cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interrelationships among water, air, and chemical transport properties of soil

Thin-wall Shelby tubes were used to collect undisturbed soil samples from depths of 2-12 m from several glacial till profiles. Saturated hydraulic conductivity and chloride breakthrough measure­ ments were made either directly on soil within Shelby tubes or on soil samples removed from the Shelby tubes and then sealed into aluminum rings with paraffin wax. Visual observation indicated the presence of oxidized till of 3 m thickness underlain by unoxidized till. Bulk density, particle density, specific surface, and particle size analysis indicated little or no change among the samples. Saturated conductivity, decreased significantly with depth. Below a 9 m depth, however, the conductivity remained nearly unchanged. The values determined on the samples contained within Shelby tubes were one order of magnitude higher than those determined on the same samples removed from Shelby tubes and sealed into aluminum rings. Dispersivity values were significantly higher for samples contained within Shelby tubes than for the same samples removed from Shelby tubes and sealed into rings. The high conductivity, dispersivity, and early chloride breakthroughs for samples contained within Shelby tubes all indicated side-wall flow. The lower conductivity, dispersivity, and delayed chloride breakthrough all indicated that wax sealing of soil samples prevented side-wall flow.
Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Access to the Stomach in Patients with Prior Gastric Bypass to Facilitate Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography

Pancreatobiliary disorders are common after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and represent a major challenge for conventional endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography due to the altered anatomy and varying length of the reconstructed intestinal limbs. Device-assisted enteroscopy is often used to reach the papilla and perform ERCP in this patient population. However, this approach might be challenging due to the orientation of the papilla relative to the forward viewing endoscope and the limited accessories currently available with a reported success rate of 63% (at best). A transgastric approach has been proposed and used in these patients; however, it requires interventional radiology and surgical services and is associated with increased costs and adverse events. The evolution of endoscopic ultrasound from a diagnostic to a therapeutic tool has led to a new innovative technique where the access into the remnant stomach can be obtained with endoscopic ultrasound guidance without the need for a surgical gastrostomy or interventional radiology. Furthermore, this endoscopic ultrasound-guided approach in addition to the introduction of the lumen apposing stent has led to the description of a new technique called endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) directed transgastric ERCP (EDGE) that allows access to the excluded pancreatobiliary tree in a minimally invasive approach without the need for a percutaneous gastrostomy.
Hubbard model on a triangular lattice: Pseudogap due to spin density wave fluctuations

We calculate the fermionic spectral function ${A}_{k}(\ensuremath{\omega})$ in the spiral spin density wave (SDW) state of the Hubbard model on a quasi-2D triangular lattice at small but finite temperature $T$. The spiral SDW order $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}(T)$ develops below $T={T}_{N}$ and has momentum $\mathbf{K}=(4\ensuremath{\pi}/3,0)$. We pay special attention to fermions with momenta $\mathbf{k}$, for which $\mathbf{k}$ and $\mathbf{k}+\mathbf{K}$ are close to Fermi surface in the absence of SDW. At the mean-field level, ${A}_{k}(\ensuremath{\omega})$ for such fermions has peaks at $\ensuremath{\omega}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}(T)$ at $Tl{T}_{N}$ and displays a conventional Fermi liquid behavior at $Tg{T}_{N}$. We show that this behavior changes qualitatively beyond mean field due to singular self-energy contributions from thermal fluctuations in a quasi-2D system. We use a nonperturbative eikonal approach and sum up infinite series of thermal self-energy terms. We show that ${A}_{k}(\ensuremath{\omega})$ shows peak/dip/hump features at $Tl{T}_{N}$, with the peak position at $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}(T)$ and hump position at $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}(T=0)$. Above ${T}_{N}$, the hump survives up to $T={T}_{p}g{T}_{N}$, and in between ${T}_{N}$ and ${T}_{p}$ the spectral function displays the pseudogap behavior. We show that the difference between ${T}_{p}$ and ${T}_{N}$ is controlled by the ratio of in-plane and out-of-plane static spin susceptibilities, which determines the combinatoric factors in the diagrammatic series for the self-energy. For certain values of this ratio, ${T}_{p}={T}_{N}$, i.e., the pseudogap region collapses. In this last case, thermal fluctuations are logarithmically singular, yet they do not give rise to pseudogap behavior. Our computational method can be used to study pseudogap physics due to thermal fluctuations in other systems.
Overcoming the shortcomings of U.S. plug-in electric vehicle policies

Abstract We evaluate plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) policies currently implemented across the U.S. and the potential for these policies to facilitate widespread PEV diffusion. We examine the relationship between overlapping regulatory and fiscal policies at the federal and state levels of government. We argue that the current suite of policies is not as effective as it could be, and potentially more expensive. Our analysis suggests the existence of a tradeoff between the goals of increasing the market penetration of PEVs and that of limiting greenhouse gas emissions from the light-duty vehicle fleet. The way federal and state policies interact puts those two goals at odds, at least in the short-term. Drawing from the policy and economics literatures, we summarize a series of recommendations and incentives that could deliver a more balanced approach to the achievement of those two policy goals. We conclude with some research suggestions.
PREDATION AT AN URBAN FREE-TAILED BAT (TADARIDA BRASILIENSIS) COLONY BY NIGHT HERONS

Harris County, Texas, is home to both species of North American night herons, black-crowned (Nycticorax nycticorax) and yellow-crowned (Nycticorax violacea). Both species are carnivorous, consuming a wide variety of vertebrates and invertebrates, although records of either species consuming bats have not been reported. During studies at a local colony of free-tailed bats living under the Waugh Bridge (Houston, Texas), significant feeding behavior observations of both herons were made. Both species were recorded foraging on this urban bat population, utilizing different methods for acquiring the bats as prey. Some of the behaviors are novel as well and are also discussed.
Neural Network DPD via Backpropagation through a Neural Network Model of the PA

We demonstrate digital predistortion (DPD) using a novel, neural-network (NN) method to combat the nonlinearities in power amplifiers (PAs), which limit the power efficiency of mobile devices, increase the error vector magnitude, and cause inadequate spectral containment. DPD is commonly done with polynomial-based methods that use an indirect-learning architecture (ILA) which can be computationally intensive, especially for mobile devices, and overly sensitive to noise. Our approach using NNs avoids the problems associated with ILAs by first training a NN to model the PA then training a predistorter by backpropagating through the PA NN model. The NN DPD effectively learns the unique PA distortions, which may not easily fit a polynomial-based model, and hence may offer a favorable tradeoff between computation overhead and DPD performance. We demonstrate the performance of our NN method using two different power amplifier systems and investigate the complexity tradeoffs.
How parental viewpoint and personality affect gifted child outcomes

A 17-year longitudinal follow-up of 56 American gifted children investigates and gives examples of a variety of social, emotional, and career outcomes for children who are in the same intellectual ...
Delusions of Parasitosis Influenced by Crowdsourcing Diagnostic Platform CrowdMed

Thousands of patients look to crowdsourcing websites such as CrowdMed for medical guidance. These websites can provide opportunities for patient education and facilitate the spread of knowledge. However, when used inappropriately, crowdsourcing websites like CrowdMed can put strain on doctor-patient relationships. We present a case that highlights how a patient’s delusions of parasitosis were influenced and supported by the crowdsourcing website CrowdMed.
Statins Inhibit Toll-Like Receptor 4–Mediated Growth of Human Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Cells

Abstract Background Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a lethal malignancy with poor prognosis. Pharmacologic inhibitors of inflammation, such as statins, have been shown to decrease the risk of development and progression of esophageal cancer, but the mechanism of this protection is unclear. The objective of this study was to elucidate the effect of statins on toll-like receptor 4-mediated–proliferation of human EAC cells and identify the mechanism responsible for these observed effects. Methods Human EAC cells (OE33 and FLO1) were treated with simvastatin or atorvastatin for increasing doses and time periods. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression was assessed. Cells were pretreated with statin followed by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Cell proliferation and expression of signaling proteins were evaluated. FLO1 cells were injected into the flank of nude mice. Mice received intraperitoneal injections of simvastatin, atorvastatin, or control solution and tumor volume was measured. Results OE33 and FLO1 cells demonstrated decreased TLR4 expression after treatment with simvastatin or atorvastatin for 8 h (P Conclusions Treatment of EAC cells with simvastatin or atorvastatin decreases TLR4-mediated proliferation and in vivo tumor growth. Decreased TLR4 expression and subsequent reduction in MyD88-dependent signaling could be a mechanism by which statins act to reduce tumor growth rates.
Random Generation of Visibility Aware Polygons

Problems dealing with the generation of random polygons has important applications for evaluating the performance of algorithms on polygonal domain. We review existing algorithms for generating random polygons. We present an algorithm for generating polygons admitting visibility properties. In particular, we propose an algorithm for generating random polygons admitting large size kernels.
Prober: practically defending overflows with page protection

Heap-based overflows are still not completely solved even after decades of research. This paper proposes Prober, a novel system aiming to detect and prevent heap overflows in the production environment. Prober leverages a key observation based on the analysis of dozens of real bugs: all heap overflows are related to arrays. Based on this observation, Prober only focuses on array-related heap objects, instead of all heap objects. Prober utilizes static analysis to label all susceptible call-stacks during the compilation, and then employs the page protection to detect any invalid accesses during the runtime. In addition to this, Prober integrates multiple existing methods together to ensure the efficiency of its detection. Overall, Prober introduces almost negligible performance overhead, with 1.5% on average. Prober not only stops possible attacks on time, but also reports the faulty instructions that could guide bug fixes. Prober is ready for deployment due to its effectiveness and low overhead.
Pre-operative fasting times for clear liquids at a tertiary children’s hospital; what can be improved?

Background The goal of preoperative fasting is to prevent pulmonary aspiration during general anesthesia. Fasting times are often prolonged leading to patient discomfort and risk for adverse events. This retrospective quality improvement survey evaluated effective nil-per-os (NPO) times and causes for prolonged NPO times with the aim to suggest improvement strategies by a newly founded fasting task force. Methods Data from all electronic anesthesia records from 2019 at our institution were reviewed for fasting times. Our NPO instructions follow American Society of Anesthesiology guidelines and are calculated based on the patient's arrival time (90 min before operating room [OR] time). Primary outcome was the effective NPO time for clear liquids, secondary outcomes were incidence of delays and the parental compliance with the NPO instructions. Data are presented as median (interquartile range). Results In total 9,625 cases were included in the analysis. NPO time was documented in 72.1% with a median effective NPO time of 7:13 h (7:36). OR in room times were documented in 72.8%, 2,075 (29.5%; median time 0:10 h [0:21]) were earlier and 4,939 (70.5%; median time 0:29 h [0:54]) were later than scheduled. Parental NPO compliance showed a median deviation for clear liquid intake of 0:55 h (8:30). Conclusions This study revealed that effective NPO times were longer than current ASA guidelines. Contributing causes include case delays and parental non-compliance to NPO instructions. Thus, task force recommendations include change NPO instruction calculations to scheduled OR time versus arrival time, and encourage parents to give their child clear liquids at the instructed time.
Forecasting as a Problem of Cognitive Search: Evidence from Auto Industry Forecasting Tournaments

Managers and entrepreneurs rely on forecasting as a means to navigate through industry opportunities and threats. We offer a cognitive perspective that is premised on forecasting as a problem solvi...
Improving the Quality of Clinical Care of Children with Diabetic Ketoacidosis in General Emergency Departments Following a Collaborative Improvement Program with an Academic Medical Center.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of a collaborative initiative between a group of general emergency departments (EDs) and an academic medical center (AMC) on the process of care provided to patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) across these EDs. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective cohort study (January 2015 to December 2018) of all pediatric patients <18 years who presented with DKA to participating EDs and were subsequently admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at the AMC. Our multifaceted intervention included simulation with postsimulation debriefing, targeted assessment reports, distribution of DKA best practices, pediatric DKA module, and scheduled check-in visits. The process of clinical care was measured by adherence to the pediatric DKA 9-item checklist. Adherence was scored based on the number of items performed correctly and calculated using equal weight for items and dividing by the total number of items. Patients' clinical outcomes also were collected. RESULTS A total of 85 patients with DKA were included in the analysis; 38 patients were in the preintervention, and 47 were in the postintervention. There was a statistically significant improvement in adherence to the DKA checklist from 77.8% to 88.9%. Two of the 9 checklist items (hourly glucose check and appropriate fluid rate) showed statistically significant improvement. No significant change in patient clinical outcomes was noted. CONCLUSIONS Our collaborative initiative resulted in significant improvements in adherence to pediatric DKA best practices across a group of general EDs. A collaborative approach between general EDs and AMCs is an effective improvement strategy for pediatric emergency care.
Routine Activity Theory and Farm Equipment Theft: A Macro-Level Approach

Though a handful of studies have explored the relationship between farm characteristics and theft of farm equipment, all have been focused at the micro level. Put differently, they have sought to determine whether a relationship exists between likelihood of theft victimization and the characteristics (e.g., size, location) of individual farming operations. The current study builds upon this work by seeking to determine whether county-level factors (in line with the routine activity theory framework) serve to influence the incidence of farm equipment theft within counties. Data are derived from the National Incident-Based Reporting System, the Census of Agriculture and the United States Census of the Population. Results are on the whole supportive of the theory's application to the problem and suggest that macro-level investigations constitute a worthwhile approach to better understanding agricultural victimization.
Pointwise stabilization for coupled quasilinear and linear wave equations

Abstract : A large structure is formed by the coupling of simple structural elements. This paper considers the simplest type of such structures which is made up of two coupled strings modelled by quasilinear or linear wave equations. Two stabilizers are installed: one at the left boundary and one at an in-span point. The exponential stability property of this coupled dynamic structure is studied. The method of characteristics, and a frequency domain theorem due to F.L. Huang are used. For the quasilinear case, one can determine various parameters so that the system is exponentially stable for sufficiently small data. For the linear case, installing a stabilizer at a boundary point is robust for the exponential stability of the system.
Assessment of EndoPAT scores in men with vasculogenic and non-vasculogenic erectile dysfunction.

Summary Purpose: The role of endothelial function testing using peripheral artery tonometry (PAT) in the evaluation of ED is not well established. Endothelial dysfunction is expected to be more common in men presenting with general or vasculogenic ED, compared with men who develop ED after prostatectomy. This study evaluated whether PAT could help identify men in whom endothelial cell dysfunction was the underlying cause of ED. Materials and methods: A chart review of 194 men with general ED and 98 men with postprostatectomy ED was performed to abstract data on demographics, medical comorbidities, SHIM-5 scores and EndoPAT scores. Patients with preoperative ED were excluded. Statistical analysis using Student’s t-test and Chi-squared analysis was performed to compare the two groups of men with respect to these variables. Results: EndoPAT scores were not significantly different between men with general vs. postprostatectomy ED (1.97 vs. 2.08, p = 0.074). There was no relationship between EndoPAT and SHIM-5 scores in the general ED cohort. The prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and cardiovascular (CV) disease was similar between the two groups, but diabetes and hypogonadism were more prevalent in men with general ED (21% vs. 9%, and 28% vs. 7%, p < 0.015). Overall, EndoPAT scores in postprostatectomy men with at least one risk factor were not significantly different compared with men with general ED with the same comorbidity, or a combination of two or more comorbidities. Conclusions: The value of EndoPAT testing in the clinical evaluation of ED patients is questionable.
Long-distance running, bone density, and osteoarthritis

Forty-one long-distance runners aged 50 to 72 years were compared with 41 matched community controls to examine associations of repetitive, long-term physical impact (running) with osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Roentgenograms of hands, lateral lumbar spine, and knees were assessed without knowledge of running status. A computed tomographic scan of the first lumbar vertebra was performed to quantitate bone mineral content. Runners, both male and female, have approximately 40% more bone mineral than matched controls. Female runners, but not male runners, appear to have somewhat more sclerosis and spur formation in spine and weight-bearing knee x-ray films, but not in hand x-ray films. There were no differences between groups in joint space narrowing, crepitation, joint stability, or symptomatic osteoarthritis. Running is associated with increased bone mineral but not, in this cross-sectional study, with clinical osteoarthritis.
Localization scale selection for scale-space segmentation

In this work the relation between scale-space image segmentation and selection of the localization scale is examined first, and a scale selection approach is consequently proposed in the segmentation context. Considering the segmentation part, gradient watersheds are applied to the non-linear scale-space domain followed by a grouping operation. A report on localization scale selection techniques is carried out next. Furthermore a scale selection method that originates from the evolution of the probability distribution of a region uniformity measure through the generated scales is proposed. The introduced algorithm is finally compared to a previously published approach that is also introduced into the segmentation context to indicate its efficacy.
Structure-based engineering of papillomavirus major capsid l1: controlling particle assembly.

The outer shell of the papillomavirus particle is comprised of 72 pentamers of the major capsid L1 protein arranged on a T = 7 icosahedral lattice. The recombinant L1 can form T = 7 virus-like particles in vitro. The crystal structure of a T = 7 papilloma virion has not yet been determined; however, the crystal structure of a T = 1 particle containing 12 pentamers is known. The T = 1 structure reveals that helix-helix interactions, through three helices–h2, h3, and h4–near the C-terminus of L1, mediate the inter-pentameric bonding that is responsible for T = 1 assembly. Based on the T = 1 crystal structure, we have generated a set of internal deletions to test the role of the three C-terminal helices in T = 7 assembly. We have demonstrated that the h2, h3, and h4 near the C-terminal end of L1 are important for the L1 structure and particle assembly. In particular, we found that h2 and h3 are essential for L1 folding and pentamer formation, whereas h4 is indispensable for the assembly of not only T1, but also of the T7 virus-like particle.
Beamforming spatially spread signals with the Kent distribution

Beamforming of near-field sonar signals from sources with appreciable spatial extent is more difficult to perform than the case of far-field point sources. Earlier, a model was developed in which the beam response of an extended source is formulated as a convolution of the beampattern of a point source and a probability density function representing the spatial distribution of the real source about its center of mass angular coordinates. Because beamforming is performed in both azimuth and elevation, a form that best allows modeling of directional response properties should be chosen. The choice in the present analysis is the Kent distribution, a function of the angular deviations of the source elements from the center of mass and five parameters which incorporate apparent target spread, ellipticity and orientation. These, in turn, reflect the uncertainty associated with target distance, size and aspect angle. Results are presented for three-dimensional arrays.
Trimmed minimax estimator of a covariance matrix

In the problem of estimating the covariance matrix of a multivariate normal population, James and Stein (Proc. Fourth Berkeley Symp. Math. Statist. Prob.,1, 361–380, Univ. of California Press) obtained a minimax estimator under a scale invariant loss. In this paper we propose an orthogonally invariant trimmed estimator by solving certain differential inequality involving the eigenvalues of the sample covariance matrix. The estimator obtained, truncates the extreme eigenvalues first and then shrinks the larger and expands the smaller sample eigenvalues. Adaptive version of the trimmed estimator is also discussed. Finally some numerical studies are performed using Monte Carlo simulation method and it is observed that the trimmed estimate shows a substantial improvement over the minimax estimator.
The Occupational Therapy Library: A Professional Resource

For the first time, much of the significant literature on occupational therapy has been gathered in one place so that clinicians, students, and scholars can use the collection for study, research, or browsing. The initial efforts have provided a rich resource on the history and evaluation of occupational therapy. Occupational therapy practitioners, educators, and researchers are encouraged to make use of library resources and to support the continued development of the library through donations of old and new materials. Interested persons may write or call the Occupational Therapy Library through the Association address or telephone number.
Balloon catheter requirements during contemporary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

In order to examine the outcome of utilizing multiple balloon catheters during the percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), 300 consecutive PTCAs were analyzed. PTCA was performed in a single lesion in 163 patients (54%), in multiple lesions in 52 patients (18%), and in multiple vessels in 85 patients (28%). A total of 488 balloon catheters were used (1.6/case, range 1–9) and in 112 cases (37%) ≥2 catheters were used. Multiple balloon catheters were needed in 27 single lesion (17%), 24 multilesion (48%), and 61 multivessel (72%) cases (p < .05). There was no difference in the angiographic success rate in cases completed with 1 balloon catheter (238/251, 95%) compared to those requiring ≥2 catheters (260/274, 95%). Emergency bypass was required in 5 patients (1.7%) and there were 2 deaths (0.6%). Thus, although contemporary PTCA frequently requires multiple balloon catheters for completion, success rates remain high and appear to offset the increased procedural expenses.
Efferent Projections of Prokineticin 2 Expressing Neurons in the Mouse Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus is the predominant circadian clock in mammals. To function as a pacemaker, the intrinsic timing signal from the SCN must be transmitted to different brain regions. Prokineticin 2 (PK2) is one of the candidate output molecules from the SCN. In this study, we investigated the efferent projections of PK2-expressing neurons in the SCN through a transgenic reporter approach. Using a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mouse line, in which the enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) reporter gene expression was driven by the PK2 promoter, we were able to obtain an efferent projections map from the EGFP-expressing neurons in the SCN. Our data revealed that EGFP-expressing neurons in the SCN, hence representing some of the PK2-expressing neurons, projected to many known SCN target areas, including the ventral lateral septum, medial preoptic area, subparaventricular zone, paraventricular nucleus, dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus, lateral hypothalamic area and paraventricular thalamic nucleus. The efferent projections of PK2-expressing neurons supported the role of PK2 as an output molecule of the SCN.
Binomial sequential sampling plans and decision support algorithms for managing the Russian wheat aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) in small grains.

A sequential-interval procedure was developed to calculate upper and lower stop values of binomial sequential sampling models for the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov), infesting small grains. This procedure was developed for economic thresholds of 5, 10, and 20% infested tillers and will calculate upper and lower stop values for most proportions of maximum allowable sequential errors between 0.01 and 0.5. Average sample number and proportion of incorrect classification curves were established with three binomial sequential sampling models. In addition, the influence of maximum allowable number of samples and three terminal-error philosophies on the proportion of incorrect classifications was investigated. The sequential-interval procedure was tested via computer-simulated sampling experiments and field evaluations in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, and Wyoming. A computer program enabled users to produce easily sequential sampling stop values via the sequential-interval procedure.
Wideband Millimeter-Wave Surface Micromachined Tapered Slot Antenna

A millimeter-wave surface micromachined tapered slot antenna (TSA) fed by an air-filled rectangular coaxial line is proposed. Detailed parametric study is conducted to determine the effects of the TSA's key structural features on its VSWR and gain. Selected exponential taper with determined growth rate and corrugation length resulted in an antenna with VSWR 2.75 dBi, and stable patterns over a 43-140-GHz range. The TSA is fabricated, and good correlation between modeling and W-band measurements confirms its wideband performance.
Photostimulated desorption of CO from geologic calcite following 193-nm irradiation

We report the results of a photostimulated desorption study of neutral CO product from geologic calcite using very low fluence 193-nm excimer laser radiation. Detailed product state distributions are obtained using (2+1) resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization. The CO translational energy can be characterized by a temperature (T=110{plus_minus}15K) significantly lower than that of the substrate (T=295K). The CO rotational state distribution is non-Boltzmann and there is step structure every four or five rotational states. The evolution of CO emission as a function of laser exposure shows no incubation period or enhanced CO photodesorption over time. The CO yield is linear with laser power and displays no detectable threshold. The low kinetic energy of the desorbed CO and the nonthermal CO distributions implicate the decay of a surface species or state. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
The epistemology of “addictive disease”: The Lincoln-Douglas debate

This research was conducted to examine the social perception of "addictive disease." This study provided an opportunity to gain insight into a representative sample of terms and phrases that were denotative of disease and then factor analyzed how these items clustered to reveal a spectrum of underlying factors that contribute to the perception of disease. It was expected and confirmed that subjects could discriminate between behavioral and biological disorders. In addition, the results support the view that the addictive "disease" model is a symbolic substitute for the moral turpitude model which it replaced. Finally, the findings support the view that non-physicians are capable of making fine distinctions among a number of biologically related "diseases." These results suggest that it may be important for health care providers to carefully and instrumentally apply their language to facilitate patient compliance with treatment protocols.
Invalid results from the method of constant stimuli

The Method of Constant Stimuli was shown to produce constant errors in the direction expected by E. In an experiment, 89 Ss compared variable lines with a standard, each S producing a psychometric function and Point of Subjective Equality (PSE). Four groups differed in the particular range of variable stimuli used; whether the stimuli averaged longer or shorter than the standard, and whether they had a wide or narrow range. All sets of variable stimuli encompassed the standard. PSE was consistently between the standard and the mean of the variables, as predicted by Adaptation Level Theory. In many experiments, the set of variables is chosen on the basis of theory or pilot studies; the present study shows that PSE will be spuriously drawn toward the center of the variables, hence toward E’s pre-experimental expectations.
Effects of 5-HT-1A receptor agonists on CRF-induced behavior.

Buspirone (2.0 or 4.0 mg/kg) and 8-hydroxy-2-(di-N-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) (0.25 or 0.5 mg/kg) were used to examine the effects of serotonin 1A receptor agonists on the behavioral response of rats to centrally administered corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). Behavioral observations were done with animals in their home cages. Parameters measured included locomotor activity, grooming and food consumption. CRF alone increased locomotor activity. 8-OH-DPAT also increased locomotion in both saline control and CRF-treated rats. Buspirone had no effect on basal locomotion or on CRF-induced hyperactivity. Both buspirone and 8-OH-DPAT antagonized CRF-induced grooming. Food consumption by fasted rats was suppressed by ICV CRF. 8-OH-DPAT suppressed eating by both ICV CRF and ICV saline-treated animals, while buspirone was without effect. These results demonstrate differences between the two putative 5-HT-1A agonists in their effects on CRF-induced behavior but also demonstrate that both suppress CRF-induced grooming.
Causal Beliefs of Public School Students about Success and Failure in Music

Student motivation and achievement in relation to Attribution Theory were examined in this study. Public school students (N = 1,114) were asked to respond to items on Asmus's Music Attribution Orie...
Hepatitis B Vaccine Responsiveness and Clinical Outcomes in HIV Controllers

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine responsiveness is associated with reduced risk of AIDS or death in HIV-infected individuals. Although HIV controllers (HIC) typically have favorable immunologic and clinical characteristics compared to non-controllers, vaccine responsiveness has not been studied.
Landmarks in territory partitioning: a strategically stable convention?

Abstract: A convention is a rule based on arbitrary cues that allows quick resolution of potentially protracted disputes. A familiar example is the Bourgeois strategy, in which the second of two animals to discover a resource yields it to the first, even though it may be stronger than its opponent. Here we develop a game‐theoretic model to show that neighbors with imperfect information about one another’s fighting abilities can be favored to accept a landmark as the designator of a territory boundary, even when the resulting territory is smaller than the one that would have been won through fighting. Thus, the use of landmarks or other mutually obvious solutions can serve as a convention for territory partitioning. For a distribution of fighting ability with low variance and high skew, there is a remarkably high probability that an animal will accept a smaller territory than it would have won through fighting. The analysis provides a possible explanation for the observed use of landmarks as boundary marke...
Radial Gradient Coaxial Detectors

Germanium crystals with radial impurity gradients have been prepared by diffusing Li into p-type material and then extracting most of it at the surface to produce n-core crystals. The diffusion is designed to produce coaxial detectors which reach full depletion at the inner and outer radii simultaneously, thereby minimizing the leakage which is caused by electrical stress at the electrodes. The depletion voltage and leakage current of these crystals are measured by methods which do not require that they be sectioned to expose the junction. Preliminary measurements of detectors made from radial gradient crystals are also reported.
Preservation of Mycoplasmatales and L-phase variants in the American Type Culture Collection by freezing and freeze-drying☆

Abstract The ATCC collection of Mycoplasmatales (with the exception of Thermoplasma ) have been freeze-dried using a final concentration of 12% sucrose in the recommended growth media. Longevity studies show that storage at −30 °C results in acceptable viability. Improved methods for the preservation of strains of Neissera L-phase variants are being investigated.
Concentration dependence of the Debye temperature in extended solid solutions near the crystal-to-glass transition

Abstract In order to study the change of the phonon spectrum near the crystal-to-glass transition in extended solid solutions, the low temperature specific heat of rapidly quenched crystalline NbPd (0 ⩽ xpd ⩽ 0.52) and ball-milled ZrAl (0 ⩽ xAl ⩽ 0.5) was measured far from equilibrium. The results show in both cases a drastic decrease of the Debye temperature prior to structural transformation (i.e., bcc → fcc for NbPd at x pd ≊ 0.44 and hcp → amorphous for ZrAl at x Al ≊ 0.2 ) indicating a large elastic softening as a precursor of an underlying instability.
Restructuring British Public Sector Industrial Relations: State Policies and Trade Union Responses

This article examines how Conservative governments restructured public sector in day trial relations in Britain between 1979 and 1997, and identifies the main components of trade union strategic response to change. It argues that Conservative policy is important for its impact upon trade union strategy and practice, and that public sector unions constitute the leading edge of trade union strategic modernization in Britain.
The Future Carrier Network: Its Vision and Architecture

We have been considering the architecture of the future carrier network which will be the successor to Next Generation Network (NGN). Our assessments have clarified the key problems that will arise in the era when NGN has matured. Based on our studies, we define the vision and the architecture that can solve these problems. This paper provides a snapshot of our work in order to contribute to research on the New Generation Network and beyond.
Effects of Standard Extremity on Mixed Standard Scale Performance Ratings.

Abstract : It was suggested that the extremity of the scale values associated with standards used to represent effective and ineffective performance in Mixed Standard Scales may affect the nature of performance ratings derived from MSS responses and decisions based on MSS ratings. When the extremity of standards was experimentally manipulated, it was found that standard extremity affects both the level of performance ratings and the proportion of logically inconsistent response patterns observed. In addition, standard extremity appears to affect the rankings on performance of ratees. The implications of these observations for the development of Mixed Standard Scales were discussed. (Author)
Prospective origins of prostate carcinoma. Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and atypical adenomatous hyperplasia.

BACKGROUND. The search for the precursor of prostatic adenocarcinoma has focused in recent years on two histopathologic findings : high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH). This article describes the diagnostic criteria and clinical significance of PIN and AAH. METHODS AND RESULTS. PIN is the most likely precursor of prostate carcinoma. The continuum that culminates in high grade PIN and early invasive carcinoma is characterized by progressive basal cell layer disruption, loss of markers of secretory differentiation, nuclear and nucleolar abnormalities, increasing proliferative potential, increasing microvessel density, variation in DNA content, and allelic loss. Clinical studies suggest that PIN predates carcinoma by 10 years or more, with low grade PIN first appearing in men in their 30s. AAH is usually found in the transition zone, and shows a weak and inconclusive link to well differentiated adenocarcinoma of the transition zone. CONCLUSIONS. The significance of recognizing PIN is based on its strong association with prostatic carcinoma. PIN coexists with carcinoma in most cases, but retains an intact or fragmented basal cell layer, unlike carcinoma, which lacks a basal cell layer. High grade PIN in biopsies predicts the presence of carcinoma in subsequent biopsies, and PIN provides the highest risk ratio of all known predictive factors. This finding indicates the need for repeat biopsy and follow-up when PIN is identified in a biopsy, especially in patients with an elevated serum prostate specific antigen concentration. PIN also offers promise as an intermediate endpoint in studies of chemoprevention of prostatic carcinoma. Unlike PIN, AAH is weakly linked to carcinoma, and current data indicate that no follow-up is necessary for patients with this finding.
A preliminary global map of the vector lunar crustal magnetic field based on Lunar Prospector magnetometer data

Processing and mapping of the Lunar Prospector magnetometer data is supported by the NASA Discovery Data Analysis Program.
Parent-Child Joint Book Reading

Research suggests that storybook reading facilitates language development and plays an important role in preparing children for success in school. Children who have early language delays are at ris...
The diagnosis and management of blepharoplasty complications.

Blepharoplasty is the third most common cosmetic procedure performed by cosmetic surgeons according to the 2003 statistics of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. The number is growing each year, having increased by 17% from 2002 [1]. The procedure may involve removal of eyelid skin and orbital fat excision or repositioning. Occasionally needed complementary procedures are brow elevation, lateral canthal position adjustment, correction of lower eyelid laxity, and eyelid skin rejuvenation. Upper and lower lid blepharoplasty may be performed for cosmetic reasons. Upper lid blepharoplasty may also be performed for the functional correction of blepharochalasis and dermatochalasis. Facial and especially eyelid appearance is scrutinized extensively by female and male patients. Increased acceptance of plastic surgery and easier access to medical information with the advent of the Internet and television have resulted in well-informed and demanding patients. Minute postoperative imperfections may be the source of unsatisfied patients and thus suggest an unsuccessful outcome. Management of blepharoplasty complications should start before surgery. Building a strong and trusting relationship with the patient is as important as setting goals based on realistic expectations. Because eyelids are not all anatomically the same, the surgical plan should be individualized for each candidate. The possibility of real and perhaps debilitating complications should be clarified. Profound knowledge of eyelid and periocular anatomy and the performance of state-of-the-art surgery taking all standard precautions for proper healing is the physician’s responsibility. Study of old photographs and photographic documentation at the preoperative and postoperative stages is necessary. They may prove useful in patient
An Analytical Model for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

This work presents the development of an analytical model for the simulation of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The unique features of the analytical code include Stefan-Maxwell-Knudsen diffusion of five-component gas mixtures (H 2 , CO, CO 2 , H 2 O, and CH 4 ) as fuel and of air as comburent, microdiffusion to the reaction sites, reaction kinetics described accurately beyond the linear limit, internal reforming reaction, shift reaction equilibrium, thermal sources evaluation. This results in a fast and accurate computer code, which can be used both as a stand-alone tool for one-dimensional simulations and as a user-supplied source term in the framework of fluid-dynamics three-dimensional platforms. The one-dimensional simulation model is validated against literature experimental data of SOFCs operating with hydrogen-carbon monoxide mixtures. A performance analysis on the effect of SOFC geometry variation has been reported. Analysis of the results indicates that the analytical model is an effective tool for SOFC design and optimization.
Optimal output and the theory of the firm under uncertainty

Abstract This letter analyzes the sensitivity of the optimal output set by a firm faced by demand uncertainty to changes in the shape of its cost and revenue functions.
Functional defects in the fanconi anemia pathway in pancreatic cancer cells.

Biallelic BRCA2-mutations can cause Fanconi anemia and are found in ∼7% of pancreatic cancers. Recently, several sequence changes in FANCC and FANCG were reported in pancreatic cancer. Functional defects in the Fanconi pathway can result in a marked hypersensitivity to interstrand crosslinking agents, such as mitomycin C. The functional implications of mutations in the Fanconi pathway in cancer have not been fully studied yet; these studies are needed to pave the way for clinical trials of treatment with crosslinking agents of Fanconi-defective cancers. The competence of the proximal Fanconi pathway was screened in 21 pancreatic cancer cell lines by an assay of Fancd2 monoubiquitination using a Fancd2 immunoblot. The pancreatic cancer cell lines Hs766T and PL11 were defective in Fancd2 monoubiquitination. In PL11, this defect led to the identification of a large homozygous deletion in FANCC, the first cancer cell line found to be FANCC-null. The Fanconi-defective cell lines Hs766T, PL11, and CAPAN1 were hypersensitive to the crosslinking agent mitomycin C and some to cis-platin, as measured by cell survival assays and G2/M cell-cycle arrest. These results support the practical exploration of crosslinking agents for non-Fanconi anemia patients that have tumors defective in the Fanconi pathway.
Sonic Fineness Testing of Scoured 1/2-Inch Wool Cores for Average Fiber Diameter:

The average fiber diameters for 113 scoured 1/2-inch (13 mm) core samples were determined using the Sonic Fineness Tester developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia and a con version table based on cut and carded wool tops. A comparison of these measurements with measurements determined by the short fiber (microprojection) method showed that Sonic values were coarser for fine wools and finer for coarse wools. A quadratic regression formula based on short fiber measurements of the 1/2-inch (13 mm) cores was used to prepare a con version table to estimate average fiber diameter from millivolt readings on the CSIRO Sonic Fineness Tester.
Evaluation of hemoglobin screening methods in prospective blood donors.

. This study evaluates the performance characteristics of the copper sulfate screening test in routine bloodmobile operations and compares the performance of the copper sulfate test with that of a miniphotometer method of hemoglobin measurement. The copper sulfate and miniphotometer tests provide equivalent pass/fail classification of male donors with a high sensitivity and total efficiency. For female donors, both test methods show substantially lower sensitivity and total efficiency than for male donors; however, the miniphotometer is significantly more sensitive than the copper sulfate test in identifying eligible female donors. The distribution of donor hemoglobin values relative to cutoff values for acceptance may explain the male-female differences in screening test performance characteristics.
An uncertainty approach to assessment of climate change impacts on the Zambezi River Basin

Many residents of the Zambezi River Valley are dependent on water-related re- sources. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may cause a significant change to the climate in the Zambezi Basin in the future, but there is much uncertainty about the future climate state. This situation leaves policy makers at a state of urgency to prepare for these changes as well as reduce the impacts of the changes through GHG mitigation strategies. First and foremost, we must better understand the economic sectors most likely impacted and the magnitude of those impacts, given the inherent uncertainty. In this study, we present a suite of models that assess the effects of climate change on water resources for four countries in the Zambezi basin: Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. We use information from a large ensemble (6800) of climate scenarios for two GHG emission policies which represent a distribution of impacts on water-related sectors, considering emissions uncertainty, climate sensitivity uncer- tainty, and regional climate uncertainty. Two GHG mitigation scenarios are used to understand the effect of global emissions reduction on the River Basin system out to 2050. Under both climate polices, the majority of the basin will likely be drier, except for a portion in the north around Malawi and northern Zambia. Three Key Performance Indicators are used—flood occurrence, unmet irrigation demand, and hydropower generation—to understand the impact channels of climate change effects on the four countries. We find that floods are likely to be worse in Mozambique, irrigation demands are likely to be unmet in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and hydropower generation is likely to be reduced in Zambia. We also find that