cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advanced Practice Provider Clinics: Expediting Care For Children Undergoing Tympanostomy Tube Placement

Objective/hypothesis Advanced practice provider (APP) employment is becoming common in pediatric otolaryngology practices, though few studies have evaluated the consequences that APP-led clinics have on access to care. The objectives of this study were: 1) to investigate whether access to bilateral myringotomy with tympanostomy tube placement (BMT) for recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM) differed between patients seen in otolaryngologist and APP-led clinics 2) to compare clinical characteristics of patients seen by provider type. Methods Retrospective cohort study at an academic, tertiary care pediatric otolaryngology practice. All children were Results A total of 957 children were included. Children seen by APPs had significantly shorter wait times for appointments (median 19 vs. 39 days, P Conclusions Children seen by APPs received care more quickly than those seen by otolaryngologists. Patients seen by otolaryngologists tended to be more medically complex. Implementation of independent APP clinics may expedite and improve access to BMT for children with RAOM. Level of evidence 3 Laryngoscope, 2021.
Four-factor Prothrombin Complex Concentrate for Reversal of Factor Xa Inhibitors versus Warfarin in Life-threatening Bleeding.

Author(s): Rech, Megan A.; Masic, Dalila; Hammond, Drayton A. | Abstract: Introduction: Factor Xa (fXa) inhibitor reversal for life-threatening bleeding is controversial due to a lack of high-quality evidence. The purpose of this study was to determine the hemostatic efficacy of four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) for the reversal of fXa inhibitors compared to warfarin for life-threatening bleeding. Methods: This was a multicenter, retrospective cohort study at two academic medical centers between January 1, 2014–December 31, 2019, which included patients who presented to the emergency department with a life-threatening bleed necessitating anticoagulation reversal with 4F-PCC. The primary endpoint was achievement of hemostatic efficacy after 4F-PCC administration. Results: Of the 525 patients who had an order for 4F-PCC during the study period, 148 patients met the criteria for inclusion (n = 48 fXa inhibitor group; n = 100 warfarin group). Apixaban (52.1%) and rivaroxaban (45.8%) were the most commonly used fXa inhibitors. Effective hemostasis was similar between groups (79.2% fXa inhibitor group vs 85% warfarin group, p = 0.38). This was consistent across all types of bleeding. Thrombotic events were rare in both groups (2% vs 3%).n Conclusion: This multicenter, retrospective cohort study demonstrated that using 4F-PCC for treatment of life-threatening bleeding produced effective hemostasis in patients on fXa inhibitors and warfarin.
Why Test Results Are Still Getting "Lost" to Follow-up: a Qualitative Study of Implementation Gaps.

Lack of timely follow-up of abnormal test results is common and has been implicated in missed or delayed diagnosis, resulting in potential for patient harm. As part of a larger project to implement change strategies to improve follow-up of diagnostic test results, this study sought to identify specifically where implementation gaps exist, as well as possible solutions identified by front-line staff. We used a semi-structured interview guide to collect qualitative data from Veterans Affairs (VA) facility staff who had experience with test results management and patient safety. Twelve VA facilities across the USA. Facility staff members (n = 27), including clinicians, lab and imaging professionals, nursing staff, patient safety professionals, and leadership. We conducted a content analysis of interview transcripts to identify perceived barriers and high-risk areas for effective test result management, as well as recommendations for improvement. We identified seven themes to guide further development of interventions to improve test result follow-up. Themes related to trainees, incidental findings, tracking systems for electronic health record notifications, outdated contact information, referrals, backup or covering providers, and responsibility for test results pending at discharge. Participants provided recommendations for improvement within each theme. Perceived barriers and recommendations for improving test result follow-up often reflected previously known problems and their corresponding solutions, which have not been consistently implemented in practice. Better policy solutions and improvement methods, such as quality improvement collaboratives, may bridge the implementation gaps between knowledge and practice.
Grid Interfaces to Electric Vehicle Chargers Using Statistically-Structured Power Conversion for Second-Use Batteries as Energy Buffering.

The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) will include electric grid stress from EV chargers and produce a large number of diminished EV batteries. EV batteries are expected to retain about 80 % of their original capacity at the end of vehicle life. Employing these in second-use battery energy storage systems (2-BESS) as energy buffers for EV chargers further reduces the environmental impact of battery manufacturing and recycling. One of the obstacles that limits performance and cost to 2-BESS is the heterogeneity of second-use batteries. In this paper, we show that a structure for power processing within a 2-BESS with hierarchical partial power processing can be optimally designed for stochastic variation in EV demand, dynamic grid constraints, and statistical variation in battery capacity. Statistically-structured hierarchical partial power processing shows better battery energy utilization, lower derating, and higher captured value in comparison to conventional partial power processing and full power processing for similar power conversion cost.
Optimal Disclosure of Information to Privately Informed Agents

We study information design settings where the designer controls information about a state, and there are multiple agents interacting in a game who are privately informed about their types. Each agent’s utility depends on all agents’ types and actions, as well as (linearly) on the state. To optimally screen the agents, the designer first asks agents to report their types and then sends a private action recommendation to each agent whose distribution depends on all reported types and the state. We show that there always exists an optimal mechanism which is laminar partitional. Such a mechanism partitions the state space for each type profile and recommends the same action profile for states that belong to the same partition element. Furthermore, the convex hulls of any two partition elements are such that either one contains the other or they have an empty intersection. In the single-agent case, each state is either perfectly revealed or lies in an interval in which the number of different signal realizations is at most the number of different types of the agent plus two. A similar result is established for the multi-agent case. We also highlight the value of screening: without screening the best achievable payoff could be as low as one over the number of types fraction of the optimal payoff. Along the way, we shed light on the solutions of optimization problems over distributions subject to a mean-preserving contraction constraint and additional side constraints, which might be of independent interest.
Novel Health Assessment Techniques for a Modern Power Distribution System

Distribution systems are large and complex systems that grow over time. When contingencies occur dispatchers, engineers, and executives need to know the answer to the question, "How bad is it?", in order to make timely and meaningful decisions. Therefore, a scalable method to add context to system conditions is needed. In this paper we present novel deviation-based techniques which enable scaled bus voltage and line power measurement deviations to quickly assess local and global health, and lend context to the severity of contingencies. The proposed techniques are demonstrated using simulations of line-to-line, line-to-ground, and three-phases-to-ground fault conditions on an IEEE 33-bus distribution model.
Functional Gradients of the Cerebellum: a Review of Practical Applications

Gradient-based analyses have contributed to the description of cerebellar functional neuroanatomy. More recently, functional gradients of the cerebellum have been used as a multi-purpose tool for neuroimaging research. Here, we provide an overview of the many practical applications of cerebellar functional gradient analyses. These practical applications include examination of intra-cerebellar and cerebellar-extracerebellar organization; transformation of functional gradients into parcellations with discrete borders; projection of functional gradients calculated within cerebellar structures to other extracerebellar structures; interpretation of cerebellar neuroimaging findings using qualitative and quantitative methods; detection of differences in patient populations; and other more complex practical applications of cerebellar gradient-based analyses. This review may serve as an introduction and catalog of options for neuroscientists who wish to design and analyze imaging studies using functional gradients of the cerebellum.
Extending Battery Life for Wi-Fi-Based IoT Devices: Modeling, Strategies, and Algorithm

Wi-Fi is one of the key wireless technologies for the Internet of things (IoT) owing to its ubiquity. Low-power operation of commercial Wi-Fi enabled IoT modules (typically powered by replaceable batteries) is critical in order to achieve a long battery life, while maintaining connectivity, and thereby reduce the cost and frequency of maintenance. In this work, we focus on commonly used sparse periodic uplink traffic scenario in IoT. Through extensive experiments with a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi enabled IoT module (Texas Instruments SimpleLink CC3235SF), we study the performance of the power save mechanism (PSM) in the IEEE 802.11 standard and show that the battery life of the module is limited, while running thin uplink traffic, to ~30% of its battery life on an idle connection, even when utilizing IEEE 802.11 PSM. Focusing on sparse uplink traffic, a prominent traffic scenario for IoT (e.g., periodic measurements, keep-alive mechanisms, etc.), we design a simulation framework for single-user sparse uplink traffic on ns-3, and develop a detailed and platform-agnostic accurate power consumption model within the framework and calibrate it to CC3235SF. Subsequently, we present five potential power optimization strategies (including standard IEEE 802.11 PSM) and analyze, with simulation results, the sensitivity of power consumption to specific network characteristics (e.g., round-trip time (RTT) and relative timing between TCP segment transmissions and beacon receptions) to present key insights. Finally, we propose a standard-compliant client-side cross-layer power saving optimization algorithm that can be implemented on client IoT modules. We show that the proposed optimization algorithm extends battery life by 24%, 26%, and 31% on average for sparse TCP uplink traffic with 5 TCP segments per second for networks with constant RTT values of 25 ms, 10 ms, and 5 ms, respectively.
Towards a Constraint Based Theory of Sensory Data Fusion

We have observed that information acquisition is required by organisms in order to determine the state of the environment that they are operating in. What information is required is related to the activities that the organism undertakes. In order to obtain the required world information one must invert the world-image mapping. In general this mapping is non-invertible so that extra information must be added to constrain the space of world configurations sufficiently to allow a unique solution to be obtained.
TDM optical networks

An overview of optical time-division multiplexed (OTDM) networks is presented. We survey various design approaches from several research groups and their supporting technologies. Some fundamental issues of OTDM networks including noise sources, synchronization, and nonlinear transmission effects are discussed. We also introduce our design approach for an OTDM network and describe the related enabling technologies. We focus on the multihop transparent packet-switching network architecture which offers both ultra-high speed and maximum parallelism.
Global Climate Change: A Three Million Year Perspective

Deep sea δ18O records from benthic foraminifera provide a high-resolution overview of global ice volume changes over the last three million years, the interval typically referred to as the Northern Hemisphere Ice Ages. Prior to 2.7 Ma global climate appears to have been typically warmer than at present and the possibility of Antarctic deglaciation is suggested by depleted δ18O values observed prior to 2.9 Ma. Between 3.1 and 2.6 m.y., cold/warm oscillations are superimposed upon a gradual cooling trend which culminated with the growth of significant continental ice sheets in the northern hemisphere (equivalent to ~60m sea level change). Climate conditions during these cold extremes would be most analogous to late Pleistocene isotopic substages 5b and 5d. Since 2.7 Ma interglacial climate extremes have rarely been warmer than the Holocene. Significant 100 Kyr variance is observed during the late Pliocene interval and suggests that large ice sheets are not needed for climate to vary at the 100 Kyr eccentricity frequency. However, the rapid rates of climate change observed for late Pleistocene “terminations” are not typically observed earlier in the Plio-Pleistocene, although rates of ice decay are still usually faster than rates of ice growth. Fluctuations in North Atlantic Deep Water production (indicated by a δ13C gradient proxy) are not uniquely linked with climate transitions as indicated by δ18O and ice core CO2 records, implying that NADW production may be responding to factors other than global continental ice volume.
Insight for practical subdivision modeling with discrete gauss-bonnet theorem

In this paper, we introduce an insight for practical subdivision modeling to improve the quality of control mesh structures. Our approach is based on a discrete version of Gaussian-Bonnet theorem on piecewise planar manifold meshes and vertex angle deflections that determines local geometric behavior. Based on discrete Gaussian-Bonnet theorem, summation of angle deflections of all vertices is independent of mesh structure and it depends on only the topology of the mesh surface. Based on this result, it can be possible to improve organization of mesh structure of a shape according to its intended geometric structure.
Commentary: The Financial System and Economic Performance

Robert Merton’s article gives an excellent and successful overview of many topics included in the area of international competitiveness in financial services. I like the way he focused on three particular issues: financial innovation, junk bonds, and loan guarantees. He develops these issues with the use of simple examples—abstract examples, to be sure—but examples that highlight the problems at hand.
The mechanism of action of 5'-adenylic acid-activated threonine dehydrase. V. Relation between ligand-induced allosteric activation and the protomeroligomer interconversion.

Abstract The relationship between the AMP-induced increases in molecular weight and the AMP-promoted decrease in Km for l-threonine for the biodegradative l-threonine dehydrase of Escherichia coli was investigated. The sedimentation velocity in sucrose gradients over a range of 0.07 to 22 µg of dehydrase in the presence of AMP showed little effect of protein concentration (ranging from 7.5 to 8.1 S). In the absence of AMP, the sedimentation velocity increased with protein concentration over the range of 0.61 to 366 µg from 3.7 to 6.4 S. Extrapolation of the line to zero protein concentration indicated a limiting s value of 3.2 S. Oligomers formed at high protein concentration (1 mg ml-1) in the absence of AMP were shown by direct determination in stopped flow assays to have a Km for l-threonine significantly higher than observed in the absence of AMP at much lower protein concentration where monomer would be present. Therefore, oligomer formation alone is not a sufficient condition to cause the allosteric kinetic effect observed with AMP; namely, a decrease in Km for threonine. Following dilution of the concentrated dehydrase in the absence of AMP, an activation was observed upon addition of AMP; the activation was shown to be second order in protein concentration as determined by integral, differential, and fractional time methods. Therefore, the rate limiting step for activation is a dimerization process. These results show that oligomerization is a necessary, although not a sufficient, condition to cause the decrease in Km for threonine elicited by AMP. They also indicate that the sequential isomerization and concerted isomerization models of allosteric behavior are not well suited to the biodegradative threonine dehydrase.
The Israel-Palestine Conflict: The Arab-Israeli Conflict

The 1948 war between Zionists and Palestinians, then between Israel and Arab states, left two unresolved issues. First, although the State of Israel received the recognition of most other states in the world, the surrounding Arab states refused to grant it recognition. Representatives from those states balked at confirming Israeli sovereignty by sitting opposite their Israeli counterparts at state-to-state negotiations held to resolve the dispute. And to further isolate and increase the pressure on Israel, the Arab League imposed a diplomatic and economic boycott on the new state soon after the war. The second unresolved issue – which provided Arab states with the justification for their refusal to accord Israel recognition – was the problem of the Palestinian refugees. Israel attained its independence during the great wave of decolonization that began after World War II. When the United Nations was founded in 1945, it included 51 states as members. By 1965, there were 118 members. But Israel differed from other states that achieved independence during this period in three ways. First, most other newly independent states had to adapt institutions imposed by a colonial power or create those institutions from scratch. Israel, on the other hand, entered its period of independence with a strong heritage of institutions built from the bottom up during the previous half century. Furthermore, whereas other newly independent states had to subjugate recalcitrant groups living within their borders or win them over to the nationalism of the ruling elites, Israel had reduced its most recalcitrant internal adversaries – the Palestinians – to a manageable minority, leaving the Jewish majority to debate the finer points of a commonly held nationalist ideology, Zionism. Although it is true that political debate in Israel has often resembled a bloodsport, the fractiousness that divided other emerging states was kept within limits.
Adaptive Staircase Measurement of Hand Proprioception.

Clinicians and researchers often need to measure proprioception (position sense), for example to monitor the progress of disease, to identify the cause of movement or balance problems, or to ascertain the effects of an intervention. While researchers can use sophisticated equipment to estimate proprioceptive acuity with good precision, clinicians lack this option and must rely on the subjective and imprecise methods currently available in the clinic. Here we describe a novel technique that applies psychometric adaptive staircase procedures to hand proprioception with a simple tablet-style apparatus that could easily be adapted for the clinic. We report test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, and construct validity of the adaptive staircase method vs. two other methods that are commonly used in clinical settings: passive motion direction discrimination (PMDD) and matching. As a first step, we focus on healthy adults. Subjects ages 18–82 had their proprioception measured with each of the three techniques, at the metacarpophalangeal joint in the second finger of the right hand. A subset completed a second session in which the measures were repeated, to assess test-retest reliability. Another subset had the measurements done by two different testers to assess inter-rater reliability. Construct validity was assessed using stepwise regression on age and activity level, and correlations calculated across the three methods. Results suggest that of the three methods, the adaptive staircase method yields the best test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, and construct validity. The adaptive staircase method may prove to be a valuable clinical tool where more accurate assessment of proprioception is needed.
Thermal resistance of etched-pillar vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diodes

ABSTRACT We discuss our measurements on thermal impedance and thermal crosstalk of etched-pillar vertical-cavity lasers and laser arrays. The average thermal conductivity of AlAs-GaAs Bragg reflectorsis estimated to be 0.28W/(crnK) and 0.35W/(cmK) for the transverse and lateral direction, respectively.Lasers with a Au-plated heat spreading layer exhibit a 5O°i' lower thermal impedance compared tostandard etched-pillar devices resulting in a significant increase of maximum output power. For anunmounted laser of 64im diameter we obtain an improvement in output power from 20mW to 42mW.The experimental results are compared with a simple analytical model showing the importance of heatsinking for maximizing the output power ofvertical-cavity lasers.Keywords: laser, vertical-cavity, VCSEL, thermal resistance, Bragg reflectors, thermal crosstalk, heat sinking, modeling. 1. INTRODUCTION Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are attractive light sources for various optoelectronic applications. The potentially low production cost, simple packaging, and easy fibercoupling make VCSELs a light source of choice in short distance data links [1], [2] which offer a greatmarket potential. The 2D scaling capability is also interesting in high power applications like laser diodepumped solid state lasers. Moreover the possibility to design vertical-cavity lasers with an arbitrary shapeof the output aperture enables an easy vertical pumping scheme of Er+ doped silica optical waveguides.These devices with a pump light wavelength of 980nm can be used for all-optical switching at 1 .55 p.m.A low thermal impedance also provides a lower internal operating temperature of the laser at any outputpower level. As most degradation mechanisms [3] exhibit a thermal activation energy we expect a lower
1-Cys peroxiredoxin, a bifunctional enzyme with glutathione peroxidase and phospholipase A2 activities.

Abstract Peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6) is the prototype and the only mammalian 1-Cys member of the Prdx family. Major differences from 2-Cys Prdxs include the use of glutathione (GSH) instead of thioredoxin as the physiological reductant, heterodimerization with πGSH S-transferase as part of the catalytic cycle, and the ability either to reduce the oxidized sn-2 fatty acyl group of phospholipids (peroxidase activity) or to hydrolyze the sn-2 ester (alkyl) bond of phospholipids (phospholipase A2 [PLA2] activity). The bifunctional protein has separate active sites for peroxidase (C47, R132, H39) and PLA2 (S32, D140, H26) activities. These activities are dependent on binding of the protein to phospholipids at acidic pH and to oxidized phospholipids at cytosolic pH. Prdx6 can be phosphorylated by MAP kinases at T177, which markedly increases its PLA2 activity and broadens its pH-activity spectrum. Prdx6 is primarily cytosolic but also is targeted to acidic organelles (lysosomes, lamellar bodies) by a specific targe...
Feeding and macronutrient selection patterns in rats: adrenalectomy and chronic corticosterone replacement.

Abstract To analyze further the role of corticosterone (CORT) in the control of feeding behavior, we examined the impact of adrenalectomy (ADX) and chronic CORT implants on the food intake and macronutrient self-selection patterns of adult male rats at different periods of the diurnal cycle. Consistent with a separate study of acute CORT injection in ADX rats (Kumar and Leibowitz, 1988), the present findings indicate that ADX significantly attenuated the rats' daily (24 hr) ingestion of all three macronutrients, namely, protein, carbohydrate and fat. However, food intake in the dark cycle, specifically during the first few hours after dark onset, was significantly more affected (−70%) than feeding in the later dark and light periods (−25%). Moreover, during this early dark time when circulating CORT level normally peaks, ADX appeared to have its strongest suppressive effect on carbohydrate ingestion. Chronic subcutaneous CORT implants in the ADX animals reversed these effects of surgery and generally restored the rats' eating patterns to that of the cholesterol-implanted SHAM animals. These findings suggest that CORT exerts a decisive influence on caloric intake, on the diurnal pattern of feeding, and on appetite for specific macronutrients. The impact of CORT on carbohydrate intake is apparent specifically during the active eating period, particularly at dark onset when endogenous CORT levels normally peak and carbohydrate is exhibited as the preferred macronutrient.
Structural Studies and Order–Disorder Phenomenon in a Series of New Quaternary Tellurates of the Type A2+M4+Te6+O6 and A1+2M4+Te6+O6

Abstract Five new compounds in the AxMTeO6 family were prepared and structurally characterized: Li2GeTeO6, Na2TiTeO6, Na2SnTeO6, and two forms of Na2GeTeO6. All compounds are layered structures based on various stacking arrangements of MTeO2−6 layers. The structures of BaGeTeO6 and SrGeTeO6 were also determined. The former compound was found to contain Ba2+ in trigonal prismatic coordination, in agreement with previous literature reports, while SrGeTeO6 contains Sr2+ in octahedral coordination and is not isostructural with BaGeTeO6 as was previously reported. Structural characterizations were carried out using a variety of tools, including Rietveld refinements of X-ray and neutron powder diffraction data, solid-state MAS–NMR, and Raman and infrared spectroscopy. With the exception of M=Ti4+, the MTeO2−6 layers show a high degree of order between M4+ and Te6+ cations within the layers, but the stacking faults are generally present, which results in a significant decrease in the long-range ordering of the M4+ and Te6+ cations in the third dimension. The compound K2−xNaxTiTeO6 was prepared by reacting Na2TiTeO6 and KNO3 under hydrothermal conditions at 200°C in a Teflon-lined Parr bomb. This compound adopts a pyrochlore structure with cell edge 10.18 A. NMR measurements indicate a disordered Ti/Te distribution.
Complete genome sequence of vB_EcoM_ECO1230-10: A coliphage with therapeutic potential for bovine metritis

Escherichia coli is one of the most important pathogens associated with puerperal metritis in dairy cows. Phage therapy has emerged as attractive therapeutic alternative in the control of multidrug-resistant pathogens. In this study, we present the complete genome sequence of vB_EcoM_ECO1230-10 (referred in this manuscript as ECO1230-10), a lytic E. coli phage isolated from dairy farms' manure systems. Ultrastructure of the phage revealed that ECO1230-10 belongs to Myoviridae family. The genome consisted of 41,666 bases with a G+C content of 53.37% and 56 predicted ORFs. It displays circular topology in a modular organization seen in phages, as demonstrated by the presence of gene modules, which is typical among members of this family. Based on similarity to genes from other related phages, the genome of ECO1230-10 was modularly clustered in tail-baseplate-head morphogenesis, DNA packaging, host cell lysis, and DNA replication and metabolism modules. Lysogeny control module was not detected in the ECO1230-10 genome. Comparative analyses showed that ECO1230-10 presents phylogenetic relationship with an Enterobacteria phage of the Myoviridae family, but it is almost in a taxonomic group of its own. The genome sequence of ECO1230-10, which is notably active against pathogenic E. coli isolated from uterine secretion of postpartum dairy cows, should provide new insights into the biology and evolution of this therapeutic candidate and possibly new strategies to control metritic-causing E. coli.
Necrotizing enterocolitis: An unusual cause of rectal bleeding in a term infant

A 5-day-old term infant presented to the emergency department with a seven-hour history of rectal bleeding. He had had an uncomplicated prenatal course with no significant risk factors during the third trimester or perinatal period. The infant presented in minimal distress but was admitted for further workup and evaluation. The workup revealed necrotizing enterocolitis, which ultimately required surgical management. The infant was discharged with a colostomy, and then was readmitted ten weeks later for reanastomosis.
Ultra-low power modulators using MOS depletion in a high-Q SiO₂-clad silicon 2-D photonic crystal resonator.

In modulators that rely on changing refractive index, switching energy is primarily dependent upon the volume of the active optical mode. Photonic crystal microcavities can exhibit extremely small mode volumes on the order of a single cubic wavelength with Q values above 106. In order to be useful for integration, however, they must be embedded in oxide, which in practice reduces Q well below 103, significantly increasing switching energy. In this work we show that it is possible to create a fully oxide-clad microcavity with theoretical Q on the order of 105. We further show that by using MOS charge depletion this microcavity can be the basis for a modulator with a switching energy as low as 1 fJ/bit.
A nonlinear boltzmann equation calculation of sputtering from spikes

Abstract The energy spectra of particles sputtered during the initial stage of development of a dense collision cascade or spike have been calculated by numerically solving the nonlinear form of Boltzmann's equation. Apart from the nonlinear treatment of energy-sharing, the model of sputtering used for the calculation is similar to previous models. This procedure has been applied to the specific case of a gold target bombarded by 45 keV tellurium ions. Three densities of deposited energy, 0.39 eV, 1 eV and 3 eV per atom, were considered for the cascade. In agreement with experiments, an increasingly nonlinear behavior was obtained for the sputtering yields.
Home Advantage: Does it Exist in Individual Sports:

This study examined whether the home advantage exists in individual sports. The percentage of 792 wrestling matches won at home and away were compared for a high school wrestling team from 1980–1984 A significant home advantage was found: 61% vs 54%.
Fluorescence quenching due to mercuric ion interaction with aromatic amino acids and proteins.

Abstract Mercuric ion interacts with indoles, including tryptophan, to produce complexes whose absorption spectra are broader, less structured, and red-shifted as compared with those of the parent compound. Fluorescence and phosphorescence are totally quenched. In a survey of the effect of transition metal ions on tryptophan fluorescence, the strong quenching by Hg 2+ was unique among the uncolored ions. Mercuric nitrate quenched the fluorescence of practically every protein tested, but the sensitivity to quenching varied with the protein. Ovalbumin was the most sensitive to quenching by Hg 2+ , over 70% of the intrinsic fluorescence being quenched by 2 moles of mercuric ion. Difference absorption spectra show that sulfhydryl groups are attacked by these reagents and Hg 2+ is, in addition, perturbing the environment near some tryptophans. In contrast to Hg 2+ , Zn 2+ had negligible effect on protein fluorescence. The emission spectra of proteins which were partly quenched by mercuric ion showed shifts in their maxima to higher or lower wavelengths. This suggests that mercuric ion quenched certain tryptophans more than others, and supports the idea that protein fluorescence is heterogeneous and arises from tryptophans in different microenvironments. In contrast to the situation in simple indole-containing compounds, the fluorescence quenching by mercurials in proteins is probably due primarily to energy transfer from tryptophan to the tail end of the mercaptide absorption band which extends above 300 nm. The observed fluorescence decay time of ovalbumin decreases with quenching by Hg 2+ . The critical transfer distance R 0 for the PMB-ovalbumin system was calculated to be 17.9 A. The mercaptide absorption at long wavelengths was also observed for glutathione complexes with Hg 2+ and PMB. Ag + was also a strong quencher of ovalbumin fluorescence, and complexes of silver ion with sulfhydryl compounds also generated mercaptide absorption bands capable of quenching indole fluorescence by the energy transfer mechanism. Mercuric ion also quenched the fluorescence of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and the tyrosine fluorescence of insulin and ribonuclease. The relative importance of the various mechanisms involved in mercuric ion quenching in proteins (complex formation with chromophores, energy transfer, and conformational changes) is discussed.
Resurrecting brinley plots for a novel use: meta-analyses of functional brain imaging data in older adults

By plotting response times of young and older adults across a variety of tasks, Brinley spurred investigation and debate into the theory of general cognitive slowing. Though controversial, Brinley plots can assess between-task differences, the impact of increasing task demand, and the relationship between responses in two groups of subjects. Since a relationship exists between response times and the blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal of functional MRI (fMRI), Brinley's plotting method could be applied as a meta-analysis tool in fMRI studies of aging. Here, fledgling "Peiffer plots" are discussed for their potential impact on understanding general cognitive brain activity in aging. Preliminary results suggest that general cognitive slowing may be localized at the sensorimotor transformation in the precentral gyrus. Although this meta-analysis method is naturally used with imaging studies of aging, theoretically it may be applied to other study pairs (e.g., schizophrenic versus normal) or imaging datasets (e.g., PET).
Adapting GePSi (Generic Plant Simulator) for modeling studies in the Jasper Ridge CO2 project

Abstract In order to conduct modeling studies on the effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO 2 ]) on plant and ecosystem processes at the Jasper Ridge grassland in northern California, the generic plant simulator (GePSi) (Chen, J.-L. and Reynolds, J.F., 1997. Ecol. Model., 94: 53–66), is modified to simulate grass dynamics. This modification was attempted by the authors of this paper, who had no prior experience with the model. Prior to this project, GePSi, which is implemented in the object-oriented programming (OOP) language, C+ +, had only been used to model trees and woody shrubs. This exercise addressed several of the concepts presented in this volume concerning the purported benefits of genericness, modularity, and OOP in plant modeling. The objective of this paper is to briefly summarize the extent to which these benefits were realized and some of the problems encountered. Our evaluation is presented in terms of: (1) design considerations, including the importance of how the modules in GePSi were defined; and (2) the implementation phase, which critiques the use of OOP for facilitating the transfer of the model. This study suggests that generic, modular models such as GePSi will facilitate the interactions of model developers and users and reduce duplication of effort in model development.
Identification of potential sites for deep-ocean waste isolation with a geographic site-selection model

Abstract Identification of optimal sites for the isolation of waste on the abyssal seafloor was performed with two approaches: by the traditional method of map overlays of relevant attributes, and by a specially developed, automated Site-Selection Model (SSM). Five initial, Surrogate Sites, identified with the map-overlay approach, were then compared with the more rigorously produced scores from the SSM. The SSM, a process for optimization of site locations, accepts subjective, expert-based judgments and transforms them into a quantitative, reproducible, and documented product. The SSM is adaptable to any siting scenario. Forty-one factors relevant to the isolation scenario, including 21 weightable factors having a total of 123 scorable categories, have been entered into the SSM. Factors are grouped under project definition, unique environments, anthropogenic, geologic, biologic, weather, oceanographic and distance criteria. The factor scores are linked to a georeferenced database array of all factors, corresponding to 1°×1° latitude–longitude squares. The SSM includes a total of 2241 one-degree squares within 1000 n.m. of the U.S. coasts, including the western North Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern North Pacific. Under a carefully weighted and scored scenario of isolation, the most favorable sites identified with the SSM are on the Hatteras and Nares Abyssal Plains in the Atlantic. High-scoring sites are also located in the Pacific abyssal hills province between the Murray and Molokai Fracture Zones. Acceptable 1° squares in the Gulf of Mexico are few and of lower quality, with the optimum location on the northern Sigsbee Abyssal Plain. Two of the five Surrogate Site locations, on the Hatteras and Sigsbee Abyssal Plains, correspond to the best SSM sites in each ocean area. Two Pacific and a second Atlantic Surrogate Site are located in low-scoring regions or excluded by the SSM. Site-selection results from the SSM, although robust, are an initial attempt to quantify the site-selection process. The SSM database exposes a significant lack of high-quality information for many areally mappable attributes on the abyssal seafloor, particularly bottom-current speed and measures of biologic productivity and flux. Terminologies and classifications of some measures, such as sediment types, suffer from parochialism and vary by ocean. Considerable research is needed even for a broad understanding of the environmental measures required to make sound societal decisions about use of the abyssal seafloor for disposal or other purposes.
Analysis of mutations induced by replication of UV-damaged plasmid DNA in hela cell extracts

We have used an SV40-based shuttle vector, pZ189, to investigate the capacity of HeLa cell extracts to reproduce the in vivo process of mutation fixation. We showed previously that when UV-irradiated pZ189 is replicated in these extracts, bypass of UV photoproducts occurs, resulting in base substitution mutations in the supF gene of the vector. Here we report the DNA sequence characterization of a collection of 60 of these UV-induced mutants. Most of the mutations observed are single or tandem double base substitutions at dipyrimidine sites; of these, approximately 90% are G:C{r_arrow}A:T transitions. Mutations are observed predominantly at a few sites, in particular at positions 155 and 156 in the supF sequence. No dramatic differences in the mutation spectrum were observed when the orientation of the supF gene was reversed with respect to the SV40 origin of replication, suggesting that mutation fixation occurs similarly on both the leading and the lagging strands for DNA replication. Generally, the mutational hot spots observed when UV-irradiated pZ189 was passaged in human or monkey cells in culture. Thus, it appears that the replication and mutagenesis of UV-damaged templates in HeLa cell extracts accurately reflects these processes in the intact cell. 37 refs., 4 figs., 3more » tabs.« less
A note on a geophysical fluid dynamics variational principle

A variational principle for an inviscid stratified fluid on a beta plane is developed for horizontal flows. For the special case of solenoidal flow on an f plane, it is shown that a certain velocity gradient invariant can be used to develop simple solutions to the equations of motion. The solution forms are critically dependent on relative magnitudes of the squared local vorticity and the squared total deformation. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0870.1984.tb00241.x
On the Calculation of the Distribution Function

The distribution function for particles confined to a large circle is found for a repulsive potential of long range. The distribution function is calculated exactly from the Boltzmann-Gibbs equation, and compared with the solution of an implicit equation of the type used by Debye and Huckel in the theory of electrolytes. The solution of the Debye-Huckel equation agrees, for our particular potential, only fairly well with the exact distribution function.
Real-time Raman system for in vivo disease diagnosis

Raman spectroscopy has been well established as a powerful in vitro method for studying biological tissue and diagnosing disease. The recent development of efficient, high-throughput, low-background optical fiber Raman probes provides, for the first time, the opportunity to obtain real-time performance in the clinic. We present an instrument for in vivo tissue analysis which is capable of collecting and processing Raman spectra in less than 2 s. This is the first demonstration that data acquisition, analysis, and diagnostics can be performed in clinically relevant times. The instrument is designed to work with the new Raman probes and includes custom written LabVIEW and Matlab programs to provide accurate spectral calibration, analysis, and diagnosis along with important safety features related to laser exposure. The real-time capabilities of the system were demonstrated in vivo during femoral bypass and breast lumpectomy surgeries. Such a system will greatly facilitate the adoption of Raman spectroscopy into clinical research and practice.
What's wrong with China's agricultural price policies?

Abstract China's agricultural price policies changed during the 1980s: The government adjusted planned prices to guide production, actively employed tied scales and similar quasi-price incentives, decentralized price decisions, and allowed trade at free market prices. Even so, agricultural pricing became increasingly problematic. For major farm products the government continued to rely heavily on planned prices to guide production and redistribute income between farmers, consumers, and the government. Due to expansion of free markets, growth in local government autonomy, inflation, and development of rural sidelines, the impact of planned pricing greatly diminished. China's government therefore needs a new approach to agricultural price policy.
A Kinetic Model of Metal Ion Electrodeposition from Solutions of PPM and PPB Concentrations

Abstract A mathematical, kinetic model is presented for the electro-deposition of heavy metal ions present in solutions in ppm and ppb concentrations. The model is based on the two main assumptins: of metal monolayer formation, and of simultaneous metal deposition and dissolution.
Teaching processes to improve both higher and lower mental process achievement

Abstract The effects of different teaching processes on students' lower and higher mental process achievement were investigated. Three variables in teaching higher mental processes were examined: teachers' questions, feedback-correctives, and instructional materials. Ninety-eight seventh grade science students and 81 ninth grade mathematics students were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. The hypothesis that student achievement is a function of the degree to which the teaching processes employed by a teacher provide adequate opportunities to learn higher mental processes was supported. Increasing emphasis on higher mental process instruction resulted not only in increases in higher mental process achievement but also in very similar increases in lower mental process achievement.
Feasibility of Concentrated Photovoltaic Systems (CPV) in Various United States Geographic Locations

AbstractRenewable energy sources are needed to reduce the country’s reliance on greenhouse gas-producing fossil fuels. Many states have mandated renewable portfolio standards (RPS) to begin meeting this need. Photovoltaic (PV) systems can be an option for meeting this requirement. Concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) systems are one of the newest commercially available PV technologies, yielding the highest cell efficiencies. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of a CPV system in relation to a traditional flat-plate PV system in various locations throughout the United States. We conducted a feasibility study concerning the energy production, net present value, and internal rate of return (IRR) for each system. Any available government incentives have been included in the study. Based on the results, we recommend in which states or regions CPV installations should be pursued.
Adult longevity, fertility and population growth rates for Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Hom., Aleyrodidae) on two host plant species

Bemisia tabaci were collected in the Coachella and Imperial valleys of California and reared on cotton variety Delta Pine 61 and cucumber variety Poinsett 76 in temperature-controlled cabinets at 20.0, 25.5, 29.0, and 32.0 °C. Data were collected on adult emergence times, longevities, preoviposition periods, total fertility, and daily fertility up to 14 days. Adult emergence was greatest in the morning. Adult longevity was greater on cotton than cucumber, greater for females than males, and decreased with increasing temperature. Female longevity ranged from 43.5–13.0 days. Preoviposition periods varied from 0–4 days and were longer at lower temperatures. Mean total fertility ranged from 252–43 eggs/female, decreasing with increasing temperature. Intrinsic rates of natural increase were calculated. Values for rm varied from 0.0884 to 0.1269 on cotton and from 0.0628 to 0.1690 on cucumber, being least at 20.0 °C, and greatest at 25.5 °C or 29.0 °C. Generation times decreased from 64 to 25 days with increasing temperature. Zusammenfassung Lebensdauer, Eizahl und Populationswachstumsrate adulter Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Hom., Aleyrodidae) auf zwei Wirtspflanzenarten Die B. tabaci-Individuen wurden im Coachella- und im Imperial-Tal von Kalifornien gesammelt und an Baumwollpflanzen der Sorte Delta Pine 61 sowie an Gurkenpflanzen der Sorte Poinsett 76 in temperaturkonstanten Kammern bei 20, 25,5, 29 und 32 °C gehalten. Als Daten wurden 14 Tage lang ermittelt: die Schlupfzeit, Lebensdauer, Praovipositionsperiode, Gesamteizahl sowie tagliche Eizahl der adulten Tiere. Die Schlupfquote war morgens am grosen. Die Lebensdauer war an Baumwolle langer als an Gurke, bei den Weibchen langer als bei den Mannchen und nahm mit steigender Temperatur ab. Die Lebensdauer der Weibchen variierte zwischen 13 und 43,5 Tagen. Die Praovipositionszeit lag zwischen 0 und 4 Tagen und nahm mit sinkender Temperatur zu. Die mittlere Gesamteizahl betrug 43 bis 252 Eier/Weibchen und verringerte sich mit ansteigender Temperatur. Die inneren Vermehrungsraten werden kalkuliert. Die Werte fur rm variierten von 0,0884 bis 0,1269 auf Baumwolle und von 0,0628 bis 0,1690 auf Gurke. Sie waren bei 20 °C am geringsten und bei 25,5 bzw. 29,0 °C am grosten. Die Generationsdauer von 25 bis 64 Tagen nahm mit steigender Temperatur ab.