cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dendrimer Precursors for Nanomolar and Picomolar Real‐Time Surface Plasmon Resonance/Potentiometric Chemical Nerve Agent Sensing Using Electrochemically Crosslinked Ultrathin Films

Nanomolar detection and specific recognition of pinacolyl methylphosphonate (PMP), a hydrolysis product and an analog of a relatively persistent class of toxic nerve agents, has been achieved. In addition, picomolar sensitivity is observed with methylphosphonic acid (MPA), an end-hydrolysis product for all organophosphate-based nerve agents. This is achieved using a combined surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and potentiometry setup. A modified polyamidoamine (PAMAM) carbazole/Cu2+ dendrimer, which is electrochemically crosslinked on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) modified Au substrate, is used as an active sensing element for trapping the nerve-agent analogs. The ultrathin films have been used to study the anchoring of nerve agents via non-covalent interactions. The carbazole to amine ratio is optimized to ensure free primary amines are available to interact with the analyte and the Cu2+ ions present in the system, which further enhances the selectivity. The carbazole group on the periphery serves a dual purpose: crosslinking the dendrimers to form a conjugated network film, and generating the potentiometric response. The adsorption kinetics are monitored by using an in situ SPR/potentiometric setup. This technique not only offers a real-time dual detection of highly toxic nerve-agent analogs, but also shows viability for future sensor-device applications.
A Self‐Organizing Model for Task Allocation via Frequent Task Quitting and Random Walks in the Honeybee

Social insect colonies are able to quickly redistribute their thousands of workers between tasks that vary strongly in space and time. How individuals collectively track spatial variability is particularly puzzling because bees have access only to local information. This work presents and tests a model showing how honeybees solve their fundamental within-nest spatial task-allocation problem. The algorithm, which is self-organizing and derived from empirical studies, couples two processes with opposing effects. Frequent task quitting, followed by patrols, during which bees are insensitive to task stimuli, serves to randomize individual location throughout the nest without reference to variation in task demand, while a foraging-for-work-like mechanism provides the opposing force of localizing individuals to areas of high task demand. This simple model is shown to generate sophisticated patterns of task allocation. It allocates bees to tasks in proportion to their demand, independent of their spatial distribution in the nest, and also reallocates labor in response to temporal changes in task demand. Finally, the model shows that task-allocation patterns at the colony level do not reflect colonies allocating particular individuals to tasks. In contrast, they reflect a dynamic equilibrium of workers switching between tasks and locations in the nest.
Colloid characterization by sedimentation field-flow fractionation. III. Emulsions

Abstract The successful application of sedimentation field-flow fractionation (sedimentation FFF) to the characterization of monodisperse and polydisperse particle populations was extended to the determination of the droplet size distribution (DSD) of emulsions. The theory and advantages of sedimentation FFF are briefly reviewed, and it is shown quite generally that the centrifugal field is not sufficiently strong to cause droplet distortion, aggregation, or other similar disturbances. Two different sets of experiments, applied to two commercial emulsions used for intravenous nutrition, are described. The safflower oil emulsion, subjected primarily to self-consistency tests, was shown to yield virtually identical raw DSD curves despite changes in field strength, sample size, flow velocity, and instrumental systems. For the soybean oil emulsion, a detector response correction factor was obtained by dissolution of the emulsion. It was shown that changes in the manufactured emulsion product could be followed by directly observing changes in the fractogram, or by noting changes in the DSD curves. The conditions under which the different kinds of curves can be used for comparative purposes were outlined.
Recent Progress in Ion Sources

This paper is intended to survey recent developments in ion sources, particularly work reported at the "Symposium on Ion Sources and the Formation of Ion Beams" held in Berkeley in October 1974. The approach here will be to subdivide this topic into three main areas; briefly list and discuss notable progress in each; and finally add some additional detail through a few specific, selected examples. The major items of progress discussed include development of large-area plasma surfaces for multiple-aperture ion sources, a significant increase in available negative-ion current densities, and improved general agreement between extraction electrode design and performance.
Urease reaction rates at low water activity

Urea hydrolysis reaction rates by urease at low water activity, noting use for Mars surface bioassay
Effect of Nonionic Surfactants on Aqueous Primidone Suspensions

The following interactions between the soluble surfactant, octoxynol 9, and the very slightly soluble, finely powdered drug, primidone, in aqueous suspension were investigated: adsorption/desorption of the surfactant, micellar solubilization of the drug, and deflocculation of its particles. The last effect, measured by the sedimentation volume of the suspensions, was also investigated for other octoxynols. The adsorption of octoxynol 9 on solid primidone was proportional to the equilibrium surfactant concentration up to the critical micelle concentration. It leveled off at higher concentrations, reaching saturation at completion of a close-packed surfactant monolayer. The adsorption was essentially completely reversible. The solubility of primidone in water was very slight; its micellar solubilization was even less extensive. The sedimentation volume of primidone suspensions decreased with increasing equilibrium concentration of octoxynol 9 and began to level off at the critical micelle concentration of 0.018%. At about twice that concentration, the sedimentation volume became almost constant, but reached its lowest value only at ⩽0.5%. Slow rotation of suspensions prior to sedimentation promoted flocculation and higher sedimentation volumes between 0.01 and 0.03% octoxynol 9. Octoxynols with higher hydrophilic-lipophilic balance than octoxynol 9 produced considerably larger sedimentation volumes at comparable concentrations, due to a lower surface activity and a lesser tendency to adsorb on primidone.
Lipocalin-type prostaglandin D2 synthase stimulates glucose transport via enhanced GLUT4 translocation

Abstract Previously, we demonstrated that lipocalin-type prostaglandin D2 synthase (L-PGDS) knockout mice become glucose intolerant and display signs of diabetic nephropathy and accelerated atherosclerosis. In the current study we sought to explain the link between L-PGDS and glucose tolerance. Using the insulin-sensitive rat skeletal muscle cell line, L6, we showed that L-PGDS could stimulate glucose transport approximately 2-fold as well as enhance insulin-stimulated glucose transport, as measured by 2-deoxy-[3H]-glucose uptake. The increased glucose transport was not attributed to increased GLUT4 production but rather the stimulation of GLUT4 translocation to the plasma membrane, a phenomenon that was lost when cells were cultured under hyperglycemic (20 mM) conditions or pretreated with wortmannin. There was however, an increase in GLUT1 expression as well as a 3-fold increase in hexokinase III expression, which was increased to nearly 5-fold in the presence of insulin, in response to L-PGDS at 20 mM glucose. In addition, adipocytes isolated from L-PGDS knockout mice were significantly less sensitive to insulin-stimulated glucose transport than wild-type. We conclude that L-PGDS, via production of prostaglandin D2, is an important mediator of muscle and adipose glucose transport which is modulated by glycemic conditions and plays a significant role in the glucose intolerance associated with type 2 diabetes.
Comparative Survivorship of Different Tibial Designs in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Few registry-based studies in the United States have compared the survivorship of different knee implant designs in total knee arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was to compare differences in survivorship of commonly used tibial implant designs in primary total knee arthroplasty. Methods: A total of 16,584 primary total knee arthroplasties in 11,992 patients were performed at a single institution from 1985 to 2005. Patients were prospectively followed at regular intervals to ascertain details of subsequent revisions. Overall revision rates and revisions for aseptic loosening, wear, and osteolysis were compared across twenty-two tibial implant designs using Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusting for age, sex, calendar year, and body mass index. Results: In comparison with metal-backed modular implants, all-polyethylene tibial components had a significantly lower risk of revision (hazard ratio, 0.3; 95% confidence intervals: 0.2, 0.5 [p < 0.0001]). The risk reduction with all-polyethylene tibial components was not affected by age, sex, or body mass index. With metal-backed modular tibial designs, cruciate-retaining knees performed better than the posterior-stabilized knees (p = 0.002), but this finding was limited to one specific metal-backed modular tibial component, the Press Fit Condylar design. With all-polyethylene tibial components, there was no survivorship difference between cruciate-retaining and posterior-stabilized designs. Conclusions: All-polyethylene tibial components were associated with better outcomes than metal-backed modular components. Cruciate-retaining and posterior-stabilized designs performed equally well, except with the Press Fit Condylar design. Obese patients may have superior results with all-polyethylene and posterior-stabilized components. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Long-term management of the ketogenic diet : Seizure monitoring, nutrition, and supplementation

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for the treatment of epilepsy. As such, it can affect the outcome of an individual's health and chronic medical condition. The components of MNT which have been established by the American Dietetic Association as core guidelines for nutrition care include a diet history, assessment, diet therapy and a follow-up plan of care (American Dietetic Assoc 2002). We have utilized these guidelines in designing our approach to KD therapy in our pediatric population. Many of the practices described here have been adopted from our practical experience.
Maximum likelihood estimation of variance components-a Monte Carlo study

The estimation of the parameter of a mixed model analysis of variance by maximum likelihood methods is discussed. The functional iteration method is studied and found to have good comptuational pro...
Myocyte Death, Growth, and Regeneration in Cardiac Hypertrophy and Failure

The accepted paradigm considers the adult mammalian heart as a postmitotic organ, which possesses a relatively constant number of myocytes from shortly after birth to adulthood and senescence. This notion is questioned by the demonstration that although most adult myocytes are terminally differentiated, there is a small and continuously renewed subpopulation of cycling myocytes produced by the differentiation of cardiac stem-like cells. Myocyte death and myocyte regeneration are introduced as major determinants of cardiac homeostasis and alterations of ventricular anatomy and function in physiological and pathological states. The possibility of reconstituting dead myocardium by stem-like cells is advanced and proposed as a major area of future research.
EUS and ERCP Complication Rates Are Not Increased in Elderly Patients

Further studies evaluating the safety of advanced endoscopic procedures in elderly patients are needed. To evaluate the safety of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in the elderly. The study population, consisting of 1,000 patients who underwent ERCP or EUS, was divided into two cohorts. The elderly cohort consisted of patients ≥75 years old. The nonelderly cohort consisted of patients <75 years old. The data collected included demographic information, type of procedure completed, procedure medication used, and endoscopic intervention performed. Complications included any event which occurred during the procedure or up to 1 month post procedure. A total of 600 ERCPs and 400 EUS were included. The mean age of the elderly cohort was 80 years (range 75–95 years, n = 184) versus 54 years (range 13–74 years, n = 816) for the nonelderly cohort. The ERCP complication rate was 10.0% in the elderly versus 10.6% (P = 1.0) for the nonelderly. The EUS complication rate was 4.8% in the elderly versus 3.1% in the nonelderly (P = 0.49). The overall complication rates were identical at 7.6% (P = 1.0). Sedation doses were lower for the elderly cohort (P < 0.001). There was a higher rate of procedure bleeding in the elderly cohort (P = 0.016). Advanced age is not a contraindication for advanced endoscopic procedures. There is no significant increase in the rate of overall procedure-related complications seen with either ERCP or EUS in elderly patients; however, elderly patients have a higher risk of bleeding. Less procedure-related sedation medication is required for elderly patients.
Assessment of the role of α-methylapinine in the neurotoxicity of MDMA

Abstract To assess the potential involvement of metabolism of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) to the catechol α-methylepinine in producing serotonergic neurotoxicity, we attempted to correlate aspects of this reaction with the neurotoxicity profile of MDMA. In contrast to the stereoselectivity of S -(+)-MDMA in causing persistent declines in rat brain 5-hydroxynidole levels, no stereochemical component to the metabolic reaction was apparent. Rat liver microsomes generated a significantly greater amount of α-methylepinine than did mouse microsomes, but similar amounts of metabolite were produced by brain microsomes from the two species. Formation of α-methylepinine by hepatic, but not brain, microsomes was inhibited by SKF 525A and induced by phenobarbital, possibly indicating a tissue specificity in cytochrome P-450-dependent metabolism of MDMA. To directly assess whether α-methylepinine is a likely mediator of MDMA neurotoxicity, the compound was administered intracerebroventricularly. No persistent declines in biogenic amines or their metabolites were observed one week following treatment. These data suggest that α-methylepinine alone is not responsible for the neurotoxic effects of MDMA.
High-temperature slurry reactors for synthesis gas reactions. 1: Liquid thermal stability

The use of slurry reactors has been limited to reactions that take place at temperatures below about 573 K because many of the liquids that have been used to suspend the solid catalyst are not stable above this temperature. The thermal stability of a number of organic liquids was evaluated at temperatures between 648 and 698 K and at H2 partial pressures of about 7 MPa. Certain saturated and partially-saturated, fused-ring compounds with no alkyl groups or bridges are quite stable at these conditions. Of the compounds tested, tetrahydronaphthalene, tetrahydroquinoline, and decahydronaphthalene were the most stable. Analysis of the liquids at the end of the thermal stability evaluation supports some speculation concerning possible degradation reactions.
A critique on overstory/understory comparisons based on transition probability analysis of an old growth spruce-fir stand in the Appalachians

Compositional stability in forests has traditionally been evaluated by comparing understory with overstory composition. Such comparisons have generally been qualitative. Transition probability analysis has recently allowed quantitative prediction of future community states. We used transition probability analysis of an undisturbed spruce-fir forest to evaluate the sensitivity of the overstory/understory comparison to underlying assumptions. The predictions of future composition differed widely depending on understory size class used, ecological situation (gap versus forest plots), and stand descriptor (density versus frequency). Species longevities and interactions between understory and overstory species also affected the predictions. Understory data generally led to a predicted increase in importance for the most tolerant species (Abies fraseri) and the conclusion that a previous disturbance allowed the least tolerant species (Betula lutea) to become established. Inventory of stems in gaps led to a predicted increase in importance for the least tolerant species (Betula) and the conclusion that disturbance frequency was increasing in the stand. Data incorporating more detailed observations of the gap capture process led to the inference that this old growth stand was in compositional equilibrium. In this community, the species that was densest in the understory species (Abies) had the shortest lifespan and thus, the fastest canopy turnover rate. This lead to counter-intuitive behavior in the models; in some cases Abies had a 40% higher relative density in the understory than in the overstory at equilibrium.
FORMULATION OF A STOCHASTIC MODEL OF FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH

Based on a global/local energy balance a deterministic model of fatigue crack growth under constant amplitude loading is derived. The energy terms resulting from the continuous plasticity and localized fracture around the crack tip are determined for small scale yielding leading to the fatigue crack growth equation involving the stress intensity factor and its amplitude. Four material parameters which should be identified from experimental data have a physical interpretation; these are eventually assumed to be random variables and model the statistical scatter of the crack growth versus N curves observed in experiments. A Gaussian white noise random field is additionally assumed to describe the stochastic material non-homogeneity within a specimen. Its effect on the crack growth is derived and results in a positive non-stationary random function depending on the crack length. Statistical parameters of the random fields are identified. Verification of the model by comparison with experimental results is undertaken in a subsequent paper.
Calcium modulation and high calcium permeability of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Abstract Two properties were found to distinguish neuronal from muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). First, neuronal nAChRs have a greater Ca 2+ permeability. The high Ca 2+ flux through neuronal nAChRs activates a Ca 2+ -dependent CI − conductance, and the Ca 2+ to Cs + permeability ratio (PCaPCs) is 7 times greater for neuronal than for muscle nAChRs. A second difference between the receptor types is that neuronal nAChRs are potently modulated by physiological levels of external Ca 2+ . Neuronal nAChR currents are enhanced by external Ca 2+ in a dose-dependent manner. The results indicate that changes in extracellular Call modulate neuronal nAChRs and may modulate cholinergic synapses in the CNS. Also, activation of neuronal nAChRs produces a significant influx of Ca 2+ that could be an important intracellular signal.
Consequences of Zeeman degeneracy for the van der Waals blockade between Rydberg atoms

We analyze the effects of Zeeman degeneracies on the long-range interactions between like Rydberg atoms, with particular emphasis on applications to quantum-information processing using the van der Waals blockade. We present a general analysis of how degeneracies affect the primary error sources in blockade experiments, emphasizing that blockade errors are sensitive primarily to the weakest possible atom-atom interactions between the degenerate states, not the mean interaction strength. We present explicit calculations of the van der Waals potentials in the limit where the fine-structure interaction is large compared to the atom-atom interactions. The results are presented for all potential angular momentum channels involving $\mathit{s}$, $\mathit{p}$, and $\mathit{d}$ states. For most channels there are one or more combinations of Zeeman levels that have extremely small dipole-dipole interactions and are therefore poor candidates for effective blockade experiments. Channels with promising properties are identified and discussed. We also present numerical calculations of Rb and Cs dipole matrix elements and relevant energy levels using quantum defect theory, allowing for convenient quantitative estimates of the van der Waals interactions to be made for principal quantum numbers up to 100. Finally, we combine the blockade and van der Waals results to quantitatively analyze the angular distribution of the blockade shift and its consequence for angular momentum channels and geometries of particular interest for blockade experiments with Rb.
RETHINKING MACROECONOMICS: WHAT FAILED, AND HOW TO REPAIR IT

The standard macroeconomic models have failed, by all the most important tests of scientific theory. They did not predict that the financial crisis would happen; and when it did, they understated its effects. Monetary authorities allowed bubbles to grow and focused on keeping inflation low, partly because the standard models suggested that low inflation was necessary and almost sufficient for efficiency and growth. After the crisis broke, policymakers relying on the models floundered. Notwithstanding the diversity of macroeconomics, the sum of these failures points to the need for a fundamental re-examination of the models—and a reassertion of the lessons of modern general equilibrium theory that were seemingly forgotten in the years leading up to the crisis. This paper first describes the failures of the standard models in broad terms, and then develops the economics of deep downturns, and shows that such downturns are endogenous. Further, the paper argues that there have been systemic changes to the structure of the economy that made the economy more vulnerable to crisis, contrary to what the standard models argued. Finally, the paper contrasts the policy implications of our framework with those of the standard models.
Neonatal diagnosis of Schwartz-Jampel syndrome with dramatic response to carbamazepine

We report a female infant, born at 30 weeks of gestation, who exhibited generalized myotonia, facial dysmorphism, blepharophimosis, and short stature at birth. These clinical findings, along with abnormal electromyogram and muscle biopsy, are consistent with Schwartz-Jampel syndrome. Our patient, diagnosed at 4 weeks of life, lacks the major skeletal anomalies, such as pectus carinatum, congenital hip dysplasia, and bowing of the long bones usually associated with this syndrome. Treatment with carbamazepine, initiated at age 7 months (corrected age of 5 months) has produced marked and continued resolution of myotonia, lessened malformation of her bell-shaped chest, and developmental progress. We suggest that the relaxation of myotonia due to early diagnosis and treatment may prevent development of the classic skeletal dysplasia of Schwartz-Jampel syndrome.
The influence of soil type and altered lignin biosynthesis on the growth and above and belowground biomass allocation of Populus tremuloides

Plants influence soil carbon (C) formation through the quality and quantity of C released to soil. Soil type, in turn can modify a plant's influence on soil through effects on plant production, tissue quality and regulation of soil C decomposition and stabilization. Wild-type aspen and three transgenic aspen lines expressing reduced stem lignin concentrations and/or increased syringyl (S) to guaiacyl (G) ratio lignin were grown in greenhouse mesocosms containing a sandy loam, a silt loam, or a clay loam soil for 6 months in order to examine the effects of altered lignin biosynthesis and soil type on biomass partitioning (above vs. belowground) and soil C processes. Results indicated that soil type significantly affected plant performance. Aspen grown in soils with high sand/ low clay content accumulated the most total biomass, while aspen grown in soils with high clay content accumulated the least total biomass. These reductions in growth combined with specific soil characteristics led to differences among soil types in soil C formation. Transformed aspen expressing high syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) lignin accumulated less total plant C and subsequently accumulated less aspen derived C in soil. Reduced lignin content alone in aspen did not affect plant growth or soil C formation. There were significant soil type × genetic line interactions indicating that growth and soil C formation for transgenic and wild type aspen lines varied among the different soil types. Given these interactions, future investigation needs to include long-term field studies across a range of soil types before transgenic aspen are widely planted.
Leveraging acculturation through action research A case study of refugee and immigrant women in the United States

The demographic changes in contemporary American society portend serious consequences with far-reaching implications for the future development of the country. One of the more serious challenges is in the influx of refugees and new immigrants many of whom are not acculturating as easily as in the past. Unfortunately, the use of conventional research methods in studying acculturation has not yielded many actionable solutions to the adaptation problems, nor have newcomers been engaged as co-researchers. In this longitudinal study, action research approaches of participatory and community action research as well as action inquiry were used to identify the most pressing acculturation problems and also to engage the subjects (co-researchers) in proffering practical solutions to these problems. The results provide lessons for newcomers and resettlement agencies that are interested in promoting successful integration. The use of a variety of action research approaches for each of the three phases of this project...
SORPTION/DIFFUSION PREDICTION IN NONMETALLICS USING FICK'S LAW

Abstract Rapid evaluation of nonmetallic materials to predict long-term absorption, diffusion, and permeation properties in corrosive service remains an elusive goal in materials engineering. A number of efforts have been reported that have used various forms of the analytical solution to the diffusion equation to make lifetime predictions from mass change measurements. This paper explores the limitations of three approaches for making these predictions. The analysis is limited to absorption with no simultaneous desorption from the nonmetallic material. Consideration of the dimensionless group Dt/l2 is important in deciding on the appropriate sample thickness and test time. The results of this evaluation indicate that some results reported in the literature are incorrect.
Prevalence of exponential bed thickness distributions in the stratigraphic record: Experiments and theory

[1] Stratigraphy preserved in alluvial basins holds important information for reconstructing past environmental conditions via inversion methodologies. In this paper we explore, through the use of physical and numerical experiments, the forward problem, that is, we quantify how the probabilistic structure of the processes that govern the evolution of depositional systems relates to the probability distribution of the preserved bed thicknesses. We demonstrate that the extreme variability, as evidenced by heavy-tailed distribution of the surface elevation increments, largely cancels itself out in the resulting stratigraphy. Specifically, we show that bed thickness is well described by an exponential distribution even when erosional and depositional increments characterizing the surface evolution exhibit heavy-tailed statistics, i.e., large, infrequent events have a significant chance of occurrence. We attribute this finding to the symmetric nature of the distribution of elevation increments (both erosional and depositional events) and the additive nature of the stratigraphic filter. We also show that the variability of surface elevation increments, as measured by the interquartile range of their probability distribution, has a robust and well-defined relationship with the preserved mean bed thickness.
A comparison of phase and nonphase network flow algorithms

On compare les performances des algorithmes de flux dans les reseaux bases sur l'approche de Dinic (graphe structure en couches) ou nouvel algorithme de Goldberg-Tarjan (GT). On montre que pour les reseaux de petite taille, les algorithmes du type Dinic sont superieurs asymptotiquement a ceux du type GT
Reproducing kernel structure and sampling on time-warped spaces with application to warped wavelets

Time-warped signal spaces have received attention in the literature. Among the topics of particular interest are sampling of time-warped signals and signal analysis using warped analysis functions, including wavelets. This correspondence introduces a reproducing kernel (RK) structure for time-warped signal spaces that unifies multiple perspectives on sampling in such spaces.
Hypoxia modifies planktivore–zooplankton interactions in Lake Erie

We evaluated vertical distributions of fish and zooplankton, planktivore consumption, and prey production in Lake Erie during 2005 to determine how hypolimnetic hypoxia alters fish (i.e., rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) and emerald shiners (Notropis atherinoides)) and invertebrate planktivore (i.e., Bythotrephes longimanus and Leptodora kindtii) relationships with their mesozooplankton prey. Hypoxia concentrated 45%–76% of fish into a narrow (<2 m) metalimnetic layer, but only 3%–13% of zooplankton production was in this layer. The epilimnion may have served to some degree as a refuge for mesozooplankton because high temperatures may have excluded rainbow smelt. High concentrations of fish above the hypolimnion likely resulted in increased competition for large prey (i.e., predatory claodcerans). Although hypoxia did not result in overall high predation demands by planktivores relative to total zooplankton production, planktivore consumption rates within the metalimnion exceeded zooplankton production in t...
Unexpected benefits of deciding by mind wandering

The mind wanders, even when people are attempting to make complex decisions. We suggest that such mind wandering—allowing one’s thoughts to wander until the “correct” choice comes to mind—can positively impact people’s feelings about their decisions. We compare post-choice satisfaction from choices made by mind wandering to reason-based choices and randomly assigned outcomes. Participants chose a poster by mind wandering or deliberating—or were randomly assigned a poster. Whereas forecasters predicted that participants who chose by mind wandering would evaluate their outcome as inferior to participants who deliberated (Experiment 1), participants who used mind wandering as a decision strategy evaluated their choice just as positively as did participants who used deliberate choice (Experiment 2). In some cases, people can spare themselves the trouble of deliberation and instead “decide by wind wandering” yet experience no decrease in satisfaction.
Prediction of excess weight loss after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: data from an artificial neural network.

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) has become the gold standard for surgical weight loss. The success of LRYGB may be measured by excess body mass index loss (%EBMIL) over 25 kg/m2, which is partially determined by multiple patient factors. In this study, artificial neural network (ANN) modeling was used to derive a reasonable estimate of expected postoperative weight loss using only known preoperative patient variables. Additionally, ANN modeling allowed for the discriminant prediction of achievement of benchmark 50 % EBMIL at 1 year postoperatively. Six hundred and forty-seven LRYGB included patients were retrospectively reviewed for preoperative factors independently associated with EBMIL at 180 and 365 days postoperatively (EBMIL180 and EBMIL365, respectively). Previously validated factors were selectively analyzed, including age; race; gender; preoperative BMI (BMI0); hemoglobin; and diagnoses of hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM), and depression or anxiety disorder. Variables significant upon multivariate analysis (P < .05) were modeled by “traditional” multiple linear regression and an ANN, to predict %EBMIL180 and %EBMIL365. The mean EBMIL180 and EBMIL365 were 56.4 ± 16.5 % and 73.5 ± 21.5 %, corresponding to total body weight losses of 25.7 ± 5.9 % and 33.6 ± 8.0 %, respectively. Upon multivariate analysis, independent factors associated with EBMIL180 included black race (B = −6.3 %, P < .001), BMI0 (B = −1.1 %/unit BMI, P < .001), and DM (B = −3.2 %, P < .004). For EBMIL365, independently associated factors were female gender (B = 6.4 %, P < .001), black race (B = −6.7 %, P < .001), BMI0 (B = −1.2 %/unit BMI, P < .001), HTN (B = −3.7 %, P = .03), and DM (B = −6.0 %, P < .001). Pearson r 2 values for the multiple linear regression and ANN models were 0.38 (EBMIL180) and 0.35 (EBMIL365), and 0.42 (EBMIL180) and 0.38 (EBMIL365), respectively. ANN prediction of benchmark 50 % EBMIL at 365 days generated an area under the curve of 0.78 ± 0.03 in the training set (n = 518) and 0.83 ± 0.04 (n = 129) in the validation set. Available at https://redcap.vanderbilt.edu/surveys/?s=3HCR43AKXR , this or other ANN models may be used to provide an optimized estimate of postoperative EBMIL following LRYGB.
Intrinsic-extrinsic factors in sport motivation.

Participants were 83 students (36 men and 47 women). 10 intrinsic-extrinsic factors involved in sport motivation were obtained. The factors were generated from items obtained from the participants rather than items from the experimenter. This was done to avoid the possible influence of preconceptions on the part of the experimenter regarding what the final dimensions may be. Obtained motivational factors were Social Reinforcement, Fringe Benefits, Fame and Fortune, External Forces, Proving Oneself, Social Benefits, Mental Enrichment, Expression of Self, Sense of Accomplishment, and Self-enhancement. Each factor was referred to an intrinsic-extrinsic dimension to describe its relative position on that dimension. The order of the factors as listed indicates increasing intrinsic motivation. i.e., the first four factors were rated in the extrinsic range, whereas the remaining six were rated to be in the intrinsic range. Next, the participants rated the extent to which each of the various factors was involved in their decision to participate in sport activities. The pattern of use of the motivational factors was the same for both sexes except that men indicated greater use of the Fringe Benefits factor. Overall, the more intrinsic a sport motivation factor was rated, the more likely it was to be rated as a factor in actual sport participation.
A quest for identity

The competing demands on museums will increase as the number and diversity of visitors continue to grow. As they vie as never before with a broad panoply of new centres of interest, museums face a host of demands from a clientele ever more avid for stimulation, entertainment and challenge. The implications of such a transformation of the museum-going public are described by Nelson Graburn, professor of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, since 1964, and, from 1972, Curator of North American Ethnology at the Hearst (formerly Lowie) Museum there. Among his books are Ethnic and Tourist Arts (1976) and Catalogue Raisonne of the Alaska Commercial Company Collection (1996), both published by the University of California Press.
The Effects of Weight and Achievement Messages on the Self-Esteem of Women:

We examined whether priming achievement causes lower self-esteem and more negative mood in women who believe they are overweight and whether it does so by increasing women's dissatisfaction with their bodies or with their performance. Thirty-five self-perceived overweight women and 43 self-perceived normal weight women participated in the experiment. Half of the women read a message stressing the importance of achievement pursuits, and the other half read a message stressing the importance of nonachievement pursuits. All women then completed a measure of global self-esteem, read a message about the negative effects of being overweight, and completed several dependent measures. Controlling for initial self-esteem, overweight women who read the achievement prime had lower mood and global self-esteem and lower performance self-esteem but not lower appearance self-esteem or greater body dissatisfaction when compared to the overweight women who read the nonachievement prime and the normal weight women regardle...
The Impact of Strategic Orientation on Intellectual Capital Investments in Customer Service Firms

This study examines the influence of intellectual capital on performance in customer service firms pursuing different strategic orientations (e.g., low-cost leader, differentiation). Grounding these arguments in the resource-based view and using 538 hotels in the lodging industry, this article employs an economic-based production model to empirically explore the performance effects of investing in three different types of intellectual capital: systems capital (operational knowledge), customer capital (brand and marketing knowledge), and human capital (knowledge from both service and professional employees). In addition, the authors account for key controls, including the physical asset, cost of living, customer demand, market segment, and company affiliation. Results reveal that for firms pursuing a differentiation strategy only, investments in both service employees and professional employees enhance performance. However, investments in systems capital and customer capital enhance performance for all the firms studied. The authors discuss the implications of this study for research in the services arena.
α‐Lipoic acid treatment of 31 patients with sore, burning mouth

Objective: To review a series of patients with sore, burning mouth treated with α-lipoic acid between 2000 and May 2006 and subjectively evaluate improvement in symptoms. Design: Retrospective review of medical records of 195 consecutive patients who sought treatment for sore, burning mouth. Treatment of 47 patients was a prescription/recommendation for α-lipoic acid. Of these patients, 35 were available for follow-up. Setting: Tertiary care academic medical center. Subjects: Ambulatory patients given prescription /recommendation for α-lipoic acid 600 mg per day, in divided doses. Main Outcome Measure: Reported improvement in symptoms documented in medical records and at follow-up (visits or telephone interviews). Results: Thirty-one of the 35 patients (66% of all 47) actually took α-lipoic acid as recommended. No patient reported a complete alleviation of symptoms. Six (19%) of these 31 patients felt mostly better, five (16%) felt somewhat better, and 14 (45%) reported no difference. Two patients (7%) reported a worsening of symptoms and four (13%) did not know whether there had been improvement. Conclusion: Eleven of 31 patients (35%) reported benefit from taking α-lipoic acid. Because we examined only a small number of patients and relied on a subjective outcome assessment, further larger studies using a prospective, randomized, controlled, and double-blind structure are warranted.
Construction of a Mouse Hepatitis Virus Recombinant Expressing a Foreign Gene

The genome of the coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) contains genes which have been shown to be nonessential for viral replication and which could, in principle, be used as sites for the introduction of foreign sequences. We have inserted heterologous genetic material into gene 4 of MHV in order (i) to test the applicability of targeted RNA recombination for site-directed mutagenesis of the MHV genome upstream of the N gene; (ii) to develop further genetic tools for mutagenesis of structural genes other than N; and (iii) to examine the feasibility of using MHV as an expression vector. A DI-like donor RNA vector containing the MHV S gene and all genes distal to S was constructed. Initially, a derivative of this was used to insert a 19-nucleotide tag into the start of ORF 4a of MHV-A59 using the N gene deletion mutant Alb4 as the recipient virus. Subsequently, the entire gene for the green fluorescent protein (GFP) was inserted in place of gene 4. This heterologous gene was shown to be expressed by recombinant viruses but not at levels sufficient to allow detection of fluorescence of viral plaques. Northern blot analysis of transcripts of GFP recombinants showed the expected displacement of the mobility, relative to those of wild-type, of all subgenomic mRNAs larger than mRNA5. An unexpected result of the Northern analysis was the observation that GFP recombinants also produced an RNA species the same size as that of wild-type mRNA4. RT-PCR analysis of the 5’ end of this species revealed that it was actually a collection of mRNAs originating from a cluster of 10 different sites, none of which possessed a canonical intergenic sequence. The finding of these aberrant mRNAs, all of nearly the same size as wild-type mRNA4, suggests that long range structure of the MHV genome can sometimes be the sole determinant of the site of initiation of transcription.
Abandonment vs Lifting the Stay

Commentary on a recent BAP decision holding that abandonment of an asset by the bankruptcy trustee does not terminate the automatic stay.
Fire! (Ready, Aim): Is Criticism of Faculty Advising Warranted?

This article uses normative data from the nearly 60,000 students who completed the ACT Survey of Academic Advising to examine perceptions of the quality of advising received from faculty advisors as opposed to that received from other advisor types.
Experimental studies of tip-vortex formation; influence of blade-tip geometry on the vortex characteristics

,Noise generation remains a major concern in the design of modern rotorcrafts. One of the major noise sources is associated with the blade-vortex interaction (BVI) phenomenon. The present study concerns the investigation of tip vortex formation and development of passive flow control technique for the reduction of strength and vortex core size. Two measurement techniques: laser sheeting photography and velocity measurements utilizing a hot-wire anemometer, were conducted in a low-speed wind tunnel environment to determine vortex size. Five different blade-tip geometries were subject of investigation. The study shows that the polyhedral blade was deemed the most efficient due to the decrease in overall vortex velocity. Numerical studies using large-eddy simulation approach are in progress.
A Comparison of CW Laser and Electron-Beam Recrystallization of Polysilicon in Multilayer Structures

A thermal model for beam-induced melting of polysilicon in polysilicon/insulator/silicon structures has been used to compare CW Ar+ laser and electron-beam melting processes. The laser melting process exhibits a decreasing recrystallization threshold power and an increasing substrate melting threshold power with increasing insulator thickness. The decrease in recrystallization threshold with increasing insulator thickness is generally smaller for electron beams because of their deep penetration. The substrate melting threshold is approximately independent of insulator thickness for e-beams since no change in the power absorption occurs on melting of the polysilicon. As a result, the process window between the onset of recrystallization and melting of the substrate is narrower for e-beams than for laser beams. Also, essentially no window will exist between the onset of melting over a seed and substrate melting under an oxide if lateral epitaxy is performed with an electron beam.
Modeling and scatter search algorithm for dynamic slab allocation problem in iron and steel enterprises

The dynamic slab allocation problem is to assign the surplus slabs, which are dynamically obtained from steelmaking and casting process, to the customer-orders, potential-orders and self-designed-orders in a given period. Therefore,a 0-1 integer programming model is formulated. Due to its NP-hardness, a multiple neighborhoods based scatter search algorithm is proposed to solve the problem approximately. Furthermore, to avoid search process being tapped in local optima, a random perturbation strategy is introduced. Both randomly generated instances and practical instances obtained from a large iron-and-steel enterprise are used to test the performance of the proposed algorithm. Compared with commercial soft named CPLEX, the proposed algorithm can get near-optimal solution in a reasonable CPU time. The experiments on the practical data show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the manual methods on solution quality and computation time.
Comments on Yoram Hazony, The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture

ABSTRACTHazony's insightful book advances three theses: (1) The Tanakh, the canonical Hebrew Scripture, is coherent, by virtue of its distinctive vision of the Whole and of the Israelite People's special place in it. (2) The Tanakh is a philosophic as well as a religious text. (3) The study of the Tanakh should find a home in departments of philosophy and political science as well as religion or religious studies. Granting the first and third points, we may raise questions about the second: Does philosophy require a concept of Nature qua Necessity, which is at odds with the Scriptural God's radical freedom? Does Hazony, to present the Tanakh as philosophic, overrationalize it, and therewith offer interpretations that, although fruitful and inspiring, fall wide of the mark? Of particular interest are his translation of the Hebrew word lev, literally “heart,” as “mind”; his sketches of five of the Patriarch Jacob's sons as politically relevant character types; and especially his take on the Patriarch Abraha...
"I Mean, You're Not Staff": The Employee Classification Circuit Split and Why the Southern District of New York's Totality of the Circumstance Test From Glatt v. Fox Searchlight Pictures Inc. Deserves a Lead Role

This Note analyzes the three different tests used by courts to determine whether an intern is a trainee or an employee and advocates for the totality of the circumstances test as the unifying test courts should use to classify interns.
Steroid control of the normal development of glutamine synthetase in the embryonic chick retina

Glutamine synthetase (GS) activity in the neural retina of the chick embryo is inducible with corticosteroids (Moscona & Piddington, 1966; Piddington, 1967; Moscona, Saenz & Moscona, 1967; Moscona, Moscona & Saenz, 1968; Alescio & Moscona, 1969). Striking increases in retinal GS activity can be elicited with hydrocortisone in ovo days in advance of the normal rapid rise of this enzyme (Piddington & Moscona, 1967). Rapid increases in GS activity can also be induced precociously with corticosteroids in organ cultures of young retina (Piddington & Moscona, 1967; Reif-Lehrer & Amos, 1968). The natural steroids most effective in stimulating retinal GS activities in vitro are the 11s-hydroxyl steroids hydrocortisone, corticosterone and aldosterone (Moscona & Piddington, 1967; Reif-Lehrer, 1968). The effectiveness of corticosteroids in promoting premature changes in retinal GS suggests that the steroidogenic activity of the intact adrenals might control the normal pattern of GS development in the retina. A previous study (Case, 1952) indicates that the normal growth and maturation of the chick adrenal becomes dependent on endogenous corticotropin after the 15th day of embryonic development.