cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ESG as a Value‐Creation Tool for Active Investors: A Profile of Inherent Group

A growing number of investment managers claim to integrate environmental, social, and governance considerations into their investment strategy and processes, but few have described how they do so in depth. Even fewer reinforce the importance of sustainability within their own firms by becoming a certified ‘B Corporation.’ This article offers a rare, inside look at how one such value‐oriented manager uses ESG as a tool for differentiated investment sourcing, underwriting, and corporate engagement with the aim of achieving superior risk‐adjusted returns. One of the main arguments of the article—and a key principle of the firm's investment approach—is that ESG, as applied to both corporate strategy and operations, is an important factor in determining a company's cost of capital. The authors present specific examples of their investment process at work, highlighting how active engagement with management on ESG issues can catalyze progress that becomes valued by the capital markets.
Disinfection of almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana Valenciennes) eggs: Evaluation of three chemicals

Almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana Valenciennes) is an excellent candidate for aquaculture due to its fast growth rate and high market value. While S. rivoliana have adapted well to captivity, survival at early life stages can be improved to increase profitability during production. A wide range of variables cause larval mortalities but high bacterial loads in rearing tanks are often correlated with these losses. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of egg disinfection on bacterial load and hatch rate of S. rivoliana. Disinfectants tested included formalin (F100 and F200; 100 and 200 mg/L, respectively, for 60 min), hydrogen peroxide (HPO; 300 mg/L for 10 min) and peracetic acid/hydrogen peroxide (PAA/HPO; 15.7 mg/L/39.6 mg/L for 1 min). Concentrations and contact times were determined based on current use in marine aquaculture and preliminary trials. Eggs treated with HPO and F100 had significantly higher hatch rates than the untreated control group. All treatments significantly decreased total Vibrio counts compared to untreated eggs; however, total bacterial counts were only decreased following treatments with PAA/HPO and F200. To prevent egg mortality due to bacterial overgrowth, consideration should be given to the use of surface disinfection using HPO or F100. Future studies should investigate the use of peracetic‐based products at lower doses.
Fundamentals of Cancer Diagnosis and Assessment

The symptoms caused by a cancer typically depend on and are referable to its site of origin. Nevertheless, they are rarely specific to cancer. Therefore, the first step in the clinical work-up of a cancer patient is verifying that they actually do have cancer. The patient’s age, personal medical history, family history, and any known exposures to carcinogens help to define their risk for cancer. A physical examination or imaging study may be needed to identify a mass. Almost without exception, however, the diagnosis of cancer requires the examination of cells or tissues from an identified mass or the blood, if it is a leukemia. With cytology or biopsy material, the presence of cancer can be confirmed, and its histopathological type, grade, and other relevant predictive or prognostic features, either morphologic or molecular, can be determined. Radiological imaging studies are then required to determine the extent and distribution of disease in the body, codified as the anatomical stage of the tumor. The cancer stage is not only a very strong prognostic factor; it is the key determinant in treatment planning. Cancer that is localized to its site of origin on diagnosis (stage I or II) is primarily treated with local therapy such as surgery and/or radiation. Tumor that has spread to regional lymph nodes only (stage III) may be treated with surgery but also may require systemic treatment such as chemotherapy. Cancer that has spread to any distant body site(s) (stage IV), however, requires either systemic therapy or palliative therapy but will not be improved by surgical treatment. This chapter discusses the steps in the diagnosis and clinical assessment of a new cancer patient and explains how the findings on work-up impact prognosis and treatment planning.
Constructing identity by writing roots into life: a poetic-narrative autoethnography

This poetic narrative autoethnographic inquiry explores lived experiences of a transracial adoptee Asian American coming to terms with his identity through the examination of the complexities of hi...
Visualizing Network Security Events Using Compound Glyphs from a Service-Oriented Perspective

Network security is the complicated field of controlling access within a computer network. One of the difficulties in network security is detecting the presence, severity, and type of a network attack. Knowledge of such an attack is used to mitigate its damage and prevent such attacks from occurring in the future. We present a new visualization of a computer network for security purposes by approaching the problem from a service-oriented perspective. This approach involves a node graph visualization where each node is represented as a compound glyph, which gives details about the network activity for the specific node based upon its service usage. Furthermore, we visualize temporal activity using time slicing techniques in the compound glyph to give more details about the network and allow interactive controls for an administrator to actively monitor a network in order to react to security events quickly. Our resulting visualizations of networks successfully identified and described denial of service (DoS) and compromised network attacks.
Improving agent team performance through helper agents

In this paper, we consider the problem of environmental constraints on teams and examine how the constraints impact teamwork. We simulate a realistic problem for teams in the physical world by implementing a limit on the range of communication among agents. Using BlocksWorld for Teams from Delft University of Technology, we build teams of 3-4 agents with varying communication ranges and of different agent type (regular task-performer, communication-only or reconnaissance-only) to test team performance in the constrained environment. We analyze the results and discuss implications to the team mental model. We show that adding a helper agent to the team can reduce task completion time, but not for all types of agents and environments.
Exercise regulation of triiodothyronine metabolism.

Negative caloric balance reduces triiodothyronine (T3) production in both humans and rodents. The effects of chronic voluntary exercise and various levels of caloric intake and balance on T3 metabo...
On testing iterated neural network structures

A new and fast technique to determine the convergence of iterated neural networks is presented. Test vectors are derived to determine the convergence of the output function in the presence of stuck-at faults. >
Developmental characteristics of the kitten antrum

The changes in dietary constituents during growth and development from predominantly liquid to mixed solid liquid meals places an increasing burden on the antrum, which is required to triturate solids. The authors hypothesize that concomitant with these changing dietary constituents different pathways are used to mediate contraction in response to acetylcholine. Smooth muscle cells were isolated by collagenase digestion from the fundus and circular muscle layer of the antrum in the adult cat and 1-week-old kitten. The unstimulated cells from the fundus and antrum were larger in the adult than in the kitten. In normal physiological salt solution, all cells contracted in a similar dose dependent manner in response to acetylcholine in both age groups. Fundic muscle cell contraction in response to acetylcholine was unchanged in calcium-free physiological salt solution or in the presence of the calcium channel blocker, methoxyverapamil. In the adult, antral cells contracted 50% less in the absence of extracellular calcium. In the kitten, antral cells did not contract under the same conditions. After permeabilization with saponin, fundic muscle cells from the adult and kitten contracted fully in response to 1,4,5-inositol trisphosphate, whereas contraction of adult antral cells was reduced by 50% and contraction of kitten antral cells was completely blocked. These data suggest that isolated muscle cells from the fundus of both the adult cat and newborn kitten use intracellular calcium stores to contract in response to acetylcholine and 1,4,5-inositol triphosphate. In adult antral cells, acetylcholine-induced contraction requires both influx of extracellular calcium and release of intracellular calcium. In kitten antral cells, intracellular calcium stores are not used or available to mediate contraction in response to acetylcholine.
Vena cava filter disruption and central migration due to accidental guidewire manipulation: a case report.

Vena cava filters are now widely used as a safe and effective means of reducing the risk of pulmonary embolus in patients hospitalized with acute stroke or trauma. We report a case of traumatic disruption of a vena cava filter resulting from guidewire manipulation with migration of the main structure to the heart after successful initial placement of the filter.
Cross polarization losses in periodic arrays of loaded slots

A periodic array of apertures in a conducting plane can act as a bandpass filter. With proper design the structure will be transparent at its resonant frequency but will have a transmission coefficient below unity at all other frequencies. These periodic surfaces are useful as radomes and in dual frequency antenna feeds. The resonant frequency of such an array may vary with incidence angle. This variation is undesirable for most applications, and can be greatly reduced by reactively loading the slots with the Babinet equivalent of a short circuited two-wire transmission line. It has been found, however, that singly loaded slot arrays have transmission loss due to cross polarized radiation when scanned in the H -plane (perpendicular polarization). It is shown that this cross polarized radiation may be eliminated by using symmetrical loaded slots, which have the further advantage of transmitting waves of arbitrary polarization. In conjunction with this investigation, the modal matching method, previously applied to arrays of rectangular and circular slots, has been extended to the more complicated loaded slot shapes. Both the single loaded and 4-legged symmetrically loaded slots are treated, and good agreement with measured data is obtained.
Proactive solutions to academic dishonesty

One of the significant individualities of web-enhanced education is the lack of face-to-face interaction between the student and the educator. A consideration in web-enhanced education which has the probability for ethical concern related to the physical disconnection of instructor and learner is the increased potential for academic dishonesty. This can present a dilemma for nurse educators involved in teaching a difficult curriculum, while it can be motivated to improve the quality and student outcomes related to safe patient-centered care. The most blatant consideration in this setting is plagiarism. This article reviews the various facets of this ethical issue and suggests proactive solutions for faculty and administration to deter academic dishonesty.
On the Reality (and Diversity) of Objective Colors: How Color‐Qualia Space Is a Map of Reflectance‐Profile Space*

How, if at all, does the internal structure of human phenomenological color space map onto the internal structure of objective reflectance‐profile space, in such a fashion as to provide a useful and accurate representation of that objective feature space? A prominent argument (due to Hardin, among others) proposes to eliminate colors as real, objective properties of objects, on grounds that nothing in the external world (and especially not surface‐reflectance‐profiles) answers to the well‐known and quite determinate internal structure of human phenomenological color space. The present paper proposes a novel way to construe the objective space of possible reflectance profiles so that (1) its internal structure becomes evident, and (2) that structure’s homomorphism with the internal structure of human phenomenological color space becomes obvious. The path is thus reopened to salvage the objective reality of colors, in the same way that we preserved the objective reality of such features as temperature, pitc...
Sorption and transport of various gases in polycarbonate

The solubility, permeability, and diffusion time lag for CO2, CH4, Ar, N2, and He in polycarbonate are reported at 35°C for pressures ranging from 1 atm to 20 atm. The solubility data are well-described by a model which postulates that gas sorption in glassy polymers results from both a Henry's law and a Langmuir mechanism. The time lags for all gases except helium decreased with increasing upstream pressure. The permeability of all gases decreased with increasing upstream pressure, although the effect was barely larger than the experimental error for helium. The data have been analyzed in terms of a transport model which attributes separate mobilities to the Henry's law and Langmuir species. The resulting parameters of the model are correlated as functions of characteristics of the penetrant gases, and the possible significance of these correlations is discussed.
Sequence-based specification of feedback control systems in Simulink®

Solid-state microprocessors with software controlled sensors and actuators have essentially replaced analog control systems. Design systems with extensive libraries and code generators such as the ETAS® ASCET and MATLAB®/Simulink are widely used in industry to design control systems. However. the software engineering methods to help get the design right are missing. Sequence-based specification is a rigorous method that is well suited to the design of embedded control systems. This paper focuses on the adaptation of sequence-based specification to Simulink blocks, feedback control, and state machine generation, while preserving the ability to convert ordinary requirements to precise state-machine specifications.
Ceramic processing for magnetic applications

Abstract Developments in the ceramics community have focused on the exploitation of chemical methods for producing powders of high uniformity in size distribution and in chemical homogeneity. Some of these chemical methods may offer significant opportunities in providing additional powder synthesis methods that can be of use in both particulate and thin or thick film magnetic applications. The opportunities follow from the possibility of producing micro- or nano-composite powders or films. Several methods have been used to coat particles, and these have been reviewed recently. In particular, solution methods have been found effective to produce large quantities of composite powder. A number of potentially interesting research opportunities relating to magnetic micro- or nano-composites are described.
De-esterification of pectin by alkali, plant and fungal pectinmethylesterases and effect on molecular weight

Commercial high methoxyl pectin was de-esterified using chemical saponification or by pectinmethylesterases. A commercial fungal pectin methyl esterase (PME) (EC 3.1.1.11), free of polygalacturonase, or a citrus Valencia PME was used to de-esterify pectin enzymatically to a targeted degree of esterification. The apparent molecular weight of pectin did not change by extended times of Valencia PME treatment and ranged from 154100 to 183500. Fungal PME-modified pectins had moderately increased apparent molecular weight that ranged from 123900 to 169800. The increase in molecular weight was attributed to aggregation. The molecular weight of pectins that were de-esterified by alkali decreased from about 156200 to 91200. Citrus Valencia or fungal PME modification alters the charge of pectin without loss of high molecular weight. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
Multifunctional Agriculture as an Assumption and a Condition for Rural Development in Serbia: Special Turn to Rural Tourism

Through its â€œsynergicâ€ character and multiplied effects which it has on total agricultural development in the environments in which it is being developed through the concept of agricultureâ€™s multifunctionality, tourism offers a chance to alleviate negative tendencies and processes that burden villages in Serbia. Chronological review of the development of the concept of multifunctionality is determined within this work and it is pointed to the possibility of complementary development of agriculture and rural tourism. This work also points to recent accomplished results in Serbia.
The effects of low dietary levels of DDT on breeding performance in hybrid mice.

A combination of breeding experiments was used to study the effects of various levels of dietary DDT on the reproductive efficiency in mammals. The results of feeding B6D2F1 hybrid mice 5, 10, or 20 ppm of DDT in the first breeding experiment showed an increase in litter size and number weaned over controls. Ten ppm of DDT caused increases over controls in the number born and alive on day 1 (P<0.05). DDT caused decreases in the weight of pups at 5 ppm on days 15 and 30 (P<0.05 and 0.01, respectively), at 10 ppm on day 15 (P<0.005), and at 20 ppm on day 30 (P<0.05).
Analysis of affinity separations II: The characterization of affinity columns by pulse techniques

Abstract This paper describes a pulse technique for evaluating rate coefficients and equilibrium constants and for characterizing non-specific adsorption on affinity packings. This technique is also a convenient method for screening affinity carriers and for optimizing adsorption, wash and elution conditions. The analyses are illustrated with examples and data from columns packed with monoclonal antibodies immobilized on controlled-pore glass and from a hapten-Sepharose gel used for antibody purification. The design equations are used to compare column and batch adsorption.
The geometry of reflection

The two‐dimensional (2-D) reflection path from a dipping plane between an offset source‐receiver combination in a constant velocity medium can be described with several parameters (coordinates, offsets, angles, and lengths). Although there are many parameters, only four independent ones are needed to locally determine the reflection geometry. Given four determining parameters, the evaluations of other ones present problems that range from trivial to formidable. The circumscribed circle about the source, receiver, and specular point turns out to have a number of remarkable properties that are useful for the solution of these problems. The radius of the circle is a useful new auxiliary parameter. Triangles constructed in the circle provide nonintuitive mathematical relationships between angles and lengths. The use of mathematical relations derived from the circle has allowed the creation of formulas to fully recover the reflection geometry in a vast majority of valid sets of four known parameters. This circ...
Natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity in hamsters.

Lymphoid cells from normal inbred LSH and random-bred Syrian golden hamsters were evaluated for natural cytotoxic activity against cultured simian adenovirus 7 (SAT)-induced lymphoma of the LSH hamster employing the 51Cr-release cytotoxlcity assay. Natural cytotoxic reactivity was found in both inbred and random-bred hamsters. The level of activity was much higher in random-bred (38.2% lysis) than in inbred (14.9%) hamsters. The percentage lysis of SA7 target cells was proportional to the effector:target cell (E:T) ratio. Natural cytotoxic reactivity was high in both spleen and bone marrow intermediate in mesenteric lymph node, and low or non-existent in thymus. Natural cytotoxic responses were present In 4-to 7-day-old, adult and aged (1-to 11/2-year-old) hamsters. Exposure of hamsters to 1,100 R of whole-body irradiation had little or no effect on natural cytotoxic reactivity, indicating the radio-resistant nature of the reactivity in hamsters, as in mice. Treatment of hamsters with a single dose of either 500 mg cytoxan/kg intraperitoneally (IP), or 5 mg carrageenan IP markedly suppressed their natural cytotoxic responses, as in mice. Growth of transplanted SA7 tumor in inbred hamsters or of D., lymphoma in random-bred hamsters strongly inhibited the natural spleen-cell-mediated lysis of SA7 lymphoma cells. Thus, while hamster natural cytotoxic activity shared most of the properties of mouse NK activity, it differed in (1) appearing earlier in life (2) increasing progressively into older age (1 1/2 years) and (3) being as high in bone marrow as in spleen, or higher.
A complete 10 Gbps chip-to-chip digital CMOS silicon photonic link

We report a complete 10Gbps digital CMOS photonic direct chip-to-chip link. The link includes power supply regulation and digital retiming and uses record-low 680 fJ/bit transceivers and an optical power of 1.4 pJ/bit.
XV.—New or little-known Tipulidæ (Diptera).—V. Ethiopian species

(1921). XV.—New or little-known Tipulidae (Diptera).—V. Ethiopian species. Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Vol. 8, No. 44, pp. 161-175.
Utility of a tripolar stimulating electrode for eliciting dopamine release in the rat striatum

The present study evaluated tripolar stimulating electrodes for eliciting dopamine release in the rat brain in vivo. Stimulating electrodes were placed either in the medial forebrain bundle or in the ventral mesencephalon associated with the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra. The concentration of extracellular dopamine was monitored in dopamine terminal fields at 100-ms intervals using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon-fiber microelectrodes. To characterize the stimulated area, recordings were collected in several striatal regions including the caudate putamen and the core and shell of the nucleus accumbens. The tripolar electrode was equally effective in stimulating dopamine release in medial and lateral regions of the striatum. In contrast, responses evoked by a bipolar electrode were typically greater in one mediolateral edge versus the other. The added size of the tripolar electrode did not appear to cause complications as signals were stable over the course of the experiment (3 h). Subsets of mesostriatal dopamine neurons could also be selectively activated using the tripolar electrode in excellent agreement with previously described topography. Taken together, these results suggested that the tripolar stimulating electrode is well suited for studying the regulation of midbrain dopamine neurons in vivo.
Neutralization of heparin by cellular blood elements.

Abstract These studies were performed to evaluate heparin neutralization with a kinetic assay. Celite-induced clotting was followed using thrombelastography (TEG) on sequential samples of heparinized whole blood and plasma with and without platelets. Platelet-poor plasma and platelet-poor whole blood do not show the capability of neutralizing heparin activity with time in the TEG. When heparinized (1.15 U/ml) platelet plasma systems are incubated at room temperature for one hour, however, appreciable antiheparin activity is noted. The addition of erythrocytes to this same platelet concentration accelerates antiheparin activity, and the equivalent neutralization occurs at 15 minutes. Three different heparin concentrations were tried, and the platelet-plasma antiheparin activity was always slower to reach equilibrium than the matched platelet-erythrocyte-plasma combinations. No added antiheparin activity can be attributed to the presence of erythrocytes since both systems reach the same end points of clottability. Thus, platelets and erythrocytes interact in the neutralization of heparin, and their interaction does not provide more neutralization than a platelet-plasma system, only faster kinetics. This effect may be related to the red cell-platelet mixing in the thrombelastograph that results in the accelerated PF-4 release or other effects. These studies emphasize the importance of cellular blood elements in the neutralization of intravenous heparin in canines. We conclude that evaluation of platelet function, hematocrit, and platelet count in conjunction with a plasma assay (PTT) may provide more effective clinical heparin therapy with less chance of bleeding complications.
Efficient and flexible parallel retrieval using priority encoded transmission

Many applications, including web transfers, software distribution, video-on-demand, and peer-to-peer data downloads, require the retrieval of structured documents consisting of multiple components like images, video, and text. Large systems using these applications may be made more scalable by using efficient data distribution techniques like multicast, and by enabling clients to retrieve data from multiple servers in parallel.In this paper we propose a new technique for parallel retrieval of structured documents from multiple servers using priority encoded transmission, which allows some subsets of a transmission to be reconstructed before others. We discuss the application of this technique to bulk and streaming media distribution, and provide performance results from trace-based simulations.
Maintenance and autoshaping of keypecking in undeprived pigeons

Experienced undeprived pigeons pecked for food presentations on a VI 3-min schedule. When the schedule was changed to VI 30-sec, response rates increased and behavioral contrast was observed. To investigate the role of experience with reinforced responding, another three undeprived naive birds were autoshaped to keypeck and showed comparable rates of responding on a VI 30-sec schedule.
A note on the energy transfer from the solar wind to the magnetosphere

Abstract The dimensional analysis of the energy transfer from the solar wind to the magnetosphere is formulated to include the effect of finite lifetime of the ring current particles. It is found that the solar wind energy input rate should be re-evaluated by considering the lifetime of the ring current particles.
On river meanders

A review of the important stream morphologic theories and hypotheses published before 1971 indicates that none provides a satisfactory explanation to the formation of meandering streams. The law of least time rate of energy expenditure introduced by Yang1) is used to explain the formation of meandering streams. This law can explain why stable unbraided channels always follow a smooth sinuous course. It also explains how the variation in water discharge, sediment concentration, channel geometry, channel slope, valley slope, geological constraints, etc., should change the characteristics of meandering channels. The arguments made in this paper are strongly supported by laboratory and field observations.
Elastic properties of β-eucryptite in the glassy and microcracked crystalline states

Amorphous and crystalline {beta}-eucryptite (LiAlSiO{sub 4}) specimens were prepared with controlled grain sizes and varying levels of microcracking, and their elastic moduli were determined using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. It was found that the relationship between Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio and degree of microcracking in these materials can be described well with fracture-mechanics-based models. It was also found that if glassy {beta}-eucryptite is considered to be a microcracked medium in which broken Si-O bonds, with respect to the crystalline material, constitute microcracks, then its elastic properties can be described equally well by these models. Such considerations are explained by noting the differences in atomic bond density among the different states of the material and by accounting for differences in strain energy release rate measurements on glass and ceramic specimens.
Firefly luciferase: the structure is known, but the mystery remains

The structure of firefly luciferase reveals a new protein fold which may be representative of a growing family of homologous enzymes.
Kinetics of isenthalpic solidification using the theory of dendritic growth

Abstract The kinetic data extracted from isenthalpic solidification experiments are critically reviewed. Question is raised concerning the justification for the use of a thermal analysis which is based on the assumption of isothermal dendrites. An alternate analytical procedure is then applied which considers the non-isothermal effects resulting from localized curvature and kinetics. No unique, linear, kinetic constant could be found conforming to any region of the experimental data, but a noticeable convergence of theory to experiment is observed in the region of large undercooling. Our results appear to confirm the quantitative determination of a linear kinetic coefficient for white phosphorus (P4) solidification, but dispute the previously reported conclusions concerning the observation of a kinetic transition region and the operation of a maximum velocity criterion. Limitations of the latter analysis and of the general experimental procedures for obtaining kinetic information are discussed.
Application of statistical techniques for assessment of prognosis in patients with acute circulatory failure (shock).

Abstract The initial hemodynamic, respiratory and metabolic measurements on 131 critically ill patients with acute circulatory failure (shock) were analyzed in order to assess prognosis on an objective basis. Patients were classified as belonging to cardiogenic, bacterial, neurogenic or hypovolemic shock categories on the basis of clinical criteria. A multivariate analysis of variance showed that this clinical separation was also reflected in the independent measurements of hemodynamic, respiratory and metabolic parameters for both survivors and patients who died. In each of the 4 clinical categories, equality of the covariance matrices and also of the mean vectors of patients who died and those who survived were tested. There was no significant evidence against the assumption of equal covariance matrices in any of the 4 clinical categories. Significant differences in the mean vectors were found in the hypovolemic and bacterial groups. This provided justification for the use of linear discriminant analysis of data on patients who survived and those who died in these 2 clinical categories, for the purposes of assessing prognosis. In the hypovolemic group, arterial lactate was the best early indicator of survival. In the bacterial group, arterial pH was the best early indicator of survival with MAP contributing significantly to prognosis.
Single‐shot GRASE imaging with short effective TEs

A new phase-encoding scheme for gradient- and spin-echo (GRASE) imaging giving a short effective TE is described. Unlike previous orders, phase encoding is centric rather than sequential. The sequence is a development of k-banded GRASE that uses different time segments of the echo train to encode different bands of k space. This phase-encoding order has been implemented in single-shot sequences on an imager with high performance gradients. Approximately 144 phase-encoding lines can be acquired in an echo train time of 390 ms. With centric phase encoding, the effective TE is 8 ms, compared with 75 ms for sequential encoding, and signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) in brain tissue are 50 to 70% higher. The sequence can be employed in, for example, diffusion and velocity imaging.
Optical Kerr Effect, Susceptibility, and Order Parameter of Plastic Succinonitrile

The high-frequency electro-optic tensor of succinonitrile is measured throughout the plastic crystalline phase. Its strength, due to cooperative molecular response to the orienting optical field, is a generalized susceptibility increasing rapidly near the plastic-solid transition. Its anisotropy describes long-range cubic order of the average molecular orientation. This orientational order parameter decreases rapidly near the plastic-liquid transition, suggesting that the hitherto neglected average orientational order is essential to the plastic phase stability.
Risperidone Added to Parent Training and Stimulant Medication: Effects on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, and Peer Aggression

Objective In this study, we aimed to expand on our prior research into the relative efficacy of combining parent training, stimulant medication, and placebo (Basic therapy) versus parent training, stimulant, and risperidone (Augmented therapy) by examining treatment effects for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD) symptoms and peer aggression, symptom-induced impairment, and informant discrepancy. Method Children (6–12 years of age; N = 168) with severe physical aggression, ADHD, and co-occurring ODD/CD received an open trial of parent training and stimulant medication for 3 weeks. Participants failing to show optimal clinical response were randomly assigned to Basic or Augmented therapy for an additional 6 weeks. Results Compared with Basic therapy, children receiving Augmented therapy experienced greater reduction in parent-rated ODD severity ( p = .002, Cohen's d = 0.27) and peer aggression ( p = .02, Cohen's d = 0.32) but not ADHD or CD symptoms. Fewer children receiving Augmented (16%) than Basic (40%) therapy were rated by their parents as impaired by ODD symptoms at week 9/endpoint ( p = .008). Teacher ratings indicated greater reduction in ADHD severity ( p = .02, Cohen's d = 0.61) with Augmented therapy, but not for ODD or CD symptoms or peer aggression. Although both interventions were associated with marked symptom reduction, a relatively large percentage of children were rated as impaired for at least 1 targeted disorder at week 9/endpoint by parents (Basic 47%; Augmented 27%) and teachers (Basic 48%; Augmented 38%). Conclusion Augmented therapy was superior to Basic therapy in reducing severity of ADHD and ODD symptoms, peer aggression, and symptom-induced impairment, but clinical improvement was generally context specific, and effect sizes ranged from small to moderate. Clinical trial registration information—Treatment of Severe Childhood Aggression (The TOSCA Study); http://clinicaltrails.gov/; NCT00796302.
The Value of the CD4+ Count of 500 cells/μl

The CD4+ cell count is a surrogate marker used for evaluating the efficacy of therapies for HIV infection and for estimating the prognosis of patients with HIV infection. However, there is no single CD4+ count that can be used to indicate likely clinical outcome or the optimal time of treatment initiation. Protocol 019 of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) investigated the efficacy of zidovudine monotherapy in asymptomatic patients with HIV infection. Following results showing zidovudine to be significantly more effective than placebo in delaying the progression to AIDS in HIV-infected patients with CD4+ counts 500 cells/μl compared with deferred therapy. However, there was no additional advantage in terms of delayed onset of AIDS or death compared with deferred treatment.
OPTIMAL CELLULAR NETWORK DEPLOYMENT REUSING EXISTING BASE STATIONS

Cellular communications has experienced an explosive growth recently. In order to increase the capacity of a cellular network without new frequency spectrum allocation, it is a common practice to use base stations with a lower power transmitter. Cell splitting is one of such techniques, which increases the network capacity four-fold by dividing a cell into four smaller cells. Although the cell splitting technique can reuse the existing base stations, it requires that those existing base stations be uniformly distributed. In addition, the radius of each new cell is always half that of the original cell. In this paper, it is assumed that the radius of new cells can be of any smaller size, and that the existing base stations are not necessarily uniformly distributed. While new base stations can be placed at the cell centers based on the design of the new cellular network, existing base stations should be put as close to a cell center as possible in the new cellular network. The problem to be solved, referred to as the optimal cellular network deployment, can be formulated as follows: given a set of existing base stations and a planned cellular network that has a fixed cell size and network orientation but is movable, find a position to fix the movable cellular network such that the maximum distance between existing base stations and their corresponding cell centers is minimized. This paper shows that the optimal cellular network deployment problem can be solved in O(n3) time if n existing base stations will be reused.
Effect of persistent monoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint region on acute mustard oil-induced excitation of trigeminal subnucleus caudalis neurons in male and female rats

The effect of persistent inflammation of the temporomandibular (TMJ) region on Fos-like immunoreactivity (Fos-LI) evoked by acute noxious stimulation of the same or opposite TMJ was assessed in male and cycling female rats. Two weeks after inflammation of the TMJ by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA, 25 microg) the selective small fiber excitant, mustard oil (MO, 20%), was injected into the arthritic or opposite TMJ under barbiturate anesthesia. MO stimulation of the arthritic TMJ increased Fos-LI ipsilateral, but not contralateral, to MO compared to naive subjects in superficial laminae at the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis/upper cervical cord (Vc/C2) junction independent of sex hormone status. Unexpectedly, MO stimulation of the opposite TMJ in arthritic rats also produced a greater Fos-LI response ipsilateral to MO than naive animals. Fos-LI produced in the dorsal paratrigeminal region (dPa5) and Vc/C2 junction after MO stimulation of the normal TMJ was significantly greater in proestrous than diestrous females or male monoarthritic rats. In contrast to naive animals, Fos-LI was produced in deep laminae at the Vc/C2 junction ipsilateral to MO in CFA-treated animals independent of the site of prior CFA inflammation or sex hormone status. These results indicated that persistent monoarthritis of the TMJ region enhanced the excitability of trigeminal brainstem neurons to subsequent TMJ injury that occurred bilaterally in multiple regions of the lower trigeminal brainstem complex and depended on sex hormone status.
PI(4,5)P2 Positively Regulates Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 Channel Activation in Planar Lipid Bilayers

Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels are non-selective cation channels activated by heat, low pH, capsaicin, and a variety of endogenous mediators of nociception. TRPV1 channels have also been shown regulated by phosphoinositides. However, the effects that phosphoinositides exert on TRPV1 channel activity have long been controversial. To understand this regulation we aimed to incorporate the purified TRPV1 protein in planar lipid bilayers. The TRPV1 channel protein was purified from the TRPV1-HEK stable cell line by immunoprecipitation. Further, the channel was incorporated in planar lipid bilayers consisting of a mixture of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocoline (POPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphoethanolaminein (POPE) (3:1, v/v), and examined for the single channel activity at different conditions. The results showed that TRPV1 channel could not open without any stimuli, and it could not be activated by capsaicin alone as well. However, addition of 2.5 µM of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate C-8 (PI(4,5)P2) resulted in burst openings of TRPV1, 5 µM PI(4,5)P2 induced further increase of channel opening. Moreover, the incorporated TRPV1 channels demonstrated different open probability and gating modes for current flowing in outward and inward directions. Outward currents exhibited mean slope conductance values of 98.4±1.8 pS, and inward currents were observed with conductance level of 48.4±2.4 pS in the presence of 2.5 µM PI(4,5)P2 and 2 µM capsaicin, which is consistent with previous reports (Hui et al., 2003; Raisinghani et al., 2005). These results indicate that PI(4,5)P2 is required for capsaicin activation of TRPV1 channels.ReferenceHui, K., et al. (2003). Biophys J 84, 2957-2968.Raisinghani, M., et al. (2005). J Physiol 567, 771-786.
An Investigation on Hot Corrosion Resistance of Plasma Sprayed Composite YSZ-Gd2Zr2O7 and Gd2Zr2O7 Thermal Barrier Coatings in Simulated Turbine Environment at 1050°C

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are frequently used on hot section components in gas turbines. Rare-earth zirconate ceramics used as thermal barrier coatings have attracted increasing interest in recent years due to their distinctly lower thermal conductivity than common TBC material; Yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ). This paper investigates the hot corrosion resistance of composite YSZ+Gd2Zr2O7 and Gd2Zr2O7 coating, in Na2SO4+V2O5 at 1050°C. Chemical interaction is found to be the major corrosive mechanism for the deterioration of these coatings. Characterizations using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicate that the reaction between NaVO3 and Y2O3 in YSZ produces YVO4 and leads to the transformation of tetragonal ZrO2 to monoclinic ZrO2. Then For the Gd2Zr2O7+YSZ composite coating, by the formation of GdVO4, the amount of YVO4 formed on the YSZ+Gd2Zr2O7 composite coating is significantly reduced, thus the amount of monoclinic phase in the TBC coating is substantially reduced. Comparing to YSZ, under a high temperature of 1050°C, Gd2Zr2O7 is more stable, both thermally and chemically, So Gd2Zr2O7 exhibits a better hot corrosion resistance than YSZ+Gd2Zr2O7 composite coating.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
G 2 holonomy metrics and wrapped D6-branes

We determine torsion class constraints for the supergravity background produced by D6-branes wrapping special Lagrangian cycles in a Calabi-Yau 3-fold. We employ a recently introduced method which involves probing the putative background by all possible supersymmetric brane configurations. We then lift this background to 11 dimensions to a product of 4-d Minkowski space and a 7-fold of ${G}_{2}$ holonomy. The latter is a particular U(1) bundle over an almost complex manifold of SU(3) structure with specific torsion class constraints. We construct the closed 3- and 4-forms which calibrate the 3- and 4-cycles in the ${G}_{2}$ holonomy manifold.
Review Article: Carnitine, Valproate, and Toxicity

Carnitine is an important nutrient that is present in the diet (particularly in meat and dairy products) and is synthesized from dietary amino acids. It functions to assist long-chain fatty acid metabolism and to regulate the ratio of free coenzyme A to acylcoenzyme A in the mitochondrion. Carnitine deficiency occurs in primary inborn errors of metabolism, in nutritional deficiency, and in various other disorders including antiepileptic drug therapy. Valproate therapy is often associated with decreased carnitine levels and occasionally with true carnitine deficiency. Some experimental and clinical evidence links valproate-induced carnitine deficiency with hepatotoxicity, but this evidence is limited and inconclusive. Carnitine supplementation has been useful in some studies, but these data are also limited. Young children with neurologic disabilities taking multiple antiepileptic drugs may have the greatest risk for carnitine deficiency. Measurement of carnitine levels appears warranted in these patients and in patients with symptoms and signs of possible carnitine deficiency.
Analysis of BDNF production in the aging gerbil cochlea.

Degeneration of cochlear neurons is the most commonly observed cellular change in the aging human and gerbil cochlea. Although it is unclear what leads to this neuronal loss, changes in the production of target-derived trophic factors may be the ultimate cause of cochlear neuron degeneration. The present study used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to investigate whether BDNF is produced by the organ of Corti or cochlear ganglia of young, middle aged, or aged gerbils. The results revealed an age-related increase in BDNF in the organ of Corti, but not in the cochlear ganglia.
Predictors of ethical decisions regarding insider trading

This paper examines potential predictors of ethical decisions regarding insider trading. An interactionist perspective is taken, in which person variables, situational variables, and the interaction of these two sets of variables are viewed as influencing ethical decisions. The results of our study support such a perspective. Ethical decisions regarding insider trading appear to be a function of a complex set of interacting variables related to both the person and the situation. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Music therapy-assisted labor and delivery.

This article describes a new clinical music therapy program for application in the labor and delivery setting, and presents results of a preliminary study to evaluate effectiveness of the treatment. Over 50 women participated in the project; however, inclusion of patients in the data collection portion of the project was limited by criteria designed to minimize the effects of spurious variables. An experimental group of 13 patients participated in six individual predelivery music therapy training sessions during the third trimester of pregnancy. Experimental patients listened to preselected musical works throughout labor and delivery, with the music therapist in attendance. A control group of seven subjects participated in labor and delivery according to regular hospital routines. Data consisted of patients' responses to questionnaire items reflecting subjective perceptions and recollections of the labor/delivery experience and reports of frequency and duration of home practice. Experimental subjects achieved significantly higher "success" scores than did control subjects on five of seven indices (p less than .05). A moderate correlation between music home practice and successful childbirth outcome was demonstrated, with frequency/length of music home practice revealed as a significant predictor of success in the childbirth experience.
Defect- and strain-enhanced cavity formation and Au precipitation at nano-crystalline ZrO2/SiO2/Si interfaces

Abstract Defect- and strain-enhanced cavity formation and Au precipitation at the interfaces of a nano-crystalline ZrO 2 /SiO 2 /Si multilayer structure resulting from 2 MeV Au + irradiation at temperatures of 160 and 400 K have been studied. Under irradiation, loss of oxygen is observed, and the nano-crystalline grains in the ZrO 2 layer increase in size. In addition, small cavities are observed at the ZrO 2 /SiO 2 interface with the morphology of the cavities being dependent on the damage state of the underlying Si lattice. Elongated cavities are formed when crystallinity is still retained in the heavily-damaged Si substrate; however, the morphology of the cavities becomes spherical when the substrate is amorphized. With further irradiation, the cavities appear to become stabilized and begin to act as gettering sites for the Au. As the cavities become fully saturated with Au, the ZrO 2 /SiO 2 interface then acts as a gettering site for the Au. Analysis of the results suggests that oxygen diffusion along the grain boundaries contributes to the growth of cavities and that oxygen within the cavities may affect the gettering of Au. Mechanisms of defect- and strain-enhanced cavity formation and Au precipitation at the interfaces will be discussed with focus on oxygen diffusion and vacancy accumulation, the role of the lattice strain on the morphology of the cavities, and the effect of the binding free energy of the cavities on the Au precipitation.