cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Exploration of Nurse Adherence to Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Bundle Interventions: A Quantitative Study

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) poses a significant health risk to patients on mechanical ventilation in hospital intensive care units (ICU). It is the responsibility of the nurse to implement VAP bundle interventions to decrease the prevalence of VAP in mechanically ventilated patients. The objective of the study was to measure nurse perception of adherence to VAP bundle interventions of oral hygiene, head-of-bed elevation, spontaneous breathing trials, daily sedation vacations, and peptic ulcer and deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis. A descriptive study involving a sample population of 28 ICU nurses at 3 hospitals in northern California was conducted. A 57-item questionnaire was developed to gather data on the degree to which VAP bundle interventions were implemented by the ICU nurses. All but one nurse reported implementing VAP bundle interventions in accordance with hospital policy. Self-reported nurse perception of adherence to VAP bundle interventions was considered met for 68% of the sample population. Self-reported adherence to VAP bundle interventions indicated nurses were appropriately implementing them in accordance with hospital policy/guidelines. More critical examination of VAP bundle hospital protocol is needed in order to identify areas for improvements in nursing practice.
Pion Spectra to Individual Final States in the Reactions 12C(γ,π±)12B, 12N

The cross sections for the reactions 12C(γ,π+)12B and 12C(γ,π−)12N to various states of the final nucleus have been measured at a pion energy around 29 MeV for electron energies from 187 to 193 MeV, and at a pion energy around 17 MeV with electron energies from 174 to 181 MeV, and at a pion angle 90° with respect to the incident photon beam. The observed states in 12B and 12N are the analogues of T = 1 states in 12C which are excited by inelastic electron scattering1,2. Furthermore, the (γ,π) one-body operator tends to strongly excite spin-flip components of the transitions to these states.
Stufen evolutionärer Datenbankintegration

Wir betrachten in diesem Kapitel die Kooperation von Datenbanksystemen als weiterfuhrende Form der Evolution. Der evolutionare Gedanke besteht darin, das ein isoliertes Datenbanksystem — auf dem bereits Applikationen bestehen und das mit einer potentiell grosen Anzahl von Objekten bevolkert ist — mit anderen ebensolchen Systemen anfanglich in einer losen Art und Weise zusammenarbeitet und sich schrittweise zu einer engen Kopplung oder gar zur vollstandigen Integration weiterentwickelt.
Variations in Proteasome Enzymatic Activities in Plasma of Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Their Value in Predicting Clinical Behavior.

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway plays a major role in degrading proteins that regulate important cellular processes including cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, DNA repair, and stress response. Proteasomes have 2 active sites each for 3 different peptidase activities: chymotrypsin-like (Ch-L), trypsin-like (Tr-L), and caspase-like (Cas-L) (postglutamyl peptide hydrolytic-like). Different proteasome inhibitors affect each of the activities differently and at different concentrations. For example, NPI-0052 inhibits Ch-L and Tr-L activities at lower concentrations than does bortezomib, while bortezomib inhibits Cas-L at lower concentrations than does NPI-0052. These enzymatic activities are usually measured in normal or tumor cells to monitor therapy with proteasome inhibitors. We developed fluorogenic kinetic assays using peptide-AMC (7-amino 4-methylcoumoran) substrates to measure Ch-L, Tr-L, and Cas-L activities in peripheral blood plasma rather than cells. This approach allowed us to standardize measurements and express enzymatic activity as pmol AMC/sec/mL plasma. We tested Ch-L, Tr-L, and Cas-L activities in the plasma of 226 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and assessed their correlations with clinical behavior. Ch-L, Tr-L, and Cas-L activities were significantly ( P <0.001) higher in the plasma of patients with CLL (medians: 1.47, 2.44, and 1.38 pmol AMC/sec/mL, respectively) than in healthy volunteers (n = 42) (medians: 0.80, 0.74, and 0.81 pmol AMC/sec/mL, respectively). Although Ch-L and Cas-L activities did not differ significantly between men and women with CLL, Tr-L activity was significantly higher in women ( P = 0.01). Rai stage correlated with Ch-L ( P <0.001) but not Cas-L or Tr-L activity. Only Ch-L activity correlated with WBC count ( P <0.001). β2-microglobulin levels correlated strongly with Ch-L activity (R=0.40, P <0.001) and weakly with Cas-L activity (R=0.25, P = 0.001) but not with Tr-L activity. Ch-L and Cas-L activities were both strong and independent predictor of survival when examined as continuous variables ( P =0.02 for both), as well as when the median was used as a cut-off point ( P =0.02 and P =0.03, respectively). Both Ch-L and Cas-L activities were independent of β2-microglobulin in predicting survival, but both correlated with each other and were not independent of each other in predicting survival. There was no correlation between Tr-L activity and survival. These data suggest not only that proteasome activity as measured in the plasma of patients with CLL has important prognostic value, but also that CLL patients may benefit from proteasome inhibition therapy that specifically targets Ch-L or Cas-L activities.
The War on Alcohol: Prohibition and the Rise of the American State. By Lisa McGirr. (New York, NY: W. W. Norton, 2015. Pp. xxii, 306. $27.95.)

The author of this book challenges the picture of National Prohibition as no more than an embarrassing departure from common sense that outlawed the production and sale of alcoholic drink without s...
Effect of Initiation Factor eIF-5A Depletion on Cell Proliferation and Protein Synthesis

Initiation factor eIF-5A (formerly called eIF-4D) was originally isolated (Kemper et al., 1976; Benne et al., 1978) from rabbit reticulocytes based on its activity in stimulating the synthesis of methionyl-puromycin, a model of the formation of the first peptide bond in protein synthesis. This highly conserved protein is small (ca. 18 kDa) and acidic (pI = 5.4) and is one of the most abundant initiation factors in mammalian cells. eIF-5A is unique in undergoing a covalent post-translational modification by a two-step pathway that involves the attachment of an aminobutyl group from spermidine to the e-amino group of a lysine residue, followed by hydroxylation on the number 2 carbon of the butyl group, to form a hypusine residue (Park et al., 1984). The hypusination reaction correlates with stimulation of cell growth and protein synthesis, thereby eliciting considerable interest in the protein.
Zonular weakness in patients with gyrate atrophy of the choroid and retina

We describe 2 white female siblings (ages 35 and 38 years), both with a history of gyrate atrophy of the choroid and retina, who presented with complaints of decreased vision. The preoperative ophthalmic examination showed visually significant posterior subcapsular cataracts with no evidence of zonular weakness in either eye. We noted a previously unreported finding of concurrent extensive zonular weakness in both patients when their pupils were dilated and the patients were placed in the supine position for surgery. All 4 eyes received capsular tension rings (CTRs) for zonular stabilization during cataract extraction. Our finding suggests that zonular weakness is a common feature in patients with gyrate atrophy and may contribute to late in-the-bag intraocular lens (IOL) dislocations. The use of CTRs in this patient population may stabilize the capsular bag intraoperatively and serve as a circumferential fixation point if late in-the-bag IOL dislocation occurs.
SENSITIVITY AND UNCERTAINTY ANALYSIS CAPABILITIES AND DATA IN SCALE

In SCALE 6, the Tools for Sensitivity and UNcertainty Analysis Methodology Implementation (TSUNAMI) modules calculate the sensitivity of keff or reactivity differences to the neutron cross-section ...
Advanced hydration systems for soldiers: the example of the US Army

Abstract: Hydration of soldiers is a logistical and physiological challenge faced by all armies and combatants. The human body’s requirement for water increases with workload and stressful environmental conditions and cannot be reduced by training or acclimatization. The method of carrying and delivering water to the war fighter has evolved from basic metal canteens, through various moulded polyethylene versions, to modern hands-free systems which are more accessible during combat. This chapter reviews a century-long evolution of hydration equipment, including leakage and hygiene issues, and looks at current developmental efforts for the future, such as purification and desalination capabilities.
Bio-enhancement of ACL Graft Healing

Although ACL reconstruction surgery using is commonly performed to restore function to the ACL injured knee, clinical outcomes are variable and far from perfect. It may be possible to stimulate or enhance the healing process (“bio-enhanced” ACL reconstruction) to improve these outcomes. Bio-enhancement of a graft would likely require the addition of growth factors (i.e., PDGF) or a source for growth factors (e.g., platelets, cells) to augment healing in the hostile synovial fluid environment. For many applications, the growth factors or the source of growth factors could be held in place and protected during the initial healing stage via tissue-engineered scaffolds. Preliminary results using preclinical models and early clinical studies are encouraging, and bio-enhanced ACL reconstruction may become a widely available option in the near future. This chapter reviews the current state of the art of bio-enhanced ACL reconstruction.
Significant Examples of Concrete Shells in the Twentieth Century

Present-day thin shells were made possible by the advent of concrete as a new building material that let vaults and domes be built with much less thickness and weight than their masonry counterparts. Moreover, new forms were eventually built with ease to capitalize on the tensile strength of reinforced concrete. Reinforced concrete thin shells have in the twentieth century completely replaced masonry vaults and domes, in the process of expanding the shapes of curvilinear forms to an almost unlimited variety. When they have been applied to cover large, unobstructed spaces, concrete shells have also reached spans of extraordinary length that match that of equivalent steel structures.
The Public Trust Doctrine

It has long been recognized through numerous case decisions in Anglo-American law that man may exercise a guardianship over the environment and that our national natural resources are to be held in trust for the full benefit, use, and enjoyment of the citizens of the United States. The judicially enforceable right that holds natural resources in trust, not only for the people of this generation but for future generations as well, is embodied in the trust doctrine. A citizen has a right to assert an interest in the public lands of the United States as common property held in trust for use by all of the people. The citizen’s real interest in the public property is the value of his right to use the property, and this gives him standing in court. While a variety of other legal theories may be employed, it has been suggested that “only the public trust doctrine seems to have the breadth and substantive content which might make it useful as a tool of general application for citizens seeking to develop a comprehensive legal approach to resource management problems.”1 In those instances where private citizens have concluded that the trustee has not diligently protected a natural resource, they have taken the initiative and have sued the governmental authorities charged with protecting the public interest. If the government has not adequately regulated a private party, the private party may be the defendant. In other situations a state or federal agency may be the plaintiff in a suit against a local government.
A Cheyenne Voice: The Complete John Stands In Timber Interviews. By John Stands In Timber and Margot Liberty

Readers of American Indian history have long appreciated Cheyenne Memories (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1967), the classic collection of stories from tribal historian John Stands In Timbe...
Human colonization: A world too far?

Abstract A brief introduction to the special issue on the social and ethical dimensions of human colonization.
Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Functional Limitations in Older Adults from 2005-2014 NHANES.

Background: Food insecurity refers to the physical, social, and economic inability to access and secure sufficient, safe and nutritious food. Food insecurity has been found to be associated with po...
Quantifying shoot and root biomass production and soil carbon under perennial bioenergy grasses in a subtropical environment

Abstract Perennial bioenergy grasses can potentially replace fossil fuels and offset atmospheric CO2 through soil C sequestration. However, limited information relevant to the impacts of bioenergy cropping on ecosystem services, especially above- and below-ground productivity and soil C sequestration is available for subtropical environments (e.g., southeastern USA). The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of perennial bioenergy cropping on C cycling and accumulation in the soil following four years of production in North Florida. Treatments consisted of six perennial grass species: giant reed, elephantgrass, energycane, sugarcane, sweetcane, and giant miscanthus. Elephantgrass, energycane, sweetcane, and sugarcane produced great shoot biomass (31–41 Mg ha−1) when harvested once per year. Giant reed's shoot biomass responded favorably to two harvests per year (27–43 Mg ha−1), whereas giant miscanthus did not perform well in any of the years (9–21 Mg ha−1). Additionally, giant reed, sweetcane, and giant miscanthus produced greater root biomass (9–11 Mg ha−1) compared with the other three species (2.5–3.2 Mg ha−1). Among the six grasses, sweetcane, energycane, and elephantgrass resulted in increases in soil C stocks (~15 Mg ha−1) relative to the initial level. Conversely, giant reed and giant miscanthus had no increase in soil C stock. Results suggested that interspecies differences observed in biomass yield among the six perennial bioenergy grasses could therefore affect soil C accumulation. High biomass yielding species such as sweetcane, energycane, and elephantgrass can effectively increase soil C within a few years following establishment in a subtropical environment.
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) for C. Difficile Infection, Just Say 'No'

Despite lack of regulatory approval, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is widely performed to manage C. difficile infection (CDI), particularly recurrent CDI. Herein, we critically review the available randomized controlled trials of FMT and address the following questions: Is FMT better than drug management of recurrent CDI?; Is FMT treatment per se or adjunctive treatment to antibiotics for CDI?; and, Is FMT safe? Finally, we elaborate non-FMT options for the management of recurrent CDI. Although promising, FMT should be reserved for patients who have failed appropriate antibiotic management of recurrent CDI.
Recruitment: an undertheorized mechanism for workplace control

It has been nearly half a century since the publication of Harry Braverman’s Labor and Monopoly Capital. That, along with Michael Burawoy’s subsequent interrogation of Braverman—Manufacturing Consent—set the terms for a robust and enduring research agenda that has focused on labor processes: the deskilling of work, managerial control over workers, consent, and the extraction of surplus value. This article endeavors to advance the labor process paradigm by highlighting recruitment as a tool by which employers maximize the likelihood that they will hire people who will consent to their objectives, broadly defined. Drawing on a broad range of literatures, we show how recruitment and hiring practices constitute part of an overarching apparatus of control wherein managers imagine that particular people will be ideal for particular jobs and positions. We conclude by sketching a research agenda that sociologists of work and labor processes might undertake in order to understand these issues more thoroughly.
Comparison of two discrimination methods in teaching Chinese children with autism

In teaching conditional discriminations to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), practitioners may progress from simple to conditional discriminations or may teach conditional discriminations from the onset of instruction. Some research indicates that teaching simple discriminations first may be unnecessary and that teaching may more efficiently focus on conditional discriminations exclusively. This study replicated comparisons of simple-to-conditional and conditional-only discrimination training methods in teaching audio-visual conditional discriminations to Chinese preschoolers with ASD. Results indicated the conditional-only training method appeared to be more efficient in teaching these skills.
Half-Order Three-Dimensional Curl Operator

The half-order three-dimensional curl operator is evaluated in explicit spectral domain form. It finds use in an augmented set of Maxwell’s equations, with added two field quantities that allow, e.g., for greater flexibility in defining new gauges and boundary conditions. A one-dimensional version of the half-order curl is demonstrated for the case of a plane wave.
A Balanced Approach to Molded Case Circuit Breaker Maintenance

NFPA 70E mandates that “overcurrent devices shall be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions or industry consensus standards”. For national laboratories under the Department of Energy this mandate is law, because 10 CFR 851 requires adherence to NFPA 70 and 70E. This begs the question, exactly what are those manufacturer's instructions, and what do the industry consensus standards require? In particular with Molded Case Circuit Breakers (MCCB's), how does one meet these requirements and still apply a balanced approach in a maintenance program when the facilities range from brand new construction to over fifty years old, and where circuit breakers exist that have been made by virtually every major manufacturer? This paper examines the instructions given by the various manufacturers, and examines the standards that exist, along with major guides and white paper recommendations. Both the consistencies and the inconsistencies are examined, recommendations are compared, and a general consensus of recommendations emerges. The various maintenance particulars are examined, from cycling of breakers and thermography to inverse thermal and instantaneous primary injection trip testing. The results of an FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) was conducted at our facility; the results of that FMEA and the recommendations of that FMEA for maintenance of MCCB's are presented. In this paper, we have examined the recommendations of manufacturers, standards, and guides that provide the guidelines for maintenance of molded case circuit breakers. Although many conflicts exist, a consensus of nearly universal recommendations emerges. A balanced approach to maintenance that provides the maximum safety benefit within the bounds of economic feasibility can be developed. We provide a condensation of the existing literature with references, a visual summary of that literature and propose a recommended maintenance approach.
School-Age Coping: Themes across Three Generations of Sexual Minorities.

Because sexual minorities are an at-risk population, researchers conducted retrospective life story interviews with 191 sexual minority people comprising participants from a marriage equality cohort, an HIV/AIDS epidemic cohort, and a Stonewall rebellion cohort. The participants were located within 80 miles of four major metropolitan areas in the United States. Of the 191 participants interviewed, 90 participants talked about their school-age experiences and how they coped during elementary, middle, and high school. Five themes were identified in the interview data that were coded by the research team: (a) the influence of relationships, (b) experiencing emotions, (c) coming out, (d) coping behaviorally, and (e) coping cognitively. Implications for school counseling practice and future research are provided for educators, researchers, and helping professionals.
A prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted prodrug with a favorable in vivo toxicity profile

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a promising target for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer (PC) and various solid tumors. Although PSMA-targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) has enabled significant imaging and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) responses, accumulating clinical data are beginning to reveal certain limitations, including a subgroup of non-responders, relapse, radiation-induced toxicity, and the need for specialized facilities for its administration. To date non-radioactive attempts to leverage PSMA to treat PC with antibodies, nanomedicines or cell-based therapies have met with modest success. We developed a non-radioactive prodrug, SBPD-1, composed of a small-molecule PSMA-targeting moiety, a cancer-selective cleavable linker, and the microtubule inhibitor monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE). SBPD-1 demonstrated high binding affinity to PSMA (Ki = 8.84 nM) and selective cytotoxicity to PSMA-expressing PC cell lines (IC50 = 3.90 nM). SBPD-1 demonstrated a significant survival benefit in two murine models of human PC relative to controls. The highest dose tested did not induce toxicity in immunocompetent mice. The high specific targeting ability of SBPD-1 to PSMA-expressing tumors and its favorable toxicity profile warrant its further development.
Clearing Traffic Jams During Protein Translocation Across Membranes

Protein translocation across membranes is a critical facet of protein biogenesis in compartmentalized cells as proteins synthesized in the cytoplasm often need to traverse across lipid bilayers via proteinaceous channels to reach their final destinations. It is well established that protein biogenesis is tightly linked to various protein quality control processes, which monitor errors in protein folding, modification, and localization. However, little is known about how cells cope with translocation defective polypeptides that clog translocation channels (translocons) during protein translocation. This review summarizes recent studies, which collectively reveal a set of translocon-associated quality control strategies for eliminating polypeptides stuck in protein-conducting channels in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria.
$${\mathbb{Z}}$$ -Graded Weak Modules and Regularity

It is proved that if any $${\mathbb{Z}}$$ -graded weak module for vertex operator algebra V is completely reducible, then V is rational and C 2-cofinite. That is, V is regular. This gives a natural characterization of regular vertex operator algebras.
The Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on the Functional Impairment of Justice-Involved Adolescents: A Comparison of Baseline to Follow-Up Reports of Adversity:

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have long been recognized for negatively influencing individual outcomes such that each additional ACE exposure increases the risk for negative health and behav...
Universal Use of N95s in Healthcare Settings when Community Covid-19 Rates are High.

CDC now recommends N95 respirators for all providers seeing patients with possible or confirmed Covid-19. We suggest, however, that N95s may be just as important for the care of patients without suspected Covid-19 when community incidence rates are high. This is because SARS-CoV-2 is most contagious before symptom onset. Ironically, by the time patients are sick enough to be admitted to hospital with Covid-19 they tend to be less contagious. The greatest threat of transmission in healthcare facilities may therefore be patients and healthcare workers with early occult infection. N95s' superior fit and filtration provide superior exposure protection for healthcare providers seeing patients with early undiagnosed infection and superior source control to protect patients from healthcare workers with early undiagnosed infection. The probability of occult infection in patients and healthcare workers is greatest when community incidence rates are high. Universal use of N95s may help decrease nosocomial transmission at such times.
One Size Does Not Fit All: Keeping the Totality of the Circumstances Test for Public Use Cases after Pfaff and Smithkline

The public use and on sale bars of 35 U.S.C. § 102 allow an inventor a one-year grace period to file for a patent from the first time the invention is used publicly or offered for sale. Until the Supreme Court decided Pfaff v. Wells Electronics, Inc., the courts had been using the “totality of the circumstances” test for both the public use and on sale bars. In its holding in Pfaff, the Supreme Court changed the standard for applying the on sale bar from the “totality of the circumstances” test to the “ready for patenting” test; however, the Court was silent as to the public use bar. The patent law community, on the whole, considered this silence to mean that the test for a public use had remained the same, and, aside from one Federal Circuit decision in 2004 that held otherwise (but was later vacated), the courts have continued to decide public use bar cases using the “totality of the circumstances” test. This has led some to criticize the “totality of the circumstances” test as vague and unpredictable and to argue for a Pfaff-like test in the context of a public use. Although the “ready for patenting” test of Pfaff may work for the on sale bar, the public use bar requires the more flexible analysis provided by the “totality of the circumstances” test. The public use bar, although similar in some respects to the on sale bar, has different underlying policy justifications, consists of activities that are different by their nature from those of the on sale bar, and is intricately related to the experimental use doctrine. For these reasons, maintaining the multi-factor “totality of the circumstances” test for public use is the best way to ensure that the public ∗ Candidate for Juris Doctor, Notre Dame Law School, 2006; B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Cornell University, 1999. I would like to thank Phil Petti from Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery in Chicago, IL for helping me develop this topic and for providing invaluable feedback on my work. I would also like to thank Professor Amy Barrett for guiding me through the process of writing this Note and helping me to organize my ideas. Finally, I will always be grateful to my husband Ken for coming up with the crazy idea of going to law school, and especially for his support and the support of all our family. GLESSNER_ABSTRACT.DOC 11/21/2005 5:26:33 PM N O T R E D A M E L A W R E V I E W [VOL. 81:1 will not be stripped of an invention that has been placed in the public domain and that the inventor will be allowed the time to perfect the work, ultimately providing the public with the fullest possible disclosure of the invention.
Complex Systems and the Evolution of Mind-Brain

How can one explain the emergence of brain and mind? The chapter starts with a short history of the mind-body problem. Besides religious traditions, the concepts of mind and body held by our ancestors were often influenced by the most advanced standards in science and technology (Sect. 4.1). In the framework of complex systems the brain is modeled as a complex cellular system with nonlinear dynamics. The emergence of mental states (for instance pattern recognition, feeling, thoughts) is explained by the evolution of (macroscopic) order parameters of cerebral assemblies which are caused by nonlinear (microscopic) interactions of neural cells in learning strategies far from thermal equilibrium. Pattern recognition, for instance, is interpreted as a kind of phase transition by analogy with the evolution equations which determine pattern emergence in physics, chemistry, and biology (Sect. 4.2). In recent studies in neurobiology and cognitive psychology, scientists even speculate that the emergence of consciousness and self-consciousness depends on the production rate of “meta-cell-assemblies” as neural realizations of self-reflection. The Freudian unconscious is interpreted as a (partial) switching off of order parameters referring to certain states of attention. Even our dreams and emotions seem to be governed by nonlinear dynamics (Sect. 4.3).
The Rifle Musket in Civil War Combat: Reality and Myth – By Earl J. Hess

By building upon such pioneering works as Paddy Griffith's Battle Tactics of the Civil War[1987] and Brent Nosworthy's The Bloody Crucible of Courage[2003], the author of this book has delivered th...
A chromatographic estimate of the degree of surface heterogeneity of reversed-phase liquid chromatography packing materials. II-Endcapped monomeric C18-bonded stationary phase.

Abstract In a previous report, the heterogeneity of a non-endcapped C30-bonded stationary phase was investigated, based on the results of the measurements of the adsorption isotherms of two neutral compounds (phenol and caffeine) and two ionizable compounds (sodium naphthalene sulfonate and propranololium chloride) by frontal analysis (FA). The same method is applied here for the characterization of the surface heterogeneity of two new brands of endcapped C18-bonded stationary phases (Gemini and Sunfire). The adsorption isotherms of the same four chemicals were measured by FA and the results confirmed by the independent calculation of the adsorption energy distribution (AED), using the expectation-maximization (EM) method. The effect of the length of the bonded alkyl chain was investigated. Shorter alkyl-bonded-chains (C18 versus C30) and the end-capping of the silica surface contribute to decrease the surface heterogeneity under the same experimental conditions (30% methanol, 25 mM NaCl). The AEDs of phenol and caffeine are bimodal with the C18-bonded columns while they are trimodal and quadrimodal, respectively, with a non-endcapped C30-bonded column. The “supersites” (adsorption energy >20 kJ/mol) found on the C30-Prontosil column and attributed to a cation exchange mechanism completely disappear on the C18-Gemini and C18-Sunfire, probably because the end-capping of the silica surface eliminates most if not all the ionic interactions.
Proximal diffusion for stochastic costs with non-differentiable regularizers

We consider networks of agents cooperating to minimize a global objective, modeled as the aggregate sum of regularized costs that are not required to be differentiable. Since the subgradients of the individual costs cannot generally be assumed to be uniformly bounded, general distributed subgradient techniques are not applicable to these problems. We isolate the requirement of bounded subgradients into the regularizer and use splitting techniques to develop a stochastic proximal diffusion strategy for solving the optimization problem by continuously learning from streaming data. We represent the implementation as the cascade of three operators and invoke Banach's fixed-point theorem to establish that, despite gradient noise, the stochastic implementation is able to converge in the mean-square-error sense within O(μ) from the optimal solution, for a sufficiently small step-size parameter, μ.
Development of a Stock-Progeny Model for Assessing Power Plant Effects on Fish Populations

A multi-age-class model, based on simple but general biological principles, was developed to assess the impact of power plants on fish populations. The model is then parameterized in order to produce a variety of stock-progeny relationships, assuming that the stock is always at stable age distribution. The predicted response of the fish stock to power plant cropping of young-of-the-year fish is investigated for each of these stock-progeny relationships. In general, the sensitivity of the equilibrium stock size to cropping is positively related to the slope of the stock-progeny curve at the equilibrium point and, to a lesser extent, negatively related to the slope of the curve at the origin. In addition, the timing of power-plant-induced mortality in relation to the timing of compensation is important. The maximum amount of power-plant-induced mortality that can be tolerated by the stock can be calculated from the slope of the curve at the origin. Application of the model to specific cases will likely need to utilize time-series simulations in addition to the steady-state approach investigated here.
Book Review: 'The Benefit and the Burden,' by Bruce Bartlett

Bruce Bartlett has written a wonderful guide to tax reform, targeted at the general reader. However, he wants major tax reform, as soon as possible. I believe that we have tried that, and it has not worked. The 1986 Tax Reform Act is my best example. It would be better to make small, incremental improvements, when we can.
Effects of storage architecture on performance of sensor network queries

Storage architecture in sensor networks is increasingly emphasized as an important characteristic, in addition to more traditional characteristics like routing protocols and data dissemination techniques In this paper, we evaluate several types of storage in order to determine performance correlations between storage types and query types We first classify the various types of query and storage architectures for sensor networks We then evaluate storage architecture performance based on types of query The evaluation metrics we use are the number of transmissions, energy, and end-to-end delay Data delivery types and routing schemes have to also be considered since they are strongly related to the storage architecture Based on the performance evaluations, we show what kind of storage is suitable for particular query characteristics.
Copper Alloys, Wrought

The mechanical and physical properties of wrought copper and wrought copper alloys are surveyed according to alloy composition and the temper to which the alloys are processed. Properties important for manufacturing include: formability (bending, drawing, and springback) joining (welding, brazing, and soldering) machinability, and resistances to softening and hydrogen embrittlement. Properties relating to performance of manufactured products are strength, electrical and thermal conductivities, solderability, and resistances to stress relaxation, fatigue failure, and corrosion. Alloy designations are defined and tensile properties of alloys within the several compositional groups are provided. Wrought copper (99.3% minimum copper); the high coppers (no < 96% copper); zinc and tin brasses; tin, aluminum, and silicon bronzes; specially modified copper–zinc alloys; copper nickels; and nickel silvers are discussed together with the several commercially available precipitation hardenable alloys that are distributed among the compositional groupings. Selected applications and the relative costs of commercial alloys are discussed. Keywords: copper and copper alloys; alloying effects; mechanical and physical properties; formability; conductivity; stress relaxation (or, thermal resistance); processing and joining; products and applications
Evolution of single-chick broods in the Swallow-tailed Gull Creagrus furcatus

Swallow-tailed Gulls lay single-egg clutches, and so raise single-chick broods. As they are pelagic seabirds, this small brood size is expected to relate to proximate food limitation owing to infrequent food deliveries. However, a previous brood doubling experiment detected an 82% increase in fledging success from experimentally doubled broods compared to controls. We repeated the brood doubling experiment, and found that none of 50 enlarged broods produced more than one independent offspring. Control and experimental parents produced fledglings of similar body size, which also had indistinguishable rates of fledging and subsequent survival and reproduction. A variety of parameters estimating survival and breeding costs of reproduction showed no treatment effect. Since two-chick broods yield dramatically higher fledging rates at some times, apparently without excess costs of reproduction, selection on brood size appears to favour a two-chick brood. However, selection may not favour a two-egg clutch if egg production is very costly. Additionally, our estimates of reproductive success do not incorporate the performance of experimental and control offspring as adults, which could differ, since growth of chicks differed slightly by treatment.
Wavelength division multiplexing using coupled photonic crystal waveguides

Summary form only given. We present an on chip wavelength division multiplexing system built in photonic crystal integrated circuit. The proposed system makes use of the theory of coupled photonic crystal waveguides to spatially filter a broadband light wave propagating through a photonic crystal integrated circuit. Numerical experiments for analyzing and simulating the system were performed using FDTD method. Results obtained using FDTD method are also validated using plane wave expansion method (PWM).
QTL mapping of genotype–environment interaction for fitness in Drosophila melanogaster

A fundamental assumption of models for the maintenance of genetic variation by environmental heterogeneity is that selection favours alternative alleles in different environments. It is not clear, however, whether such antagonistic pleiotropy is common. We mapped quantitative trait loci (QTLs) causing variation for reproductive performance in each of three environmental treatments among a set of 98 recombinant inbred (RI) lines derived from a cross between two D. melanogaster laboratory strains. The three treatments were standard medium at 25 degrees C, ethanol-supplemented medium at 25 degrees C, and standard medium at 18 degrees C. The RI lines showed highly significant genotype-environment interaction for the fitness measure. Of six QTLs with significant effects on fitness in at least one of the environments, five had significantly different effects at the different temperatures. In each case, the QTL by temperature interaction arose because the QTL had stronger effects at one temperature than at the other. No evidence for QTLs with opposite fitness effects in different environments was found. These results, together with those of recent studies of crop plants, suggest that antagonistic pleiotropy is a relatively uncommon form of genotype-environment interaction for fitness, but additional studies of natural populations are needed to confirm this conclusion.
Solving Nonconvex Optimal Control Problems by Convex Optimization

Motivated by aerospace applications, this paper presents a methodology to use second-order cone programming to solve nonconvex optimal control problems. The nonconvexity arises from the presence of concave state inequality constraints and nonlinear terminal equality constraints. The development relies on a solution paradigm, in which the concave inequality constraints are approximated by successive linearization. Analysis is performed to establish the guaranteed satisfaction of the original inequality constraints, the existence of the successive solutions, and the equivalence of the solution of the original problem to the converged successive solution. These results lead to a rigorous proof of the convergence of the successive solutions under appropriate conditions as well as nonconservativeness of the converged solution. The nonlinear equality constraints are treated in a two-step procedure in which the constraints are first approximated by first-order expansions, then compensated by second-order correct...
Identifying children with learning disabilities: When is a discrepancy severe?

Abstract Identification of children with learning disabilities is based on the notion of a significant discrepancy between ability and achievement. Current federal guidelines do not specify the extent of such discrepancies but indicate they should be “severe”. Local education agencies have adopted criteria suggested by professionals or formulated their own operational criteria for identification of learning disabled children. In this research, we examined the extent to which identification as learning disabled is a function of the criteria used to define “severe discrepancy”, and the extent to which different classifications would result from use of different criteria. A school district made identification decisions for 51 students referred because they were experiencing academic difficulties; they found 24 students LD. The school identification decisions, based on application of a severe discrepancy on the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, did not correlate with decisions based on application of the federal definition. Implications for decision-making practices are discussed.
Role of quinone reductase in in vivo ethanol metabolism and toxicity.

Abstract Quinone reductase (QR), in the presence of suitable substrate. results in the regeneration of NAD+ from NADH. To test the hypothesis that QR can play a role in ethanol metabolism and toxicity, we studied the effect of a quinone as well as of induced levels of QR on ethanol administered in vivo to male rats and mice. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is known both to induce QR and to be metabolized to tert-butyl quinone (TBQ). Dietary BHA (0.75% for 10 days), followed by oral ethanol (4 g/ kg, by gavage), increased the rate of ethanol disappearance and decreased the area under the curve (AUC) for blood ethanol in both rats and mice. In addition, BHA pretreatment of rats was shown to prevent ethanol-induced 24-hr hepatic triglyceride accumulation. Also, in rats, TBQ (5 mg/kg, ip) led to decreased AUC and hepatic triglyceride accumulation, although the ethanol disappearance rate was not significantly affected. TBQ in BHA-fed rats resulted in even greater effects on the ethanol disappearance rate and AUC than TBQ or BHA treatment alone. None of these treatment regimens resulted in a significant change in volume of distribution of ethanol. Thus, these results support the hypothesis that induction of QR and/or administration of quinones leads to enhanced in vivo metabolism of ethanol and decreased hepatotoxicity.
STUDIES ON HOST FACTORS IN PNEUMOCOCCUS INFECTIONS : I. CERTAIN FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE CURATIVE ACTION OF SPECIFIC ANTIPNEUMOCOCCUS SERUM IN TYPE I PNEUMOCOCCUS DERMAL INFECTION IN RABBITS.

In the experimental disease brought about by infecting rabbits intradermally with Type I Pneumococcus the use of relatively small or subeffective amounts of specific antipneumococcus serum leads to the survival of some individuals and the death of others. It has been shown that both the severity of the infection and the white blood cell count are factors in the determination of the outcome of the disease but that there remain other host factors which have to do with the utilization or functioning of the specific antisera.
Optimization technology in design: trends, direction, and gaps

Optimization technology changes the design process into a process driven directly by computational analysis. Different techniques are discussed and classified with respect to their applicability in design. Gaps in transferring technology to practical application as well as missing solutions are identified.
Ataxia and hereditary disorders

The last decade has seen great changes in the diagnosis of inherited ataxias. Previously mysterious diseases are now recognized to be caused by specific mutations for which genetic screening is readily available. In many cases, the discovery of the molecular basis has broadened the definition of possible clinical manifestations of particular inherited ataxias. The type of mutation underlying the more common forms of inherited ataxia-unstable trinucleotide repeat expansions-helps to explain some of the unusual features of these diseases. This article reviews recent genetic advances in ataxia. The aim is not to present an exhaustive summary but rather to provide guidance in evaluating ataxia, particularly with respect to recent molecular genetic findings.
Chemical modification of gastric microsomal potassium-stimulated ATPase

Abstract Selective chemical modification was used to examine amino acid residues that might be critical for the operation of the gastric K+-stimulated ATPase. Modification of amino groups with the fluorigenic reagent 2-methoxy-2,4-diphenyl-3-dihydrofuranone resulted in selective inhibition of the K+-stimulated ATPase and H+-transporting activities of the gastric microsomes, while the Mg2+-ATPase was not affected. Half-maximal inhibition occurred at about 3 μg 2-methoxy-2,4-diphenyl-3-dihydrofuranone/ml at pH 8.5. ATP provided complete protection against inhibition; the apparent Km for ATP protection was about 50 μM. Nucleotide selectivity for protection was ATP > ADP > ITP > GTP > CTP > AMP. Sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis of the reacted microsomes showed that virtually all the fluorescent label was on the Mr 100 000 peptide band, a very small peptide, and aminolipids. In the presence of ATP there was about 75% reduction in the fluorescent label on the Mr 100 000 peptide, but no change in the labeling of the other components. The arginine specific reagent, butanedione, inhibited Mg2+-ATPase and K+-ATPase activities, with the former being much less reactive. Similar to 2-methoxy-2,4-diphenyl-3-dihydrofuranone, ATP provided complete protection from butanedione treatment. It is concluded that amino and guanidino groups are critical to the function of the K+-ATPase and may be actually at the ATP binding site.
On the critical amplitudes of acceleration wave to shock wave transition in white noise random media

The problem of transition of acceleration waves into shock waves is addressed in the context of weakly random media. A class of random media is modeled by a vector white noise random process representing two material coefficients appearing in the Bernoulli equation governing the evolution of acceleration waves. The problem of shock formation, which involves a stochastic competition of dissipation and elastic nonlinearity, is treated using a diffusion formulation for the Markov process of the inverse amplitude. The first four moments of the critical inverse amplitude are derived explicitly as functions of the means and crosscorrelations of the underlying vector random process. It is found that the Stratonovich as well as the Ito interpretation of the stochastic Bernoulli equation lead to an increase of the average critical amplitude of the random medium problem over the critical amplitude of the deterministic homogeneous medium problem. Probability distribution of the critical inverse amplitude is found to be, in general, of Pearson's Type IV.