparison of the observed measures with the estimates of the inertial settling (‘Impact’) law and RBS equations indicate that these two equations appear to provide reasonable approximations of the velocities required to achieve transport both in suspension and on the bed, respectively. The use of the water displacement method for volume measurement is a technologically simple method for improving the accuracy of the estimates. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cost allocation implications of dynamic wheel loading

Recovery of agency costs in the provision of highway infrastructure is achieved through the process of highway cost allocation. Cost responsibilities are usually assigned to various highway users in terms of the relative consumption of the infrastructure. The implications of knowledge of dynamic wheel load for assigning cost responsibilities is presented. Pavement and vehicle characteristics are shown to have noticeable effects on the cost shares between different vehicle configurations and operating weights. Heavy vehicles equipped with road friendly air suspension systems are responsible for joint pavement costs that are about five percent less than those equipped with steel spring suspensions when operated at similar speeds, payload and on identical pavement conditions. Given that road and bridge–friendly suspension systems are becoming increasingly popular, cost allocation in terms of dynamic loads provides a fair basis for assigning costs to heavy trucks.
Employing task arrangements and verbal contingencies to promote verbalizations between retarded children.

This study investigated the effects of arranging task events for interdependence, to increase the probability of social responding. During task interdependence, the subjects, participating in dyads and a four-person group, obtained task materials (a puzzle piece) from their partner before completing their task (appropriately placing the puzzle piece). The verbal contingency required a verbal request to precede a subject's receiving a task material from his partner. The verbal contingency yoked with task interdependence made task completion contingent on the appropriate verbalization. The findings from two experiments suggested that task interdependence was sufficient to increase partner-directed verbalizations for three of the four subjects. When the verbal contingency was added, all subjects increased their requests and other verbalizations to partner. Applied to a four-person group, the verbal contingency yoked with varying levels of task interdependence correspondingly affected the pattern and level of group communications. The greater the task interdependence, i.e., the more members each subject depended on to complete his task, the more complex the social network of verbal contacts, and the higher the level of both requests and other verbalizations for the group.
Astronauts and mosquitoes

Processing devices, even relatively low-end ones, are sent forth into the world in much the same way as we send astronauts into space. They are carefully packaged to protect them from the environment, accompanied by a great deal of baggage, given long-range communications abilities, and -in order to allow them to run at the performance limits of current process technology -equipped with substantial life-support systems in the form of heavy-duty cooling and ultra-regulated power supplies.
Distinct But Conserved Functions for Two Chloroplastic NADP-Malic Enzyme Isoforms in C3 and C4 Flaveria Species

In the most common C4 pathway for carbon fixation, an NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME) decarboxylates malate in the chloroplasts of bundle sheath cells. Isoforms of plastidic NADP-ME are encoded by two genes in all species of Flaveria, including C3, C3-C4 intermediate, and C4 types. However, only one of these genes, ChlMe1, encodes the enzyme that functions in the C4 pathway. We compared the expression patterns of the ChlMe1 and ChlMe2 genes in developing leaves of Flaveria pringlei (C3) and Flaveria trinervia (C4) and in transgenic Flaveria bidentis (C4). ChlMe1 expression in C4 species increases in leaves with high C4 pathway activity. In the C3 species F. pringlei, ChlMe1 expression is transient and limited to early leaf development. In contrast, ChlMe2 is expressed in C3 and C4 species concurrent with stages in chloroplast biogenesis. Because previous studies suggest that NADP-ME activities generally reflect the level of its mRNA abundance, we discuss possible roles of ChlMe1 and ChlMe2 based on these expression patterns.
Dynamics of CO binding to heme proteins

Measurements of carbon monoxide binding to the heme proteins myoglobin, the separated α and β chains of hemoglobin, chemically modified chains of hemoglobin, cytochrome P450 with and without substrate camphor, and heme model compounds protoheme and heme c octapeptide have been performed over wide ranges in temperature (2-350 °K) and time (10−6-103 seconds) using flash photolysis. Two basic features characterize our results. (l) Access to the active site is governed by multiple barriers that are associated with structure in the system. The innermost barrier is produced by the active center, the outermost by the solvent, and the intermediate ones by the protein. The enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs energy changes at all the barriers have been determined. (2) The activation enthalpy of the innermost barrier is not sharp, but is distributed. We explain the spectrum by postulating the heme protein to exist in many different conformational states, with different activation enthalpies. The resulting distribution is characteristic of the protein. Correlations of these results and the known structural features of the heme proteins and heme model compounds illustrate some of the effects of protein structure on the reactions carried out by heme proteins.
The influence of selected goitrogenic compounds on the thyroid gland of the chick.

THE CHEMICAL nature and activity of more than 300 compounds inhibiting the function of the thyroid gland of the rat have been reported by Astwood (1943) and by Astwood, Bissell, and Hughes (1945). It appeared of interest to extend to the chick observations on a selected group of these agents not only to test their potency in a second species but also as an attempt to obtain a less expensive or more sensitive object for the investigation of antithyroid drugs. An assay in the chick appeared of further interest in view of the extensive hypertrophy which can be induced in the thyroid gland of this species.
The Real Estate Market in the Russian Federation in H1 2014

In H1 2014, 375,800 apartments with the total floorspace of 29.4m sq. m. were built which value amounted to 130.2% on the respective period of the previous year. In Q2 2014, the average actual cost of building of 1sq m of housing increased by 13.55% as compared to Q2 2013 and amounted to Rb 40,456, while the ratio between the price of 1 sq. m of housing on the primary housing market decreased within the same period by 12.6% and amounted to 125.86%. In H1 2014, the volume of registration of individuals’ titles of ownership (2,796,474 certificates) to land plots increased by 1.69% as compared to H1 2013. In January-July 2014, 538,482 MHL for the total amount of Rb 927,038 bn were extended which value exceeds the volume of MHL extended in January-July 2013 by 39.67% and 31.01% in monetary terms and as regards the number of loans, respectively. In July 2014, the weighted average rate on MHL extended in rubles within a month fell by 0.02 p.p. to 12.21% as compared to July.
Impact of the 2011 heat wave on mortality and emergency department visits in Houston, Texas

Heat waves have been linked to increased risk of mortality and morbidity, and are projected to increase in frequency and intensity in a changing climate. Houston and other areas in Texas experienced an exceptional heat wave in the summer of 2011 producing the hottest August on record. This study aims to assess the health-related impact of this heat wave. Distributed lag models were used to estimate associations between the 2011 heat wave and all-cause mortality and emergency department (ED) visits from May 1 through September 30 for the five-year period 2007–2011. The 2011 heat wave is defined as a continuous period from August 2 through 30, 2011 according to the heat advisories issued by the local National Weather Service office, and is included in the models as a dummy variable. We compared the estimated excess risk among the models with and without adjustment of continuous temperature and ozone. The 2011 heat wave in Houston was associated with a 3.6% excess risk in ED visits (95% CI: 0.6%, 6.6%) and 0.6% increase in mortality risk (95% CI: -5.5%, 7.1%). The elderly over 65 years of age were at the greatest risk in ED visits. These patterns are consistent across different heat-wave definitions, and results are similar when adjusting for continuous temperature and ozone. The 2011 heat wave in Houston had a substantial impact on ED visits and no significant impact on mortality. Our findings provide insights into local heat-wave and health preparations and interventions.
Role of functional imaging in the development and refinement of invasive neuromodulation for psychiatric disorders

Deep brain stimulation(DBS) is emerging as a pow-erful tool for the alleviation of targeted symptoms in treatment-resistant neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite the expanding use of neuropsychiatric DBS, the mecha-nisms responsible for its effects are only starting to be elucidated. Several modalities such as quantitative elec-troencephalography as well a intraoperative recordings have been utilized to attempt to understand the under-pinnings of this new treatment modality, but functional imaging appears to offer several unique advantages. Functional imaging techniques like positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomog-raphy and functional magnetic resonance imaging have been used to examine the effects of focal DBS on activ-ity in a distributed neural network. These investigations are critical for advancing the field of invasive neuro-modulation in a safe and effective manner, particularly in terms of defining the neuroanatomical targets and refining the stimulation protocols. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current functional neuroim-aging findings from neuropsychiatric DBS implantation for three disorders: treatment-resistant depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Tourette syndrome. All of the major targets will be discussed(Nucleus ac-cumbens, anterior limb of internal capsule, subcallosal cingulate, Subthalamic nucleus, Centromedial nucleus of the thalamus-Parafasicular complex, frontal pole, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). We will also address some apparent inconsistencies within this literature, and suggest potential future directions for this promis-ing area.
Long-Term Care: Who Gets It, Who Provides It, Who Pays, And How Much?

Long-term care in the United States is needed by 10.9 million community residents, half of them nonelderly, and 1.8 million nursing home residents, predominantly elderly. Ninety-two percent of community residents receive unpaid help, while 13 percent receive paid help. Paid community-based long-term care services are primarily funded by Medicaid or Medicare, while nursing home stays are primarily paid for by Medicaid plus out-of-pocket copayments. Per person expenditures are five times as high, and national expenditures three times as high, for nursing home residents compared to community residents. This suggests that a redistribution of spending across care settings might produce substantial savings or permit service expansions.
ATPase Activity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis SecA1 and SecA2 Proteins and Its Importance for SecA2 Function in Macrophages

The Sec-dependent translocation pathway that involves the essential SecA protein and the membrane-bound SecYEG translocon is used to export many proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane. Recently, several pathogenic bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, were shown to possess two SecA homologs, SecA1 and SecA2. SecA1 is essential for general protein export. SecA2 is specific for a subset of exported proteins and is important for M. tuberculosis virulence. The enzymatic activities of two SecA proteins from the same microorganism have not been defined for any bacteria. Here, M. tuberculosis SecA1 and SecA2 are shown to bind ATP with high affinity, though the affinity of SecA1 for ATP is weaker than that of SecA2 or Escherichia coli SecA. Amino acid substitution of arginine or alanine for the conserved lysine in the Walker A motif of SecA2 eliminated ATP binding. We used the SecA2(K115R) variant to show that ATP binding was necessary for the SecA2 function of promoting intracellular growth of M. tuberculosis in macrophages. These results are the first to show the importance of ATPase activity in the function of accessory SecA2 proteins.
Introducing Matrix Operations through Biological Applications

For the Blue Waters Undergraduate Petascale Education Program (NSF), we developed a computational science module, "Living Links: Applications of Matrix Operations to Population Studies," which introduces matrix operations using applications to population studies and provides accompanying programs in a variety of systems (C/MPI, MATLAB, Mathematica). The module provides a foundation for the use of matrix operations that are essential to modeling numerous computational science applications from population studies to social networks. This paper describes the module; details experiences using the material in two undergraduate courses (High Performance Computing and Linear Algebra) in 2010 and 2011 at Wofford College and two workshops for Ph.D. students at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, in 2011; and describes refinements to the module based on suggestions in student and instructor evaluations.
Auffällige geburtshilfliche Anamnese

Bei der Anlage eines neuraxialen Blockadeverfahrens ist die transiente Viramie, welche eine primare Herpesinfektion begleitet, von Bedenken. Zum Zeitpunkt der Viramie sollte ein neuraxiales Blockadevergfahren vermieden werden. Aktive Herpeslasionen sind jedoch meist sekundarer Natur und selten mit einer Viramie vergesellschaftet. Uber die komplikationslose Durchfuhrung einer Spinalanasthesie bei sekundaren Herpesvirusinfektionen wurde mehrfach berichtet (25, 26). Spinal-oder Epiduralanasthesie sind daher bei sekundaren Herpesvirusinfektionen ohne systemische Manifestationen nicht kontraindiziert.
Decays of /sup 50/Sc, /sup 50/Sc/sup m/, /sup 50/Ca, and /sup 47/K

Gamma rays from the decays of /sup 50/Sc, /sup 50/Sc/sup m/, /sup 50/Ca, and /sup 47/K, produced by /sup 48/Ca+t reactions at E/sub t/ = 3.2 MeV, were investigated with a Ge(Li) detector. A 3.5-MV Van de Graaff and a ''rabbit'' target-transfer system were used. Precision energy measurements resulted in the following ..gamma..-ray energies (in keV): /sup 50/Sc, 523.792(18), 1121.124(5), and 1553.768(8); /sup 50/Ca, 71.552(5), 256.894(10), 1519.300(20), and 1590.850(30). Relative ..gamma..-ray intensities were also measured and more accurate ..beta../sup -/ and ..gamma..-ray branches in the decay schemes of /sup 50/Sc, /sup 50/Ca, and /sup 47/K were obtained. Limits were set on unobserved branches and, in /sup 50/Sc decay, five new ..beta../sup -/ branches were found. By using a short timing cycle it was found that a possible ..beta../sup -/ branch from /sup 50/Sc/sup m/ to the 2/sup +/ 1554-keV state of /sup 50/Ti is <2.5%. An incidental result was a value of 520.436(15) keV for the lowest energy ..gamma.. ray in /sup 83/Rb decay. The ..beta../sup -/ decay of /sup 50/Sc is compared to shell-model predictions.
Herpes zoster ophthalmicus: declining age at presentation

Objective To investigate changes in the age of occurrence of herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) in patients presenting to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) from 2007 through 2013. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Academic tertiary referral centre for ophthalmic conditions. Participants 913 patients with acute HZO. Methods A total of 1283 potential cases were identified by searching the MEEI electronic medical record for patient charts with International Classification of Diseases 9 codes for herpes zoster, shingles and varicella from 2007 through 2013. The cases were reviewed to confirm diagnosis of acute HZO, requiring documentation of a skin rash or pain in the V1 distribution, resulting in inclusion of 913 cases. Main outcome measures Number of HZO cases each year, mean age of HZO cases each year, number of HZO cases with an immunodeficiency state. Results The number of patients with HZO presenting to MEEI increased from 71 cases in 2007 to 195 cases in 2013. The mean age of patients with acute HZO reduced significantly from 61.2 years in 2007 to 55.8 years in 2013 (p=0.0119). The number of patients with acute HZO in the setting of an immunodeficiency state did not change significantly over the study period. Conclusions Ever since the introduction of varicella vaccination in children, there has been debate regarding its effect on zoster epidemiology, particularly regarding the potential to reduce population exposure and limit repeated immunological boosts against varicella zoster virus in adults. Patients presenting to MEEI with HZO were younger on average in 2013 than in 2007. Although a population-based study is necessary to test the hypothesis, our study suggests that varicella vaccination of children remains a possible explanation for the increased number of cases and reduction in mean age of newly diagnosed patients.
MicroRNAs in the Pathogenesis of Viral Infections and Cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as a class of broadly conserved small RNAs that facilitate the sequence-specific, post-transcriptionally regulation of gene expression. These small regulatory RNAs have been shown to play essential roles in many important biological processes from metabolism to apoptosis. Alterations in miRNA expression profiles can have pathogenic consequences. This article will examine the role that miRNAs play in the pathophysiology of viral infections and cancer.
One Area of Basic Misunderstanding among Teacher Candidates

Understanding the calculation of area is important to mathematics learning and real world applications and contributes to teachers' diagnosis and correction of students' errors. Because our experience led us to suspect that many teachers may lack adequate concepts of measurement of area, we tested 102 undergraduate (sophomore) students (46 men and 56 women) in an introductory education class at a state university. Each subject was given a test paper printed with instructions and a model rectangle marked to indicate it was 5 units wide x 6 units long. Four other similarly marked lines were printed below, each representing the left side of a new rectangle to be drawn by the subject so as to have an area equal to the model rectangle. These Lines, positioned vertically along the left margin to become the left sides of new rectangles, were 2, 3, 4 and 10 marked units long. Subjects were asked to draw the three missing sides of these new rectangles. This task was similar to one developed by Piaget and also used in a recent study of children's judgments of area (Hirstein, et al., 1978), except college-age adults were tested. Responses were correct if the missing sides were drawn to the correct lengths or if the appropriate unit marks were visible, even if actual proportions were distorted. Based on subjects' written explanations and drawings, errors were classified according to the misconceptions found in children's thinking by Hirstein, et 01. (1978). To identify possible influencing factors chi-squared values were calculated for performance on the area test and each of the following: number of high school mathematics courses, college GPA, year in college, sex, and teaching major. Only sex was statistically significant; men performed better than women (p < .01). Of the 102 students tested 57 (35 women and 19 men) or 56% did not draw the correct length of the missing side of one or more of the four new rectangles. Virtually all errors were classifiable as one of the misconceptions identified by Hirstein, et al. as common among children. Four (two men and two women) employed the mOSK primitive of misconceptions (constructing all new rectangles the same length as the original figure even though each had a different width) and 37 confused the concepts of perimeter and area: area is thought to be calculated by counting the units around the edge. Eighteen subjects saw the given units as indivisible rather than subdividable, that is, they were unable to deal successfully with the rectangle which required a fractional side. Only 44% (18 of 56 women and 27 of 46 men) were able to perform this simple task of measurement of area (drawing all four rectangles correctly), while 56% apparently were thinking about area measured in the same naive ways as many young children.
Analysis and Design of Express Logistics MIS Based on Object-oriented Methodology

On the basis of object-oriented methodology,the paper employs the business use-case diagram and higher-level activity graph of the UML modeling toolbox to the analysis of the business processes of express logistics enterprise.From the two aspects of system demand and problem domain,the paper carries out a detailed systems analysis of the business processes and works out their overall functions and framework.