cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Empirical Attitude, Material Practice and Design Activities

This article is an argument about something that is both important and severely underemphasized in most current science curricula. The empirical attitude, fundamental to science since Galileo, is a habit of mind that motivates an active search for feedback on our ideas from the material world. Although more simple views of science manifest the empirical attitude through relation of theories to data, we describe more recent philosophical scholarship that characterizes the relation of theories to data through phenomena (regularities in nature’s behavior that can be identified and characterized through data). This view highlights the centrality of materialpractice, in which scientists design data collection events to inform phenomena. Thus manifestation of the empirical attitude in science is characterized as a design endeavor that involves considerably sophisticated coordination among theories, phenomena, data, and data collection events. If we want students to learn how to participate in such work, curricula should break down these complex processes into more basic components at least at the outset. Our recommendation is to begin with design activities that can focus on the empirical attitude initially without the complex coordination with phenomena and data. We present an example of such an activity and share results that suggest design activities can target the empirical attitude and be built upon in curricula to gradually include coordination with phenomena and theories.
Investigation of microwave dielectric properties of biodiesel components

Advanced microwave technology has the potential to significantly enhance the biodiesel production process. Knowledge of dielectric properties of materials plays a major role in microwave design for any process. Dielectric properties (e' and e") of biodiesel precursors: soybean oil, alcohols and catalyst and their different mixtures were measured using a vector network analyzer and a slim probe in an open ended coaxial probe method at four different temperatures (30, 45, 60 and 75 °C) and in the frequency range of 280 MHz to 4.5 GHz. Results indicate that the microwave dielectric properties depend significantly on both temperature and frequency. Addition of catalyst significantly affected the dielectric properties. Dielectric properties behaved differently when oil, alcohol and catalyst was mixed at room temperature before heating and when the oil and the alcohol catalyst mixture was heated separately to a pre-determined temperature before mixing. These results can be used in designing microwave based transesterification system.
Audio Steganography Using Bit Modification - A Tradeoff on Perceptibility and Data Robustness for Large Payload Audio Embedding

Audio steganography using bit modification of time domain audio samples is a simple technique for multimedia data embedding with potential for large payload. Depending on the index of the bit used to modify the samples in accordance with the data to be hidden, the resulting stego audio signal may become perceptible and/or susceptible to incorrect retrieval of the hidden data. This paper presents some results of the tradeoff between the conflicting requirements of data robustness, payload and imperceptibility. Experimental results on both clean and noisy host audio signals indicate that while the payload can be as high as over 3000 bits/s - much higher rate than common audio data embedding techniques - noticeability of embedding is decreased and noise tolerance increased by using higher bit indices than the traditional least significant bit. Bit error rates of below one percent were observed for data retrieved from noise-added stego audio signals with 39 dB of SNR for an embedded payload of over 10 Kbits in a 3.3 s host audio.
20 Chloroplast signal transduction in heterosigma akashiwo

Maintenance of homeostasis requires that an organism perceive selected physical and chemical signals and convert this information via signal transduction pathways into an appropriate metabolic response. The Heterosigma chloroplast genome encodes the regulatory protein of a His/Asp signal transduction system. This two- component system, which is also found in prokaryotic cells, allows the organism to selectively modify chloroplast gene transcription in response to environmental cues. Using artificially created 50 base oligomeres in a TRG1-DNA binding assay, it was determined that this regulatory protein recognized the 6-base consensus sequence TTAGGT. Analysis of 27 sequenced Heterosigma chloroplast genes revealed that this six -base motif was found almost exclusively in genes associated with photosystem II, Calvin cycle and energy generation functions with high statistical probability- suggesting that TRG1 may be a global regulator of this gene set. Molecular modeling has shown that the Heterosigma TRG1 protein with the sigma 70 subunit of eubacterial-like RNA polymerase which we know from sequencing data to be chloroplast localized in Heterosigma. Antibodies generated against TRG1 showed no change in the concentration of this protein when vegetative Heterosigma cells were maintained on a 12 h light:12 h dark photoperiod or during resting cell biogenesis. This observation suggests that TRG1, like its bacterial counterparts, is regulated by phosphorylation. The presence of a His/Asp two-component signal transduction pair in the chloroplast genome is taxon-specific.
A reassignment of the EPR spectra previously attributed to Cu@C60

EPR spectra attributed to the endohedral metallofullerene Cu@C60 are better explained by the previously characterized Cu(II) dithiocarbamate family of compounds.
Open string field theory of strong interactions in two dimensions

Abstract This is a review of some old work by the author from a new perspective: as a string field theory of strong interactions in two dimensional space-time that is equivalent to two dimensional QCD. The open string field, in light cone co-ordinates, is just a function of the endpoints. The key idea is that this field must satisfy a quadratic constraint, analogous to the constraint satisfied by the field of the non-linear sigma model. All the interactions arise as a result of this constraint: the manifold of solutions of the constraints is an infinite dimensional Grassmannian. The classical string field theory is equivalent to the large N limit of 2DQCD; by quantizing it we recover 2DQCD for finite N . The linear approximation to our theory is the original large N limit of 2DQCD constructed by 't Hooft. Baryons arise as topological solitons.
The synthesis and characterization of multiply bonded dirhenium(III) alkoxide complexes containing two or three alkoxide ligands, including further studies on complexes of the type Re2Cl4(OMe)2(PAr3)2 (Ar=aryl)

The dirhenium(III) complex cis -Re 2 (μ-O 2 CCH 3 ) 2 Cl 4 (H 2 O) 2 reacts in refluxing methanol with triarylphosphines (PAr 3 ) with relatively low basicities (p K a values in the range 1.0–4.6) and moderately large cone angles (145–165°) to afford unsymmetrical quadruply bonded dirhenium(III) alkoxides of the type Cl 2 (MeO) 2 ReReCl 2 (PAr 3 ) 2 (PAr 3 =P( p -tolyl) 3 ( 1 ), P( m -tolyl) 3 ( 2 ), P( p -ClPh) 3 ( 3 ), P( p -MeOPh) 3 ( 4 ), PPh 3 ). The more basic phosphines PCyPh 2 and PBz 3 (Bz=benzyl), with p K a values of 5.05 and 6.50 and cone angles of 153 and 165°, respectively, afford the complexes Re 2 (μ-O 2 CCH 3 )Cl 3 (OMe)(PCyPh 2 ) 3 ( 5 ), with a Re–Re bond order of 4, and Re 2 (μ-O 2 CCH 3 )Cl 4 (PBz 3 ) 2 ( 6 ), with a Re–Re bond order of 3.5, under the same conditions. Attempts to incorporate more than two alkoxide ligands about a multiply bonded dirhenium core were successfully achieved in the synthesis of Re 2 Cl 3 (OEt) 3 (PPh 3 ) 2 ( 7 ) from the reactions of Re 2 Cl 6 (PPh 3 ) 2 and Re 2 Cl 4 (OEt) 2 (PPh 3 ) 2 with NaOEt in ethanol. Single-crystal X-ray structure determinations have been carried out on compounds 4 , 5 and 7 which have Re–Re bond distances of 2.2476(4), 2.2872(15) and 2.2399(12) A, respectively.
Optically detected coherent spin dynamics of a single electron in a quantum dot

The ability to sequentially initialize, manipulate and read out the state of a qubit, such as an electron spin in a quantum dot (QD), is a requirement in virtually any scheme for quantum information processing1,2,3. However, previous optical measurements of a single electron spin have focused on time-averaged detection, with the spin being initialized and read out continuously4,5,6,7,8. Here, we monitor the coherent evolution of an electron spin in a single QD. We use time-resolved Kerr rotation (KR) spectroscopy, an all-optical, non-destructive technique that enables us to monitor the precession of the spin in a superposition of Zeeman-split sublevels with nanosecond time resolution. The data show an exponential decay of the spin polarization with time, and directly reveal the g-factor and spin lifetime of the electron in the QD. Furthermore, the observed spin dynamics provide a sensitive probe of the local nuclear spin environment.
Dormancy, Turion Formation, and Germination by Different Clones of Spirodela polyrrhiza.

Some clones of Spirodela polyrrhiza form dormant bodies called turions which require several weeks of chilling treatment before they proceed to renew growth and develop into vegetative fronds. The individual fronds of Spirodela are less than 5 mm long and can be grown aseptically in liquid culture. Turion formation and germination can serve as a bioassay for the various compounds involved in dormancy development.Turion formation can be induced by manipulation of light intensity during the day, photoperiod, night temperature, day temperature, and concentration of nitrate in the culture medium. Different clones of Spirodela from northeastern United States, Puerto Rico, and Argentina had different requirements for turion formation. The clones from Argentina and Puerto Rico did not form turions under any of the experimental conditions imposed. Turions of some clones required chilling treatments for renewed vegetative growth while others did not. Both gibberellic acid and long photoperiods were required to bypass the chilling requirements of some clones, but not others.
GPT.EXE: a powerful tool for the visualization and analysis of general processing tree models.

This paper introduces GPT.EXE, a computer program for designing and implementing general processing tree (GPT) models. First, designing and building GPT models using this program is discussed. The second major emphasis is a description of various statistical procedures that can be carried out with GPT.EXE. There is also a brief section on the on-line documentation of this program. Throughout the text, pictures of windows from the program are displayed to help explain the procedures being described by the text.
Effects of Ionizing Radiations on Plant Tissues. V. Some Effects of Gamma Radiation on Lettuce Leavesa

SUMMARY The effect of gamma radiation from a Cobalt60 source upon lettuce tissue was studied. The radiation-induced softening of leaf discs was assessed with an instrument designed to measure the bending of the disc under application of a given weight. It is estimated that the “threshold dose” of radiation-induced softening of lettuce is between 600 and 1,000 Kilorad. Lettuce leaf tissue thus appears more resistant to the softening effect of gamma radiation than the storage-type tissues of apples, carrots, or beets. The radiation-induced changes in the respiratory activity of lettuce were also studied, both during and after irradiation. Although both oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide evolution are stimulated during irradiation, the response subsides to near-normal rates shortly after irradiation is stopped. There is some indication that the magnitude of the respiratory rate stimulation response is based primarily upon dose rate. A comparison of softening and respiratory rate measurements indicates that the tissue softening is probably not directly related to the respiratory stimulation that occurs during gamma irradiation.
Factors to consider in performing survival studies with insect cells.

Insect cell lines are not well-suited to colony formation in liquid medium following low-density cell plating. The present studies demonstrate that the time of addition of fetal bovine serum to the culture medium and the number of γ-irradiated feeder cells added to each plate are important factors in developing a useful colony formation assay. TN-368 lepidopteran and WR69-DM-1 dipteran cell lines were used for these experiments. Both cell types display increased plating efficiencies if serum is added to the medium one or more days prior to plating as compared to adding serum immediately before plating. Growth curves obtained by seeding cells at higher densities also indicate that cell growth is slightly better if serum is added one or more days before seeding. These findings are especially important for survival and toxicity studies because the results demonstrate that even seemingly minor factors involved in cell survival assays may benefit treated cells to a greater degree than untreated control cells, thus providing an erroneous assessment of cell survival.
Kinetic Analysis of Non-Thermal Plasmas Used for Pollution Control

Non-thermal plasma techniques are being developed for the treatment of many gas-phase pollutants. In these methods electrical energy from electron beams or electrical discharges is directed selectively into the production of electrons, ions and radicals, or into molecular excitations that will result in the efficient destruction of the unwanted species. The processes by which this can be achieved are described. Kinetic analysis of the deposition of energy into contaminated air is illustrated by studies of the decomposition of nitrogen oxides, methylene chloride, carbon tetrachloride and methanol.
Early History of SQL

One of the most important research areas in computer science in the early 1970s was the development of systems and languages for handling what computer scientists call persistent data. This term denotes data that remains in a computer system indefinitely, until it is explicitly deleted. Systems for managing persistent data were spreading quickly in the business world. A database management language proposed by the Codasyl Data Base Task Group (DBTG) was receiving a lot of attention. In this paper, the early history of SQL is discussed.
Early U.S. outcomes after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in patients with a body mass index less than 35 kg/m2

Background Many mildly to moderately obese individuals with a body mass index (BMI) lower than 35 kg/m2 have serious diseases related to their obesity. Nonsurgical therapy is ineffective in the long term, yet surgery has never been made widely available to this population.
Transitional Interpersonality Thunderclap Headache

Objective.—To report a patient with multiple personality disorder who experienced severe acute headaches without warnings, solely during the transition between her host personality and her pain-prone personality. Background.—The initial detailed description of headache in multiple personality disorder was made by Packard and Brown and published in this journal 15 years ago. Methods.—Clinical history, neurologic examination, electroencephalogram, and brain magnetic resonance imaging. Results.—A 54-year-old Holocaust survivor with an established diagnosis of multiple personality disorder had recurrent, excruciating, acute (“thunderclap”) headaches only when switching between her domineering personality and her pain-prone personality, who suffered from chronic back pain. None of her personalities otherwise suffer from headaches. Electroencephalogram and brain magnetic resonance imaging were normal. Conclusion.—This is an independent and current confirmation of the existence of transitional headaches in a patient with multiple personality disorder. They may occur as an isolated event during the switch process and have features of benign thunderclap headache.
Legal responsibilities at issue--emphasis on informed consent.

In accordance with my original assignment, before the topic of the conference became broadened, I had prepared a paper on the legal responsibilities of scientists in acquiring and using human tissues in in vitro research. This topic, I hardly need tell you, is as explosive and novel for lawyers as it is for scientists; there are really only a very few trial court episodes on the subject and these have not yet found their way into the corpus of reported law, so there is very little in the way of what attorneys would call "law" directly on the subject. Because of this, if you want to probe these issues from a legal standpoint, you have to use some special tools, including a favorite of lawyers: reasoning by analogy from cases already decided and principles already established. I would propose to begin today with some fairly bedrock legal principles which concern a principal problem at issue in the acquisition of tissue, the matter of consent. It is a truism of the law of torts, which is my primary area of interest, that a harmful or offensive contact committed by one person on another is a battery, an intentional tort, if that contact has been unconsented and if it has been unprivileged. I will reserve the question of privilege for a moment, as I will leave the question of whether fetuses or abortuses are persons, and I will focus on the question of consent. But in doing so, in what I think may be the mode of discourse that will necessarily be prevalent in this meeting, I shall first announce my apologia and qualifications. First, I want to point out that I am concentrating on common-law doctrine, the doctrine of cases decided between private litigants. I am doing that for purposes of simplicity and thus ignoring other issues that are of great personal research interest to me, issues stemming from such public-law areas as prescription-drug regulation, the regulation of food supply and the control of nuclear installations, with all of the issues of uncertainty, carcinogenesis and potential catastrophe which they present. For similar considerations of simplicity and focus, I shall be dealing, at least at the beginning, with a fairly narrow view of consent. I shall try, where possible, to present concrete cases, as lawyers are wont to do. At the same time, I certainly accept what I take to be the remarks of Professor Adams, that what we really are doing here is testing the premises of our humanity. I would also like to emphasize what seems to me a very important point and one that I think we would notwant to lose sight of at this conference: as a practical matter, our deliberations take place necessarily within the focus of a particular political system, a political system which is relevantly the basis for our law. With those generalizations and qualifications announced, I want to talk for awhile about con-
Mom empowerment, too! (ME2): a program for young mothers involved in substance abuse.

Substance abuse among young people is of critical concern to public health nurses. When substance abusers are young mothers without the skills, experience, guidance, or resources to become adequate parents, this problem is compounded. This study examined a community-based intervention program for young mothers from the perspective of 42 participants. A qualitative, descriptive design was used within a process of participatory action research. Two major domains emerged from the data: risk perceptions and behaviors, and health promoting perceptions and behaviors. The study demonstrated the value of obtaining data from the participants and offers implications for practice and research.
Autocrine and Paracrine Promotion of Cell Survival and Virus Replication by Human Herpesvirus 8 Chemokines

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), which is associated with the endothelial tumor Kaposi's sarcoma, encodes three CC/beta-chemokines. These are expressed early during productive (lytic) infection and are believed to be involved in immune evasion, in addition to viral pathogenesis via induction of angiogenic cytokines. Here we report that two of the HHV-8 chemokines, CCR8 agonists vCCL-1 and vCCL-2, have direct effects on endothelial survival and virus replication. The v-chemokines stimulated virus replication when added to infected cultures exogenously, and CCR8 knockdown absent v-chemokine supplementation inhibited virus production, indicative of autocrine effects of endogenously produced vCCLs. This was verified and proreplication functions of each chemokine were demonstrated via shRNA-mediated vCCL depletion. The v-chemokines inhibited expression of lytic cycle-induced proapoptotic protein Bim, RNA interference-mediated suppression of which mimicked v-chemokine proreplication functions. Our data show for the first time that the v-chemokines have direct effects on virus biology, independently of their postulated immune evasion functions, and suggest that in vivo the v-chemokines might play direct roles in Kaposi's sarcomagenesis via paracrine prosurvival signaling.
Throwing buddy: solving sensor challenges through soft-good construction, design, and fabric selection

Wearable technology projects sometimes present complex problems, which are hard to solve through computer science solutions alone. Our interdisciplinary team met such a problem in the form of near infrared sensor noise due to fabric interference. We met the challenge through software/hardware solutions, but also strategic fabric selection and soft-good construction. This case study shows how incorporating everyone's expertise on an interdisciplinary team can afford solutions, which better accomplish the goals of a project than individual disciplines could alone.
Direct measurement of current density under the land and channel in a PEM fuel cell with serpentine flow fields

One of the most common types of flow field designs used in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells is the serpentine flow field. It is used for its simplicity of design, its effectiveness in distributing reactants and its water removal capabilities. The knowledge about where current density is higher, under the land or the channel, is critical for flow field design and optimization. Yet, no direct measurement data are available for serpentine flow fields. In this study a fuel cell with a single channel serpentine flow field is used to separately measure the current density under the land and channel, which is either catalyzed or insulated on the cathode. In this manner, a systematic study is conducted under a wide variety of conditions and a series of comparisons are made between land and channel current density. The results show that under most operating conditions, current density is higher under the land than that under the channel. However, at low voltage, a rapid drop off in current density occurs under the land due to concentration losses. The mechanisms for the direct measurement results and general guidelines for serpentine flow field design and optimizations are provided.
Cataclysmic Variables as Supernova Ia Progenitors

Although the identification of the progenitors of type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) remains controversial, it is generally accepted that they originate from binary star systems in which at least one component is a carbon-oxygen white dwarf (WD); those systems are grouped under the wide umbrella of cataclysmic variables. Current theories for SNeIa progenitors hold that, either via Roche lobe overflow of the companion or via a wind, the WD accumulates hydrogen or helium rich material which is then burned to C and O onto the WD`s surface. However, the specifics of this scenario are far from being understood or defined, allowing for a wealth of theories fighting for attention and a dearth of observations to support them. I discuss the latest attempts to identify and study those controversial SNeIa progenitors. I also introduce the most promising progenitor in hand and I present observational diagnostics that can reveal more members of the category.
Family Size, Illness and Use of Medical Services Among Preschool Colombian Children

This report presents further findings of a study in Cali Colombia in which illness family size and characteristics of preschool children are analyzed in relation to use or nonuse of medical services. The reference population was mothers with at least 1 child less than 5 years old residing in the 4-barrio (neighborhood) study area. A case-comparison study was employed with use or nonuse of services during the year prior to the study defining the 2 groups. Cases were those mothers of children 0-4 years old who did not use medical services during the prior year. The objective of this report is to present a more detailed description of the children noting especially differences in reported illness and family size. Information was obtained on a total of 853 eligible children. Nonuser families were mostly composed of 1 preschool child while user families contained 2 to 4 of them. User mothers reported a significantly higher proportion of their children ill in the past month than did nonuser mothers. The majority of illness experienced by both groups was gastrointestinal with respiratory problems as the 2nd most frequent type. Larger families of both user and nonuser mothers had at least 1 ill child in them more frequently than did smaller families. The distribution of ages among nonuser and user groups differed significantly but the occurrence of illness varied significantly with the age of the child only among user mothers. There was no statistical association between childs age and family size for either user or nonuser mothers. Family size and childs age were associated with use of medical services. House-to-house visits by health workers are the most useful way to overcome the nonuser mothers tendency not to enter the formal medical care stream.
Regulation of sugar transport and metabolism by the Candida albicans Rgt1 transcriptional repressor.

The ability of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans to cause systemic infections depends in part on the function of Hgt4, a cell surface sugar sensor. The orthologues of Hgt4 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Snf3 and Rgt2, initiate a signalling cascade that inactivates Rgt1, a transcriptional repressor of genes encoding hexose transporters. To determine whether Hgt4 functions similarly through the C. albicans orthologue of Rgt1, we analysed Cargt1 deletion mutants. We found that Cargt1 mutants are sensitive to the glucose analogue 2-deoxyglucose, a phenotype probably due to uncontrolled expression of genes encoding glucose transporters. Indeed, transcriptional profiling revealed that expression of about two dozen genes, including multiple HGT genes encoding hexose transporters, is increased in the Cargt1 mutant in the absence of sugars, suggesting that CaRgt1 represses expression of several HGT genes under this condition. Some of the HGT genes (probably encoding high-affinity transporters) are also repressed by high levels of glucose, and we show that this repression is mediated by CaMig1, the orthologue of the major glucose-activated repressor in S. cerevisiae, but not by its paralogue CaMig2. Therefore, CaRgt1 and CaMig1 collaborate to control expression of C. albicans hexose transporters in response to different levels of sugars. We were surprised to find that CaRgt1 also regulates expression of GAL1, suggesting that regulation of galactose metabolism in C. albicans is unconventional. Finally, Cargt1 mutations cause cells to hyperfilament, and suppress the hypofilamented phenotype of an hgt4 mutant, indicating that the Hgt4 glucose sensor may affect filamentation by modulating sugar import and metabolism via CaRgt1. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimating oceanic primary productivity from ocean color remote sensing: A strategic assessment

It has long been realized that approaches using satellite ocean-color remote sensing are the only feasible means to quantify primary productivity (PP) adequately for the global ocean. Through decades of dedicated efforts and with the help of various satellite ocean-color missions, great progresses have been achieved in obtaining global PP as well as its spatial and temporal variations. However, there still exist wide differences between satellite estimations and in situ measurements, as well as large discrepancies among results from different models. The reasons for these large differences are many, which include uncertainties in measurements, errors in satellite-derived products, and limitations in the modeling approaches. Unlike previous round-robin reports on PP modeling where the performance of specific models was evaluated and compared, here we try to provide a candid overview of three primary modeling strategies and the nature of present satellite ocean-color products. We further highlight aspects where efforts should be focused in the coming years, with the overarching goal of reducing the gaps between satellite modeling and in situ measurements.
Prevalence and spectrum of electroencephalogram-identified epileptiform activity among patients with long QT syndrome.

Background Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a heritable cardiac disease whereby patients are at an increased risk for LQTS-triggered syncope, seizures, and sudden cardiac arrest. Seizure episodes are common in LQTS and most often seen in patients with type 2 LQTS (LQT2). Objective To determine the prevalence of electroencephalogram (EEG)-identified epileptiform activity among patients with LQTS. Methods A retrospective electronic medical record review of 610 patients with LQTS (250 [41%] men), evaluated between 2000 and 2012, was performed to identify (1) all patients with LQTS who presented with seizures/seizure-like episodes, (2) patients with LQTS who underwent a subsequent neurologic evaluation and EEG study, and (3) patients with LQTS and abnormal EEG recordings that showed epileptiform activity during sinus rhythm, confirming a seizure independent from cardiac arrhythmia. Results Overall, seizures/seizure-like episodes were recorded in 68 of 610 (11%) patients with LQTS. Ten patients were diagnosed with a seizure disorder by an epileptologist on the basis of the clinical findings and EEG studies, giving a prevalence of 10 of 610 (1.6%; 95% confidence interval 0.8%–3%) among patients with LQTS. A diagnosis of epilepsy was overrepresented in patients with LQT2 (7 of 190 [3.7%]) in comparison to all other LQT subgroups (3 of 420 [0.7%]; P = .0126). Conclusions While the overall prevalence of epilepsy among patients with LQTS is low, 10 of 68 (15%) of the patients who presented with seizures/seizure-like episodes had EEG-identified epileptiform activity. Confirming earlier observational reports, epilepsy is more common in patients with LQT2, further supporting the shared pathogenetic link hypothesis of this KCNH2- encoded potassium channel that is expressed in both the heart and the brain.
Autoionization resonances in atomic Ga, In, and Pb

Autoionization resonances of the type (n−1)d→np, wheren pertains to the outermost shell of Ga, In and Pb, were studied with the use of electron spectrometry in combination with synchrotron radiation. The relative strengths of the exit channels for the various resonance states were measured. In the case of Ga and In, a complete partitioning of the total absorption cross section into thes 2 1 S,sp 1 P, andsp 3 P components (exit channels) was achieved, and in the case of Pb the decay of the resonance states into the major exit channels 6s 2 6p 2 P 1/2, 6s 2 6p 2 P 3/2, 6s 6p 2 4 P 1/2, 6s 6p 2 2 D 3/2 and 6s 6p 2 2 P 1/2 was determined. In Ga, strong coupling was observed for those states of the 4p 2 manifold that have the same symmetries as the final ionic states, e.g. 4p 2 3 P→4s 4p 3 P and 4p 2 1 S→4s 2 1 S. In In, there is a similar, but weaker correlation, which also includes two-electron excitation channels. Comparison between Ga and In shows that thesp 3 P channel is much stronger in In (52% vs 40% in Ga) while thesp 1 P channel is correspondingly weaker (28% vs 37%), with thes 2 1 S channel remaining practically unchanged (20 vs 23%). In Pb, the 6s 2 6P 2 P 1/2 channel displays interference patterns due to a strong, competing direct transition, whereas the other channels do not, indicating population predominantly via the resonance states.
Morphological correlates of increased coupling resistance at an electrotonic synapse

Close appositions between axonal membranes are present in the septum between adjacent axonal segments of the septate or lateral giant axons of the crayfish Procambarus. In sections the closely apposed membranes appear separated by a space or gap. The use of lanthanum indicates that there may be structures connecting the apposed membranes. The apparent gap is actually a network of channels continuous with the extracellular space. Adjacent axonal segments are electrotonically coupled at the septa. The coupling resistance is increased by mechanical injury of an axon, immersion in low Cl- solutions, and immersion in low Ca++ solutions, followed by a return to normal physiological solution. Septa at which coupling resistance had been measured were examined in the electron microscope. The induced increases in coupling resistance are associated with separation of the junctional membranes (with the exception of the moderate increases during immersion in low Ca++ solutions). Schwann cell processes are present between the separated axonal membranes. When nerve cords in low Cl- solutions are returned to normal physiological solution, coupling, i.e., electrotonic synapses. A model of an electrotonic synapse is proposed in which tween axonal membranes are again found. The association between the morphological and physiological findings provides further evidence that the junctions are the sites of electrotonic coupling, i.e., electrotonic, synapses. A model of an electrotonic synapse is proposed in which intercytoplasmic channels not open to the extracellular space are interlaced with a hexagonal network of extracellular channels between the apposed junctional membranes.
The role of consonant-vowel amplitude ratio in the recognition of voiceless stop consonants by listeners with hearing impairment

Several authors have evaluated consonant-to-vowel ratio (CVR) enhancement as a means to improve speech recognition in listeners with hearing impairment, with the intention of incorporating this approach into emerging amplification technology. Unfortunately, most previous studies have enhanced CVRs by increasing consonant energy, thus possibly confounding CVR effects with consonant audibility. In this study, we held consonant audibility constant by reducing vowel transition and steady-state energy rather than increasing consonant energy. Performance-by-intensity (PI) functions were obtained for recognition of voiceless stop consonants (/p/, /t/, /k/) presented in isolation (burst and aspiration digitally separated from the vowel) and for consonant-vowel syllables, with readdition of the vowel /a/. There were three CVR conditions: normal CVR, vowel reduction by 6 dB, and vowel reduction by 12 dB. Testing was conducted in broadband noise fixed at 70 dB SPL and at 85 dB SPL. Six adults with sensorineural hearing impairment and 2 adults with normal hearing served as listeners. Results indicated that CVR enhancement did not improve identification performance when consonant audibility was held constant, except at the higher noise level for one listener with hearing impairment. The re-addition of the vowel energy to the isolated consonant did, however, produce large and significant improvements in phoneme identification.
SUI: a system independent user interface for an integrated scientific computing environment

The design and implementation of a Scientific User Interface is presented. Written in the C language, SUI is a window-menu-mouse oriented graphical user interface that is designed to provide a modern and integrated computing environment for scientific work. SUI can serve multiple client systems in parallel including symbolic, numeric, graphics and document formatting systems. SUI achieves hardware and operating system independence as well as network transparency by employing the X11 protocols and achieves client system independence by defining a client-SUI protocol that is simple and effective. Features of SUI includes input editing, history, 2-D mathematical expression display, interactive selection of subexpressions, interactive display and manipulation of 2-D and 3-D plots of mathematical functions, cut and paste with syntax translation, command templates, incremental 2-D display of mathematical input, and interactive configuration. A prototype system demonstration is planned for ISSAC'90
Underwriting Costs and Market Value Effects of Raising Bank Capital

This study examines the direct (out‐of‐pocket) flotation costs of new capital issues by bank holding companies between 1980 and 1986 and the total costs including any market effects of security issuance. A regression model is developed that relates the direct selling costs to the type of security being issued, the exchange on which the parent bank holding company is traded, information specific to the issue, and information specific to the firm. The model is highly significant, explaining over 80 percent of the variation in issuing costs. These direct costs, however, are small for equity issues when compared to information effects (stock price responses). When these costs are included, the costs to bank holding companies of issuing equity increase substantially and the direct costs of issuing preferred and debt are, generally, more than offset by positive stock price effects.
Induction of Steroidogenic Enzyme Genes by Insulin and IGF-I in Cultured Adult Human Adrenocortical Cells

Insulin and the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) have multiple role in gene expression in steroidogenic cells. We investigated the regulation of steroidogenic enzyme gene expression by insulin and IGF-I in primary cultures of human adrenocortical cells from donors of ages 19-77 years. The effects of insulin and IGF-I observed here were independent of age and sex of the donor. After 5 days in serum-containing medium, cultures were exposed to insulin or IGF-I together with cyclic AMP analogs or ACTH in serum-free defined medium. Insulin and IGF-I at physiological concentrations increased mRNA levels for 17 alpha-hydroxylase and type II 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 beta-HSD) in the absence of cyclic AMP or ACTH. They had lesser effects on 21-hydroxylase and cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme mRNA levels and were3 without effect on 11 beta-hydroxylase mRNA. All steroidogenic enzyme mRNAs were strongly increased by cyclic AMP or ACTH, and this increase was potentiated by insulin or IGF-I. These effects of insulin and IGF-I were accompanied by decreases in the ratio of dehydroepiandrosterone/cortisol synthesized from pregnenolone by the cultures. Induction of steroidogenic enzyme genes in adult human adrenocortical cells by insulin and IGF-I is unlikely to occur by means of a cyclic AMP-dependent mechanism. These data increase the evidence for an important regulation of steroidogenesis by these hormones.
Effect of Sulfosulfuron on the Urine and Urothelium of Male Rats

Sulfosulfuron, developed as a herbicide, caused increased microcrystalluria and the formation of urinary tract calculi when fed to male and female rats in a chronic 2-year study at doses of 5,000 ppm and 20,000 ppm. Hyperplasia was also seen in urinary bladders at 5,000 ppm and 20,000 ppm, almost exclusively in the presence of observable calculi/microcalculi. Urinary bladder tumors were found in 2 females in the 5000 ppm group, both in the presence of calculi. No increased microcrystalluria, calculi, or tumors were found at doses of 500 ppm and lower. In the current study, 5 groups of male Sprague‐Dawley rats were fed sulfosulfuron at doses of 50, 500, 5,000, and 20,000 ppm for 10 weeks. Ten animals were co-administered 5,000 ppm sulfosulfuron with 12,300 ppm NH4Cl to determine if inhibition of the formation of calculi would prevent any urothelial effects of treatment with sulfosulfuron. Ten animals in the control group and in the high-dose sulfosulfuron group were fed only basal diet for an additional 10 weeks to determine if the effects of sulfosulfuron on the bladder epithelium were reversible. There was an increased incidence of microcrystalluria observed at 5,000 and 20,000 ppm. There was no increaseinmicrocrystalluria observed in theurine of rats co-administeredsulfosulfuron and NH4Cl. Urinary bladder calculi were found in the bladder of 1 animal fed 20,000 ppm. Examination by light microscopy showed diffuse papillary/nodular hyperplasia of the bladder epithelium in this animal. No increased microcrystalluria was observed after withdrawal of the chemical from the diet and the bladder epithelium was normal by light microscopy. The hyperplastic effects associatedwith the feeding of high doses of sulfosulfuron occur only with the appearance of urinary tract calculi. Based on these results and anatomical differences between rats and humans, it may be concluded that the hyperplastic and carcinogenic effects of sulfosulfuron in rats are high-dose, threshold phenomena that are not likely to occur in humans under environmentally relevant exposures.
In vitro demonstration of uterine anaphylaxis in guinea pigs sensitized with homologous testis or sperm.

SPERM-IMMOBILIZING, agglutinating and precipitating antibodies have been detected in the sera of animals injected with sperm or testis1. Scrutiny of the literature revealed no studies which considered the possibility that injections of sperm or testis could induce an anaphylactic response. The present study was undertaken to examine this possibility.
Facial attractiveness ratings and perfectionism in body dysmorphic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder

Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) suffer from a preoccupation about imagined or slight appearance flaws. We evaluated facial physical attractiveness ratings and perfectionistic thinking among individuals with BDD (n = 19), individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; n = 21), and mentally healthy control participants (n = 21). We presented participants with photographs displaying faces varying in facial attractiveness (attractive, average, unattractive) and asked them to rate them in terms of their physical attractiveness. We further examined how the participants evaluated their own physical attractiveness, relative to independent evaluators (IEs). As predicted, BDD participants perceived their own attractiveness as significantly lower than did the IEs, and they rated photographs from the category ‘‘Attractive’’ as significantly more attractive than did the other groups. Furthermore, both clinical groups were characterized by more perfectionistic thinking than controls. These findings mostly support cognitive-behavioral models of BDD that suggest that individuals with BDD exhibit perfectionistic thinking and maladaptive attractiveness beliefs. # 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Health care transition services for youth with autism spectrum disorders.

OBJECTIVE Little is known about accessibility to health care transition (HCT) services (HCT) for youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study examined how often youth with ASD receive HCT services and how access varied by individual, family, and health system characteristics. METHOD Questionnaires were completed by 101 parents of youth with ASD (ages 12-17 years) enrolled in a national online autism registry. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were used to examine a composite HCT variable and its components. RESULTS Fewer than 15% of youth received HCT services. Although 41% received at least 1 HCT discussion, only 3% received all 3. One-quarter had a discussion with their health care provider about transitioning to an adult provider, adult health care needs, or insurance retention, and 31% of providers encouraged youth to take on more responsibilities. Most caregivers reported not needing 1 or more of the discussions. RESULTS varied significantly when the sample was divided by age, with older youth more likely to have received transition services than younger adolescents. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate a significant disparity in access to HCT services for youth with ASD. Further research is needed to understand this disparity and develop interventions to improve HCT both for youth with ASD and those with other disabling health conditions. Additionally, many caregivers do not recognize the importance of HCT services. Education and training for caregivers, youth, and providers is essential to ensure all parties are working together to address transition issues early and often.
Is fibrinogen the answer to coagulopathy after massive transfusions

Coagulopathy is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients who have suffered severe hemorrhage and received massive transfusions. Administration of a fibrinogen concentrate along with red blood cells can quickly restore hemostasis in a clinically relevant animal model.
Crystal-growth studies of natural gas clathrate hydrates using a pressurized optical cell

The crystal-growth behavior of structure I (sl), structure II (sll), and structure H (sH) clathrate hydrates has been studied using a specially designed, pressurized optical cell, Single crystals of each hydrate type, methane sl, methane-propane (95%-5%) sll, and methane-methylcyclopentane sH, were grown in equilibrium with aqueous liquid + vapor ::':: liquid hydrocarbon, Each structure type exhibits characteristic crystal morphology, which suggests that crystal habit in natural settings, such as sea-floor outcrops, may allow visual identification of hydrate types. In addition, the relative growth rates for different Miller planes for each crystal type were determined. The relative growth-rate schemes and resulting crystal morphology of each structure can be related to the unit-cell density distribution of the small cages in each structure, Four-phase P- T equilibrium data for methanemethylcyclopentane sH data were also measured using optical methods. Evaluation of these and previously published phase-equilibrium data for all three known hydrate structures strongly suggests that hydrate assemblages of coexisting sll and sH should be common in natural settings.
Haiti's dilemma: how to incorporate foreign health professionals to assist in short-term recovery while capacity building for the future

Ten months after the earthquake in Haiti, the beleaguered public health system is worse than ever. In a country that spent $58 per person per year on health care prior to the earthquake, the Ministry of Health must now deal with the excess morbidity from the disaster with even fewer resources. The healthcare system will be burdened with the increased mortality rates of victims of traumatic injury for up to 40 years. Several models of temporary personnel supplementation of Haiti's healthcare system are currently being implemented. The most effective way to address the dearth of personnel over the coming years is to supplement the local healthcare system with volunteer foreign health professionals while capacity building for the future by training more local personnel.
Geometric structures arising from generalized -planes

We study translation planes constructed by Andr\'e net replacement on -planes and derivation on -planes. Then, we get to the conclusion that the family of non-Andr\'e -planes is new, and thus so are their replaced and derived planes. We also study a new way to construct translation planes by putting together two `halves' of planes that belong to two different -planes. We show examples of planes of small order constructed this way. Finally, we prove that using regular hyperbolic covers, -planes induce partitions of Segre varieties by Veronesians (sometimes called flat flocks)