cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Secondary crack trajectory for longitudinal shear problems

In some practical problems the direction of crack growth is not colinear with the orientation of the pre-existing and unloaded crack. The longitudinal shear loading is one for which an analytical solution can be exploited and the strain energy variation with respect to relative orientation can be evaluated.
26 Comparative Effects of Ibuprofen (IB) and Indomethacin (IN) for Suppression of Retinal VEGF Signaling in Rats

26 Comparative Effects of Ibuprofen (IB) and Indomethacin (IN) for Suppression of Retinal VEGF Signaling in Rats
Verapamil in the treatment of asystolic and pulseless idioventricular rhythm cardiopulmonary arrests: A preliminary report

A randomized, double-blinded study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the calcium antagonist verapamil in patients in cardiopulmonary arrest with asystole or pulseless idioventricular rhythm (PIVR). Twenty-one such patients presenting to the emergency department received either verapamil (10 mg) or normal saline placebo in an intravenous bolus as initial therapy. They were then treated according to standard American Heart Association guidelines with the exception that calcium was not used. If these rhythms persisted after ten minutes, a second bolus of verapamil or saline was given. Resuscitation was successful in two of ten patients (20%) receiving verapamil and in one of 11 patients (9%) receiving placebo. This similar outcome (P = .462) in this small series suggests that verapamil may not add to successful resuscitation in these patients. Additional studies are needed to define the role of calcium and its antagonists in the treatment of asystole and PIVR.
EVOLUTION OF MONOGAMY IN TERMITES

Summary Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin of lifetime monogamy in the Isoptera. The classic explanation is that (1) the male must be present to continually provide sperm for the vast number of eggs produced by the queen (Snyder, 1924: Brian, 1983). Thornhill & Alcock (1983) proposed that (2) synchrony in the availability of receptive females necessitates mate guarding; males subsequently gain if they improve the relative reproductive success of their sole partner. Our review of the literature on termite flight behaviour, courtship behaviour, and incipient colony development indicates that neither of these two hypotheses satisfactorily explains the evolution of monogamy in termites. Because incipient colonies of lower termites exhibit a very low fecundity, it is doubtful that the continued presence of the male initially was due to the need for a continuous supply of spermatozoa. It is possible, however, that sperm requirements for the fertilization of numerous eggs over an extended period of time may be a factor in the persistence of the termites' monogamous mating system. Female alates are much more dispersed in time than implied by Thornhill & Alcock (1983) and there is no evidence of mate guarding. The importance of mate assistance is, however, supported by the literature. We propose a third hypothesis that incorporates the mate assistance element of the Thornhill & Alcock hypothesis: (3) the monogamous mating system of termites was structured by ecological constraints, namely, the low quality and scattered nature of their food/nesting material and the high costs of searching for a mate.
DECREASE IN IGF-I mRNA CORRELATES WITH INCREASED APOPTOTIC CELL DEATH IN NEONATAL HYPOXIA-ISCHEMIA. ▴ 1196

Perinatal hypoxia-ischemia remains the leading cause of severe brain damage in newborns. Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury includes apoptotic and necrotic cell death resulting from persistent alterations in cellular energy homeostasis. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is an anabolic pleiotrophic factor required by all cell types in the developing brain for optimal proliferation, differentiation, and survival. To determine how cell death and changes in IGF-I gene expression relate to the events of varying times of hypoxia-ischemia, we evaluated the time course of apoptosis in a neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injury model in relationship to IGF-I mRNA levels. One hour after an hypoxic-ischemic insult to the newborn rat brain mRNA levels of IGF-I decreased in the whole hemisphere ipsilateral to the ligated carotid artery. This decrease is more pronounced at 24 hours, especially in areas vulnerable to hypoxic-ischemic injury, such as the thalamus and hippocampus. At 72 hours post-injury, gene expression of IGF-I was activated in reactive astrocytes. The decrease in IGF-I mRNA was concurrent with an increase in apoptosis. The immediate decrease in IGF-I gene expression may be partially responsible for the impending neuronal death and selective vulnerability of myelinogenesis during the perinatal period. The temporal relationship between the decrease in IGF-I and apoptosis may provide clues of prognostic or therapeutic value, especially as it relates to delineation of a “therapeutic window,” where IGF-I gene therapy could theoretically prevent devastating neuronal injury.
Angular Momentum Uncertainty Relation and the Three-Dimensional Oscillator in the Coherent States

An angular momentum uncertainty relation is obtained in terms of sine and cosine operators that have a meaning even in a second-quantization formalism. For a threedimensional oscillator in coherent states the new uncertainty product is a minimum for large $\ensuremath{\Delta}{L}_{z}$. Even for small $\ensuremath{\Delta}{L}_{z}$ the uncertainty product is very small.
Potent small-molecule binding to a dynamic hot spot on IL-2.

The complexes between IL-2 and two similar small molecules, one a lead compound and the other a potent, affinity-optimized compound, were determined by X-ray crystallography. The lead compound (IC50 = 6 μM) bound to a hot spot on IL-2 in a groove that is not apparent in either the unliganded protein or a complex between IL-2 and a weakly bound drug fragment. The affinity-optimized compound (IC50 = 0.06 μM), which has an added aromatic acid fragment, bound in the same groove as the lead compound. In addition, a novel binding site was formed for the aromatic acid which is unseen in the complex with the lead compound. Thus, the hot spot on IL-2 is highly dynamic, with the protein changing form at multiple sites to maximize packing for each compound. Binding-site rigidity is often thought to play a role in high-affinity interactions. However, in this case, specific contacts between the small molecule and the protein are made despite the adaptivity of the hot spot. Given the change in morphology that was obser...
Long-term consequences of body mass index for cardiovascular mortality: the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry study.

Abstract Purpose This report: 1) examines the importance of long-term follow-up (25 years) in BMI–cardiovascular mortality associations in eight age-gender subcohorts from the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry; and 2) addresses the impact of previously identified methodologic problems in studies on weight–mortality associations, which include no adjustment for cigarette smoking, adjustment for physiological effects of obesity, and no exclusion of early deaths. Methods Associations were adjusted for age and ethnicity only, then for cigarettes/day, and for systolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and diabetes, for three periods of follow-up, 0 to 15, 6 to 15, and 16 to 25 years. Results In 25-year follow-up with exclusion of deaths for 0 to 15 years, there was a positive association in all subcohorts, with seven significant, both with and without adjustment for smoking or obesity-related risk factors. In contrast, with adjustment for obesity-related risk factors and no exclusion of early deaths in shorter-term (15-year) follow-up, there were two non-significant positive, three non-significant inverse, one significant positive, and one significant quadratic association. Conclusion Failure to address potential methodologic problems can substantially alter associations in BMI–mortality studies and may contribute to observed differences among studies. The long-term outlook with overweight or obesity is adverse and deserves concerted efforts in prevention and treatment.
Nonlinear Seismic Soil-Pile Structure Interaction:

Abstract Analytical design tools for evaluation of soil‐pile‐structure interaction during seismic events are evaluated and modified. Several implementations of the “Beam on Nonlinear Winkler Foundation” (BNWF) method were used to predict results of centrifuge model tests of single piles in a soft clay soil profile. This paper shows that calculations from these computer codes can be sensitive to the details of the arrangement of nonlinear springs and linear viscous dashpots. Placing the linear viscous dashpots (representing radiation damping in the far field) in series with the hysteretic component of the p‐y elements (representing the nonlinear soil‐pile response in the near field) is shown to be technically preferable to a parallel arrangement of the viscous and hysteretic damping components. Preliminary centrifuge data is reasonably modeled by the numerical calculations using this implementation of damping, but additional field or physical model data are needed to fully evaluate the reliability of BNWF ...
Studies of acid-base-catalyzed reactions: XIV. Isomerization of butene over La2O3 and ZnO

Abstract The hydrogenation and isomerization of n-butenes have been studied over ZnO and La2O3. The kinetic data for ZnO showed that 1-butene was the only isomer which hydrogenated at 28 °C and that the rate of isomerization of 1-butene in the absence of H2 was about equal to the rate of isomerization in the presence of H2 plus the rate of hydrogenation. Moreover, the H2-D2 equilibration reaction was strongly inhibited in the presence of butene. In the absence of hydrocarbon, the time for half-reaction was less than 2 min, whereas in the presence of about 150 Torr of cis-2-butene or 1-butene the half-life times were 59 and 61 min, respectively. For La2O3, hydrogenation of butene did not occur at 60 °C although C2H4 reacted at room temperature. In isomerization, the initial selectivity of cis-2-butene towards formation of trans-2-butene increased (from nearly zero) with temperature and tracer experiments indicated that, as with ZnO, the mechanism of isomerization was intramolecular with a substantial primary isotope effect associated with the removal of a H or D in the formation of the π-allyl intermediate. The mechanism was the same for these two catalysts; the chief difference is in the higher activation energy (20 kcal/mol) for the anti- to syn-π-allyl conversion over La2O3 than for ZnO (15 kcal/mol).
Learning communities in a learning region : the soft infrastructure of cross-firm learning networks in Silicon Valley

The ability of firms, industries, and regions continually to translate information and knowledge into viable new products, services, and production processes in the face of constantly changing technology and market conditions is increasingly at the core of competitive success in the contemporary economy. Such economic learning is ultimately dependent on the ability of individuals to learn, and yet most of the literature in this area has focused on firms and organizational learning processes, and is only beginning to engage seriously with people's learning processes. This paper explores the links between social learning processes and dynamics of innovation in Silicon Valley, arguing that cross-firm, occupationally based, ‘communities of practice’ provide a critical context for individuals to learn and maintain the competencies they need to be successful in the region's dynamic but volatile economy. These cross-firm occupational learning communities in many cases are being built through the activities of fo...
Vertical fluxes of NOx, HONO, and HNO3 above the snowpack at Summit, Greenland

Abstract Vertical gradients of NO x , HONO, and HNO 3 were measured in the lower 1– 2 m above the snowpack at Summit, Greenland, during summer 2000. These measurements are used with simultaneous measurements of atmospheric turbulence using eddy covariance systems to determine the vertical fluxes of NO x , HONO, and HNO 3 . Upward fluxes of NO x and HONO were observed; these emissions were highly correlated with diurnally varying sunlight intensity, consistent with the expectation that they are the result of nitrate photolysis within the snowpack. The HNO 3 flux was smaller in magnitude and more variable than those of HONO and NO x . It was usually downward, but emission was occasionally observed during mid-day. The 24-h average NO x emission (2.52×10 12 molecules m −2 s −1 ) and HONO emission (4.64×10 11 molecules m −2 s −1 ) rates were not balanced by the average HNO 3 deposition rate (7.16×10 11 molecules m −2 s −1 ) , indicating that NO x export may slowly remove nitrogen from the system composed of the atmospheric boundary layer plus the top few cm of the surface snowpack, potentially affecting the amount of nitrate ultimately stored in glacial ice. These measurements imply that snowpack (NO x +HONO) emissions may alter NO x and (through HONO photolysis) OH levels in remote, snow-covered regions, but are small relative to other NO x sources on the global scale.
Does Mandatory Attendance Improve Student Performance

Abstract: Previous empirical literature indicates that student performance is inversely correlated with absenteeism. The author investigates the impact of enforcing an attendance policy on absenteeism and student performance. The evidence suggests that an enforced mandatory attendance policy significantly reduces absenteeism and improves exam performance.
Two-stage based ensemble optimization framework for large-scale global optimization

Abstract Large-scale global optimization (LSGO) is a very important and challenging task in optimization domain, which is embedded in many scientific and engineering applications. In order to strengthen both effectiveness and efficiency of LSGO algorithm, this paper designs a two-stage based ensemble optimization evolutionary algorithm (EOEA) framework, which serially implements two sub-optimizers. These two sub-optimizers mainly focus on exploration and exploitation separately. The EOEA framework can be easily generated, flexibly altered and modified, according to different implementation conditions. In order to analyze the effects of EOEA’s components, we compare its performance on diverse kinds of problems with its two sub-optimizers and three variants. To show its superiorities over the previous LSGO algorithms, we compare its performance with six classical LSGO algorithms on the LSGO test functions of IEEE Congress of Evolutionary Computation (CEC 2008). The performance of EOEA is further evaluated by experimental comparison with four state-of-the-art LSGO algorithms on the test functions of CEC 2010 LSGO competition. To benchmark the practical applicability of EOEA, we adopt EOEA to the parameter calibration problem of water pipeline system. Based on the experimental results on diverse scales of systems, EOEA performs steadily and robustly.
Calculating nonlocal optical properties of structures with arbitrary shape

In a recent Letter [J. M. McMahon, S. K. Gray, and G. C. Schatz, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 097403 (2009)], we outlined a computational method to calculate the optical properties of structures with a spatially nonlocal dielectric function. In this paper, we detail the full method and verify it against analytical results for cylindrical nanowires. Then, as examples of our method, we calculate the optical properties of Au nanostructures in one, two, and three dimensions. We first calculate the transmission, reflection, and absorption spectra of thin films. Because of their simplicity, these systems demonstrate clearly the longitudinal (or volume) plasmons characteristic of nonlocal effects, which result in anomalous absorption and plasmon blueshifting. We then study the optical properties of spherical nanoparticles, which also exhibit such nonlocal effects. Finally, we compare the maximum and average electric field enhancements around nanowires of various shapes to local theory predictions. We demonstrate that when nonlocal effects are included, significant decreases in such properties can occur.
Transporting the picturesque: Australia through the Claude Lorraine Glass

This essay focuses on the connection forged between landscapes and morality via the Romantic picturesque. After discussing the influence of William Gilpin’s aesthetic tracts and the Claude Glass upon ways of seeing and analyzing topographical elements from a moral perspective, I then turn to the ramifications that theories of the picturesque had when transported to the British empire. In the colony of Australia, the picturesque helped to craft a moral vision of the continent by representing the Aboriginal inhabitants as inefficient at cultivating the land, ineligible to own it, and dangerous to the colonists, or by obscuring their actual existence in the country. These visual and written strategies aided in defining the continent as terra nullius, or an empty land, an ideal image of the landscape which morally justified the British appropriation of Australia.
Guggulipid use in hyperlipidemia: case report and review of the literature.

Guggulipid, a standardized guggul extract from the resin of the mukul myrrh tree ( Commiphora mukul ) native to India, has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of epilepsy, ulcers, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and atherosclerosis since 600 BC.[1][1],[2][2] Guggulipid
Neuropsychologic assessment of visual disorders

This article introduces the reader to a sample of visual tests used in the neuropsychologic assessment of patients who present with various visual deficits. As discussed, patients often present with visual abnormalities that cannot be assessed exclusively during the opthtalmologic examination, partly because these problems extend beyond the fundamental aspects of visual processing. Visual problems occur in the context of focal or diffuse brain damage. Neuropsychologic evaluation can provide valuable diagnostic information and information regarding functional strengths and weaknesses. Many visual tests have been developed for clinical use. Some of these tests have been validated with lesion analytic or neuroimaging studies, which highlight the areas of the brain presumed necessary for task performance. Knowledge regarding the neural substrates of test performance allows the clinician to identify the neuropathologic correlates of test failure, which, in turn, is relevant to differential diagnosis. A profile of functional strengths and weaknesses emerges contributing to the treatment of the patient with a visual disorder. In this article, the authors present a subset of visual tests used primarily in the clinical setting. Some of these tests measure lower-level visual deficits (e.g., Judgment of Line Orientation) and others measure higher-level visual/cognitive deficits (e.g., ROCF). Although no firm delineation of test subtypes exists, the authors divide the tests into general categories of visuoperceptual, visuospatial, visuoconstructive, and visual attention/memory. Ultimately, it is incumbent on a trained neuropsychologist to select appropriate visual tests based on the patient's described symptoms and the referral question.
Processing mechanics for flip-chip assembly

In this paper, a non-linear finite element framework was established for processing mechanics modeling of flip-chip packaging assemblies and relevant layered manufacturing. In particular, topological change was considered in order to model the sequential steps during flip-chip assembly. Geometric and material nonlinearity which includes the viscoelastic property of underfill and the creep behavior of solder ball, temperature-dependent material properties were considered. Different stress-free temperatures for different elements in the same model were used to simulate practical manufacturing process-induced thermal residual stress field in the chip assembly. As comparison, two FEM models of flip- chip package considered, associated with different processing schemes, were analyzed. From the finite element analysis, it is found that the stresses and deflections obtained from non-processing model are generally smaller than those obtained from the processing model due to the negligence of the bonding process-induced residual stresses and warpage. The values of the stresses at the given point obtained from the processing model are about 20 percent higher than that obtained from the non-processing model. The deflection values at the given points obtained rom the processing model are usually 25 percent higher than those obtained form the non-processing model. Therefore, a bigger error may be caused by using non-processing model in the analysis of process-induced residual stress field and warpage in the packaging assemblies. It is also noted that the viscoelastic property of the underfill considered in the flip-chip only cause 10 percent change of the stresses and deflections at given points at most. It is shown that the effect of viscoelastic behavior on process-induced stresses during the flip-chip assemblies can be negligible. The creep behavior of the solder balls has stronger effect on the normal stress and the peeling stress of the solder ball at the considered point. The steady state peeling stress is about 20 percent lower than the initial state peeling stress, while the steady state normal stress in x direction is only half the initial state normal stress in x direction.
Comparison Of Temporal Resolution Of A Kinestatic Charge Detector With That Of A Rare-Earth Phosphor Screen

Previous studies [1-3] of the capabilities of a digital radiographic imager employing a scanning strip (slot) beam and a Kinestatic Charge Detector (KCD) have focussed on spatial and contrast resolution. This paper compares the temporal resolution of such a KCD system with that of a system employing a wide area beam and a rare-earth phosphor. The results are largely based on theoretical and computer simulations, including use of a Monte Carlo x-ray transport program, and indicate that for equal image SNR, the KCD yields significantly improved temporal resolution and lower doses than the rare-earth screen system. However, the KCD suffers from tube loading problems and long scan times for patient thicknesses approaching the equivalent of 30 cm of water.
Measurement of non-Maxwellian electron velocity distributions in a reflex discharge

The results of a ruby laser Thomson scattering study of the space and time-resolved electron velocity distributions in a pulsed Penning discharge in hydrogen are presented. Electron densities were to the order of 10 to the 13th/cu cm and temperatures were roughly 3 eV. This point is just prior to the cessation of the discharge ohmic heating pulse. For magnetic strengths less than 200 G, Maxwellian distributions were found over an energy range six times thermal energy. Temperatures agreed with Langmuir probe data. For fields of 450 G, chaotic plasma potentials were observed to be unstable and the Thomson scattering showed that the electron velocity distributions had central temperatures of 2 eV and wing temperatures of 15-12 eV.
A framework for managing quality in the tourist experience

Abstract While the impacts of tourism have received considerable attention, relatively little research has focused on the impacts of tourism from the perspective of the tourists themselves. This paper examines the impacts of tourism on the quality of the tourist's experience. A synthesis of previous research identifies an interrelated series of experiential impacts related to tourist activity. The resulting understanding of the factors that threaten the quality of the tourist experience provides the basis for a management framework aimed toward protecting quality recreation/tourist experiences. The suggested management framework focuses on the identification of undesirable impacts on the tourist experience, the determination of causal factors related to these impacts, and the selection of potential management strategies for ameliorating the undesirable impacts.
Check 21 update: How does it affect you?

As readers may know, the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (Check 21) enabled electronic processing of checks. How do things look today, about two years after Check 21 went into effect? The authors briefly review the provisions of Check 21 and discuss the potential for fraud— along with the current implications for both banks and companies. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Finding missing synchronization in a distributed computation using controlled re-execution

Correct distributed programs are hard to write. Not surprisingly, distributed systems are especially vulnerable to software faults. Testing and debugging is an important way to improve the reliability of distributed systems. A distributed debugger equipped with the mechanism to re-execute the traced computation in a controlled fashion can greatly facilitate the detection and localization of bugs. This approach gives rise to a general problem of predicate control, which takes a computation and a safety property specified on the computation as inputs, and produces a controlled computation, with added synchronization, that maintains the given safety property as output. We devise efficient control algorithms for two classes of useful predicates, namely region predicates and disjunctive predicates. For the former, we prove that the control algorithm is optimal in the sense that it guarantees maximum concurrency possible in the controlled computation. For the latter, we prove that our control algorithm generates the least number of synchronization dependencies and therefore has optimal message-complexity. Furthermore, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition under which it is possible to efficiently compute a minimal controlling synchronization for a general predicate. We also give an algorithm to compute such a synchronization under the condition provided.
The Physical Environment in Relation to High Frequency Callus and Plantlet Development in Anther Cultures of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. Chris

Summary Several physical treatments have been examined for their effects upon callus formation and plant regeneration in anther cultures of the spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. em. Thell) cultivar «Chris». Variation in intensity and duration of low-temperature treatment was found to result in significant differences in callus formation frequency. Also, the use of a semi-solid support medium significantly inhibited callus formation relative to liquid medium, when the optimum cold treatment was used. No significant differences existed among the above treatments for ultimate plantlet production frequencies. Optimal treatments, namely, 2 week treatment of cut tillers at 4 °C in darkness, followed by culture on liquid medium, resulted in callus formation from over 14% of anthers plated and plantlet formation from over 40% of these calli.
Electropolymerization of pyrrole on PAN-based carbon fibers: experimental observations and a multiscale modeling approach

Aqueous electropolymerization of pyrrole on PAN-based carbon fibers has been investigated. Using experimental data obtained from gravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a continuum-level electrokinetic-diffusion model has been developed. For short time, the coating process is reaction-limited. Consequently the weight gain increases linearly with time. However, as the reaction time is increased, the weight gain becomes proportional to the square root of time suggesting that diffusion of the monomer onto the reactive sites of the growing aggregates becomes the controlling mechanism. These observations motivated a multiscale approach for the simulation of mesoscopic coating morphology in a model process where the monomers diffuse to a heterogeneous surface that consists of growing surface-bound polymeric chains with reacting ends. A diffusion-limited, aggregation (DLA)-based approach is used to derive transition probabilities consistent with continuum-level conservation principles and used in lattice Monte Carlo simulations. This approach is illustrated for two-dimensional lattices. The scaling laws obtained for this process such as the thickness of the coating as a function of the number of particles are compared with those for classical DLA. The influence of effective diffusion coefficient and reaction rate constant on the surface coverage, maximum and bulk values of coating density, as well as the boundary layer thickness, is examined in detail.
Correlated errors can lead to better performance of quantum codes

A formulation for evaluating the performance of quantum error correcting codes for a general error model is presented. In this formulation, the correlation between errors is quantified by a Hamiltonian description of the noise process. We classify correlated errors using the system-bath interaction: local versus nonlocal and two-body versus many-body interactions. In particular, we consider Calderbank-Shor-Steane codes and observe a better performance in the presence of correlated errors depending on the timing of the error recovery. We also find this timing to be an important factor in the design of a coding system for achieving higher fidelities.
SU-FF-J-161: Feasibility Analysis On Converting Conventional Orthovoltage Biological Irradiator to a Micro-Beam Array for Small Animal/cell Irradiation

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility and restrictions in converting an X‐ray orthovoltage biological irradiator, PXI‐X‐RAD‐320, to a micro‐beam array using Geant4 Monte Carlo Simulation. Two important aspects of the beam, the peak‐to‐valley ratio (PVR) and beam flux, were evaluated quantitatively. Method and Materials: X‐ray tube used in the irradiator (MXR‐321) was simulated to generate the angular dependent X‐ray spectrum. With this spectrum, X‐ray beams impinged onto a plate with micro‐grids (micro‐beam plate) or a control plate (normal‐beam plate), with photons collected by detectors underneath at spatial resolution of 0.02mm. The impact of such factors as source‐to‐plate distance, plate‐to‐detector distance, with/without blocking, and the diameter of blocking on the beam profiles and flux was evaluated. Kodak EDR2 films were analyzed by VIDAR‐Dosimetrypro‐Advantage scanner.Results: PVR increased and beam flux decreased with decreasing plate‐to‐detector distance. For instance, keeping the source‐to‐plate distance at 345mm from source, a decrease of the plate‐to‐detector distance from 5cm to 1mm led to PVR increase from 1.3 to 687.3 and beam flux increase from 1.16% to 1.27%. The relative low resolution of scanner caused micro‐beam doses being averaged within vicinity area. It was showed that a PVR of 1.916 got from film was consistent with 1.843 from average of the simulation data for 1mm plate‐to‐detector distance. As the source‐to‐plate distance became larger at constant plate‐to‐detector distance, PVR increased whereas beam flux decreased. In situations where a larger plate‐to‐target distance is desired, a blocking with small orifice must be used. While providing an outstanding PVR at orifice diameter of 0.65mm, this method resulted in an extremely low beam flux. Conclusion: A conventional x‐ray irradiator can be converted to a micro‐beam array but with limitations. The primary restriction is caused by machine's large irradiation angular coverage. Advanced method should be developed to evaluate micro‐beam dose from film.
Variation in tidal wetland plant diversity and composition within and among coastal estuaries: assessing the relative importance of environmental gradients

Questions What is the relative importance of topographic (elevation), edaphic (soil salinity, nitrogen and particle size) and hydrologic (estuarine river flow) gradients for variation in tidal wetland plant composition and diversity? Location Four Oregon estuaries: a marine-dominated lagoon, two tidal-driven bays, and a river-dominated site. Methods We surveyed species presence, cover and richness; and environmental factors (soil salinity, grain size, soil nitrogen and elevation) in plots in marsh and swamp. We assessed patterns of community structure and the relative importance of environmental gradients with hierarchical partitioning, ordination, species accumulation curves and path analysis. Results The relative importance of measured environmental gradients on plant occurrence differed by species. Soil salinity or elevation explained the most variation in the majority of common species. Estuarine hydrology, soil nitrogen and soil clay content were usually of secondary or minor importance. Assemblage composition and species richness varied most strongly with tidal elevation. Local soil salinity also affected composition, but differences in estuarine hydrology had comparatively less effect on composition and richness. Higher-elevation wetlands supported larger species pools and higher plot-level richness; fresher wetlands had larger species pools than salt marsh but plot-level richness was relatively invariant to differences in soil salinity. Conclusions Elevation and salinity tended to exert more influence on the vegetation structure of tidal wetlands than estuarine hydrology or other edaphic variables. With relative sea-level rise expected to increase both flooding intensity and salinity exposure in future wetlands, global climate change may lead to changes in species distributions, altered floristic composition and reduced plant species richness.
The Influence of Age on Blood Alcohol Levels and Ethanol-Associated Immunosuppression in a Murine Model of Ethanol Consumption

Several study findings indicate that with ethanol ingestion a number of changes occur in the immune system. We studied the effects of ethanol consumption on mice at various ages. We used a murine model in which young (age 6-8 weeks), middle-aged (age 12 months), and old (age 24 months) male C57Bl/6 mice were pair-fed either a Leiber-DeCarli liquid diet containing 7% (v/v) ethanol or an isocaloric control diet. Consumption of ethanol diet for 8 days resulted in high blood alcohol levels in young and old mice; low levels were observed in middle-aged mice. Middle-aged mice consumed more ethanol than did either young or old mice and had the lowest percent body weight loss of all three age groups. Proliferation of spleen lymphocytes to T-cell stimuli (concanavalin A and alloantigens) in both young and old mice fed ethanol was diminished. T-cell function was unchanged in middle-aged mice consuming an ethanol diet when compared with that observed in age-matched mice pair-fed control diet. No effect of ethanol on proliferation to lipopolysaccharide was noted in any group. Proliferative response of T cells to soluble anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody was also decreased in middle-aged and old pair-fed control mice when compared with young control mice. The proliferative response to soluble anti-CD3 in all three age groups of mice fed ethanol, however, was not significantly affected by ethanol consumption.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Web-Based Interactive Analysis and Animation of Mechanisms

A Web-based mechanism analysis and animation system is presented in this article. The system is developed in Ch, an embeddable C/C++ interpreter, and Ch Mechanism Toolkit. It allows users to solve complicated planar mechanism problems conveniently on-line. Users can input the required data to define a mechanism in a Web browser and then click a button for kinematic and dynamic analysis, graphical plotting, and animation for four-bar, crank-slider, geared fivebar, sixbar linkages and cam-follower systems. Examples are provided to illustrate its ease of use as well as its suitability for distance learning. The Web-based system for mechanism analysis and animation is available on the Web at http://www.softintegration/webservices/mechanism/.
Ultrabithorax, an Intrinsically Disordered Protein, Selects Protein Interactions by Topology

Interaction between two structured proteins requires both complementary topologies to generate a sufficient interface and surface groups capable of forming bonds within this interface to stabilize the complex. When one (or both) partners is intrinsically disordered as a monomer, but folds upon interaction, the same rules for partner selection - complementary topology and surface chemistry - are expected to apply. However, many proteins do not fold even when forming stable protein interactions, creating “fuzzy” protein complexes. In these cases, the extreme instability of one partner may preclude forming a well-defined interface. Despite the apparent lack of constraints, these proteins specifically and reliably select the correct protein partners in vivo. To understand the rules that determine partner selection when forming fuzzy complexes, we have evaluated protein interactions formed by the Drosophila melanogaster Hox transcription factor Ultrabithorax (Ubx). Ubx interacts in vitro with 29 other proteins. All of these interactions require the intrinsically disordered regions within Ubx. Surprisingly, despite the extreme lack of structure within these regions, Ubx appears to select protein interactions by topology: 22 of the 29 partners include one of five protein folds out of the nearly 1200 folds listed in SCOP. These data suggest that topology remains a constraint even in fuzzy complexes. Although some Ubx partners bind equally well to both large intrinsically disordered regions within Ubx, many partners clearly prefer binding to the disordered alternatively spliced microexons. Partners preferring the microexon region bind various Ubx splicing isoforms differentially. Consequently, surface chemistry is likely important for these interactions. Together, our data suggests that both topology and surface chemistry are key criteria for partner selection, even in fuzzy complexes.
Earnings Announcements and Investor Focus in the Hospitality Industry

This study examines how the release of multiple firms’ earnings announcements on the same day combines with human attention constraints to affect the trading of hospitality stocks. We document two opposing effects. We find that a rush of earnings announcements from nonhospitality firms leads to investor distraction and reduces the reaction of hospitality stocks to earnings news. Conversely, we find that multiple announcements by firms within the hospitality sector lead to increased investor focus and larger hospitality stock reactions to news. Our results show that multiple announcements can either diminish or enhance investors’ reactions to company news, which directly affects the incorporation of new information into hospitality stock prices.
Constituents of Cannabis sativa L. I. Propyl homologs of cannabinoids from an Indian variant.

Cannabidivarin and tetrahydrocannabivarin are shown to be present in an Indian variant of Cannabis sativa L. (marijuana) in Mississippi. GC and mass spectrometry were used for identification. Indications are that these compounds are present as acids in fresh material.
Second-guessing the jury: Stereotypic and hindsight biases in perceptions of court cases

This research examined the effects of stereotypic beliefs and hindsight biases on perceptions of court cases. Subjects read evidentiary material pertaining to a criminal trial in which the defendant either was a stereotyped offender or was not. Additionally, some subjects were given outcome information about the verdict attained in the trial; half of these subjects were told that the defendant had been found guilty, and the other half were told that he had been found not guilty. The remainder were not given any outcome information. Subjects were than asked to predict the likely outcome of a trial based on the presented evidence. Typical hindsight bias effects were expected and obtained for nonstereotyped offenders; subjects considering these cases viewed the evidence as less incriminating when they were told the defendant had been found not guilty, and they found it to be more incriminating when they were told the defendant had been found guilty, when compared to the no-outcome-information group. However, no hindsight biases were evident in judgments of cases involving stereotyped defendants, who were seen as relatively more likely to be guilty regardless of the nature of outcome information presented. Particularly striking was the lack of impact of the “not guilty” outcome information on perceptions of the guilt of stereotyped defendants. These findings suggest that strong expectations held in foresight may not be amenable to modification in hindsight.
Isozymes of lactate dehydrogenase in the hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria.

Abstract 1. 1. Lactate dehydrogenase of Mercenaria mercenaria occurs as isozymic patterns of either one or two bands with no phenotypic differences between the sexes. 2. 2. The simplest genetic mechanism to explain the observed phenotypes is single locus autosomal inheritance. 3. 3. Up to seven different alleles may be found at this locus. 4. 4. Particular phenotypes were favored in all six populations sampled.
Race-Specific Relationships Between Coronary and Carotid Artery Calcification and Carotid Intimal Medial Thickness

Background and Purpose— Calcified arterial plaque has been proposed as a subclinical marker of atherosclerosis. We compared it to a well-validated surrogate—carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT). Methods— Calcified arterial plaque was measured in 2 vascular beds (coronary and carotid) by computed tomography, and common carotid artery IMT was measured by B-mode ultrasonography, in 438 participants. Results— Calcium was positively associated with IMT (r=0.36 for coronary and r=0.45 for carotid, both P<0.0001). Correlations were attenuated with adjustment for age, sex, and diabetes. Conclusions— Calcified plaque in the coronary and carotid arteries is moderately associated with subclinical atherosclerosis.
Form of the effective interaction in harmonic-oscillator-based effective theory

I explore the form of the effective interaction in harmonic-oscillator-based effective theory (HOBET) in leading order (LO) through next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N$^{3}\mathrm{LO}$). Because the included space in a HOBET (as in the shell model) is defined by the oscillator energy, both long-distance (low-momentum) and short-distance (high-momentum) degrees of freedom reside in the high-energy excluded space. A HOBET effective interaction is developed in which a short-range contact-gradient expansion, free of operator mixing and corresponding to a systematic expansion in nodal quantum numbers, is combined with an exact summation of the relative kinetic energy. By this means the very strong coupling of the included ($P$) and excluded ($Q$) spaces by the kinetic energy is removed. One finds a simple and rather surprising result, that the interplay of $\mathit{QT}$ and $\mathit{QV}$ is governed by a single parameter \ensuremath{\kappa}, the ratio of an observable, the binding energy $|E|$, to a parameter in the effective theory, the oscillator energy $\ensuremath{\hbar}\ensuremath{\omega}$. Once the functional dependence on \ensuremath{\kappa} is identified, the remaining order-by-order subtraction of the short-range physics residing in $Q$ becomes systematic and rapidly converging. Numerical calculations are used to demonstrate how well the resulting expansion reproduces the running of ${H}^{\mathrm{eff}}$ from high scales to a typical shell-model scale of $8\ensuremath{\hbar}\ensuremath{\omega}$. At N$^{3}\mathrm{LO}$ various global properties of ${H}^{\mathrm{eff}}$ are reproduced to a typical accuracy of 0.01%, or about 1 keV, at $8\ensuremath{\hbar}\ensuremath{\omega}$. Channel-by-channel variations in convergence rates are similar to those found in effective field theory approaches. The state dependence of the effective interaction has been a troubling problem in nuclear physics and is embodied in the energy dependence of ${H}^{\mathrm{eff}}(|E|)$ in the Bloch-Horowitz formalism. It is shown that almost all of this state dependence is also extracted in the procedures followed here, isolated in the analytic dependence of ${H}^{\mathrm{eff}}$ on \ensuremath{\kappa}. Thus there exists a simple, Hermitian ${H}^{\mathrm{eff}}$ that can be use in spectral calculations. The existence of a systematic operator expansion for ${H}^{\mathrm{eff}}$, depending on a series of short-range constants augmented by \ensuremath{\kappa}, will be important to future efforts to determine the HOBET interaction directly from experiment, rather than from an underlying $\mathit{NN}$ potential.
The Sample Size-Richness Relation: The Relevance of Research Questions, Sampling Strategies, and Behavioral Variation

Recent discussions of the relation between sample size and assemblage richness suggest that researchers should control for that relation before behavioral interpretations of richness levels can proceed. We suggest that such automatic decisions should be avoided because a strong correlation between sample size and richness alone is not sufficient evidence for dismissing behavioral factors as the primary causes of the variation in richness. Instead, we must first explore the causes of the observed variation in sample size and the relation of those causes to our research questions.
Imagery: Mental Pictures Disrupt Perceptual Rivalry

Are mental images like pictures? Yes, according to a new study showing that imagery can have a high degree of visual specificity and thereby disrupt perceptual rivalry.
A Reflex Cause of Pulmonary Hypertension

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (iPAH) is a severe and progressive pulmonary vascular disease that causes narrowing of the blood vessels in the lung and leads to right heart failure and premature death. Currently, there are seven Food and Drug Administration?"approved therapies for this
A modified cap model: Closest point solution algorithms

Abstract An application of the return mapping algorithm for the inviscid two invariant cap model, originally proposed by DiMaggio and Sandler, is presented. This cap model serves as an example for nonsmooth multisurface plasticity. Precise conditions for discrete loading in all possible modes are derived from the discrete Kuhn-Tucker conditions and new unconditionally stable closest point projection algorithms are presented. These are characterized by reducing local iterations on the constitutive equations to the solution of one nonlinear scalar equation for each of the different modes of the cap model. Tangent operators, consistent with the integration algorithm are derived, thus preserving the quadratic rate of convergence in a Newton solution procedure. It is shown that the original cap model does not obey the principle of maximum plastic dissipation, because the hardening law for the cap is nonassociative, which leads to the undesirable feature of unsymmetric consistent tangent moduli. To overcome this drawback an associative hardening law is proposed for a restricted class of problems.
New design strategies for antidepressant drugs.

Introduction: In spite of research efforts spanning six decades, the most prominent antidepressant drugs to date still carry several adverse effects, often serious enough to warrant discontinuation of the drug. Molecular mechanisms of depression are now better understood such that some of the specific receptors responsible can be targeted for activation or inhibition. This advance, coupled with the recent availability of crystal structures of relevant drug targets or their homologs, has opened the door for new antidepressant therapeutic compounds. Areas covered: The authors review the evolution of monoamine-based antidepressant drugs, up to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The authors discuss classic and contemporary antidepressant drug design strategies, with a focus on virtual screening and fragment-based drug design methods. Furthermore, they discuss the recent advancements in the understanding of the serotonin transporter (SERT) structure/function relationship in the context of rec...