cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance-based wind-induced structural and envelope damage assessment of engineered buildings through nonlinear dynamic analysis

Abstract Performance-based wind engineering (PBWE) is undergoing a period of rapid development with numerous procedures and frameworks being proposed over the past few years. Notwithstanding these advancements, there is still a knowledge gap concerning the relative severity, dependency and rate of occurrence of structural and envelope damage in extreme wind events. This work is focused on investigating this problem for engineered buildings. In particular, envelope damage is estimated through a recently introduced PBWE framework that explicitly includes the effects of demands originating from dynamic net pressure and the structural responses. Structural damage is estimated through both fragility analysis as well as material yielding/hysteresis modeled through the adoption of a nonlinear fiber-based finite element formulation. Structural responses include the effects of large deformations through solving the finite element model in a corotational environment. To investigate the relative severity and dependency between the damages, a carefully calibrated archetype 45-story steel building located in Miami, FL, and subject to hurricane winds is studied. Probabilistic damage metrics are estimated for both the envelope and structural systems and are subsequently discussed in terms of relative severity, occurrence rates and nonlinear structural behavior.
Trajectories and determinants of adolescents' nicotine product use risk among U.S. adolescents in a nationally representative sample of longitudinal cohort.

Abstract Introduction To understand the heterogeneous longitudinal trends in adolescent nicotine product use risk, we investigated the trajectories and determinants of nicotine product use among adolescents. Methods Using Waves 1–4 (Years 2013–2018) data of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, we conducted group-based trajectory modeling to identify groups of individuals who followed homogeneous trajectories of nicotine product use risk over time and weighted multinomial logistic regression to examine relative risk ratios (RRRs) of different levels of predictors of group membership in each identified trajectory. Results For adolescents, who were 12–17 years old at baseline (N = 10,086), 5 trajectory groups emerged: (1) nonusers (73.7%); (2) stable low to moderate risk of developing poly use (5.0%); (3) gradual increase in risk of poly use (12.8%); (4) rapid linear increase in risk of poly use until Wave 3 and then plateauing for cigarettes or slightly diminishing for e-cigarettes and other tobacco products at Wave 4 (4.6%); and (5) stable moderate to high risk of poly use (3.9%). Adolescents who used social network services daily at Wave 1 were more likely to belong to each of the four trajectory groups compared to nonusers (RRRs ranging from 1.43 to 2.04). Conclusions The current study findings imply that the majority of adolescents who initiated any nicotine product use have an elevated risk of transitioning to poly users. Risk and protective factors for different risk patterns are discussed.
Organizational Design and Technology Choice Under Intrafirm Bargaining

We consider a wide number of applications of an intrafirm bargaining game within organizations where employees and the firm engage in wage negotiations. Under our presumption that contracts cannot bind employees to the organization, the resulting stable wage and profit profiles give rise to an objective function for the firm that places weight on inframarginal profits in an economically significant manner. We in turn employ this methodology to explore applications of organizational design, hiring and capital decisions, training and cross-training, the importance of labor and asset specificity, managerial hierarchies, preferences for unionization, responses to competition, and internal capital budgeting.
Conceptual anchoring dissociates implicit and explicit category learning.

Categorization researchers have long debated the possibility of multiple category-learning systems. The need persists for paradigms that dissociate explicit-declarative category-learning processes (featuring verbalizable category rules) from implicit-procedural processes (featuring stimulus-response associations lying beneath declarative cognition). The authors contribute a new paradigm, using perfectly matched exclusive-or (XOR) category tasks differing only in the availability or absence of easily verbalizable conceptual content. This manipulation transformed learning. The conceptual task alone was learned suddenly, by insightful rule discovery, producing explicit-declarative XOR knowledge. The perceptual task was learned more gradually, consistent with associative-learning processes, producing impoverished declarative knowledge. We also tested participants under regimens of immediate and deferred reinforcement. The conceptual task alone was learned through processes that survive the loss of trial-by-trial reinforcement. All results support the idea that humans have perceptual-associative processes for implicit learning, but also an overlain conceptual system that under the right circumstances constitutes a parallel explicit-declarative category-learning system. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Practical publication metrics for academics

Research organizations are becoming more reliant on quantitative approaches to determine how to recruit and promote researchers, allocate funding, and evaluate the impact of prior allocations. Many of these quantitative metrics are based on research publications. Publication metrics are not only important for individual careers, but also affect the progress of science as a whole via their role in the funding award process. Understanding the origin and intended use of popular publication metrics can inform an evaluative strategy that balances the usefulness of publication metrics with the limitations of what they can convey about the productivity and quality of an author, a publication, or a journal. This paper serves as a brief introduction to citation networks like Google Scholar, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, Microsoft Academic, and Dimensions. It also explains two of the most popular publication metrics: the h-index and the journal impact factor. The purpose of this paper is to provide practical information on using citation networks to generate publication metrics, and to discuss ideas for contextualizing and juxtaposing metrics, in order to help researchers in translational science and other disciplines document their impact in as favorable a light as may be justified.
The injury risk profile of an Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps population: A preliminary descriptive study.

Abstract Objectives Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) prepares cadets for military service where lower extremity injuries can occur. The Landing Error Scoring System (LESS), Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and Y-Balance (YBAL) have not been used to evaluate injury risk in the ROTC. Higher physical fitness lowers injury risk in basic training recruits, it is unknown if previous high school sport participation affects injury risk in the ROTC. The purpose of this study was to evaluation the LESS, FMS, YBAL and high school sport participation in the ROTC. Design Descriptive study. Setting University. Participants 78 ROTC (49 males, 29 females; 19.7 ± 2.3yrs; 1.71 ± 10.1 m; 62.5 ± 21.2 kg). Main outcome measures LESS, FMS, YBAL and sports participation were collected and scores were calculated. Means, standard deviation and range were reported for each test. Distribution of scores within injury risk categories were evaluated. Sport participation frequency was reported. Results The mean LESS and FMS scores were 7.1 ± 2.1 and 14.6 ± 2.1, respectively. The average YBAL composite score was 90.2% ± 12.0. 68% were poor on the LESS. 46.1% were high risk on the FMS. 69.2% were high risk on the YBAL composite. Seventy-seven percent reported at least one year of participation in high school sports. Conclusions ROTC population demonstrated poor jump landing mechanics and were high risk on the YBAL composite.
New approaches to an old problem: Dollar spot of turfgrass.

Dollar spot, caused by the fungal pathogens Clarireedia spp. (formerly Sclerotinia homoeocarpa), is the most common and widely distributed disease of turfgrass worldwide. It can drastically reduce the quality of turfgrass species and impact their aesthetic value and playability. Management of dollar spot typically includes a costly program of multiple applications of fungicides within a growing season. Consequently, there have been reported cases of fungicide resistance in populations of Clarireedia spp. Host resistance could be an important component of dollar spot management; however, this approach has been hampered by the lack of sources of resistance as nearly all known warm- and cool-season turfgrass species are susceptible. With the recent advancement in genome sequencing technologies, studies on pathogen genomics and host-pathogen interactions are emerging with the hope to reveal candidate resistance genes in turfgrass and genes for virulence and pathogenicity in Clarireedia spp. Large-scale screening of turfgrass germplasm and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis for dollar spot resistance are important for resistance breeding, but only a handful of such studies have been conducted to date. This review summarizes currently available information on the dollar spot pathosystem, taxonomy, pathogen genomics, host-pathogen interaction, genetics of resistance, QTL mapping, and also provides some thoughts for future research prospects to better manage this disease.
Combinatorial influences of paclitaxel and strain on axonal transport

Abstract Paclitaxel is an effective chemotherapeutic agent that, despite its common use, often causes peripheral sensory neuropathy. In neurons, paclitaxel binds to and stabilizes microtubules, and through unknown mechanisms, bundles microtubules and disrupts their organization. Because microtubules serve as tracks on which a variety of axonal cargoes are transported, a leading hypothesis for the etiology of paclitaxel-induced neuropathy is that these changes to microtubule organization impair axonal transport. In addition to supporting transport, microtubules also serve a structural role, accommodating axonal extension occurring during axonal growth or joint movement. In light of this dual role for microtubules, we tested the hypothesis that axonal stretch amplified the effects of paclitaxel on axonal transport. Embryonic rat dorsal root ganglia were cultured on stretchable silicone substrates, and parameters describing the axonal transport of three distinct cargoes – mitochondria, synaptophysin, and actin – were measured with and without paclitaxel treatment and axonal strain. Paclitaxel treatment, particularly in combination with stretch, led to severe perturbations in several transport parameters, including the number, velocity, and travel distance of cargoes in the axon. Our results suggest that mechanical loading of neurons can exacerbate transport deficits associated with paclitaxel treatment, raising the interesting possibility that paclitaxel influences neuronal function in a multi-factorial manner.
Chapter 5 Microscopic Phenomena in Ordered Superlattices

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the microscopic phenomena in ordered superlattices. The following class of problems is the subject of the chapter: (1) when and to what extent the momentum-mixing effect takes place and the way its magnitude depends on the chemical composition of the bulk constituents, lattice-mismatch, and ordering lengths, (2) what constitutes a correct way of modelling this effect, and (3) key systems and experimental situations where such effects have been demonstrated. The chapter describes band-structure engineering in ordered superlattices. This is because in some cases, structural and ordering effects lead to significant changes in the electronic-structure and transition rates. The chapter presents the demonstrations of archetypal momentum-mixing processes—induced by a combined effect of reduction of superlattice period, by the effect of strain, and by significant differences in the depth of atomic potentials in adjacent layers—on selected examples of GaAs/AlAs, Si/Ge, and HgTe/CdTe (001) superlattices.
Identifying and Meshing Thin Sections of 3-d Curved Domains

Realization of the full benefits of variable p-version finite elements requires the careful construction of prismatic elements in thin sections. This paper presents a procedure to automatically isolate the thin sections using the points on an approximate medial surface computed by an octree-based algorithm. Using the pairs of triangles associated with medial surface (MS) points, in conjunction with adjacency, classification and distance information, sets of surface triangles that are on opposite face patches in thin sections are identified. Mesh modifications are then executed to match the surface triangulations on the opposite face patches such that prismatic elements can be generated without diagonal edges through the thickness directions.
Dialysis modality and dosing strategy in acute renal failure

Many fundamental aspects of the management of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in acute renal failure (ARF) remain unresolved. While data from multiple studies support the initiation of RRT, in the absence of other indications, when the BUN has reached a level of approximately 90-100 mg/dl, there are conflicting data regarding the benefit of earlier initiation of renal support. The relative efficacy of the various RRT modalities is uncertain. Despite growing utilization, a survival benefit or greater recovery of renal function has not been demonstrated for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) as compared to conventional intermittent hemodialysis (IHD). Optimal dosing strategies are also poorly defined. While there is increasing evidence that more intensive renal support is associated with better outcomes in ARF, an optimal Kt/Vurea and treatment frequency for IHD remain to be established. Similarly, although data suggest that continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) should be dosed at no less than 35 ml/kg/hr (postdilution), confirmation of this dosing strategy and validation for other modalities of CRRT are required.
Accretion Disc Phenomena

The amount of literature on accretion discs is now vast and growing. Accretion discs (and here I include all thin, centrifugally supported discs, whether gaseous or not) can be found in a wide range of astrophysical models including planetary rings, the presolar nebular, star formation, binary stars, galaxies and active galactic nuclei. In a short review paper it is not feasible to set out to cover everything. For that reason, I thought it would be more productive to discuss three areas in which recent interest has been centred and where progress is not only being made, but is also waiting to be made. The three areas are: accretion disc spectra (Sect. 2), accretion disc dynamics (Sect. 3) and accretion disc viscosity (Sect. 4). None of these areas is reviewed in depth. Instead I have selected subtopics of current interest. Similarly the references given in each section are not intended to be complete, but should enable the interested reader to get quickly into the literature.
Diagnosis of supra-esophageal gastric reflux: correlation of oropharyngeal pH with esophageal impedance monitoring for gastro-esophageal reflux

Background Oropharyngeal (OP) pH monitoring has been developed as a new way to diagnose supra-esophageal gastric reflux (SEGR), but has not been well validated. Our aim was to determine the correlation between OP pH and gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) events detected by multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH (MII-pH). Methods Fifteen patients (11 males, median age 10.8 years) with suspected GER were prospectively evaluated with ambulatory 24-h OP pH monitoring (positioned at the level of the uvula) and concomitant esophageal MII-pH monitoring. Potential OP events were identified by the conventional pH threshold of 10% from 15-min baseline and (ii) absolute pH drop below thresholds of <5.5, 5.0, and 4.5. The 2-min window preceding each OP event was analyzed for correlation with an episode of GER detected by MII-pH. Key Results A total of 926 GER events were detected by MII-pH. Application of alternative pH criteria increased the identification of potential OP pH events; however, a higher proportion of OP events had no temporal correlation with GER (45–81%), compared with the conventional definition of pH < 4 (40%). A total of 306 full-column acid reflux episodes were detected by MII-pH, of which 10 (3.3%) were also identified by OP pH monitoring. Conclusions & Inferences Use of extended pH criteria increased the detection of potential SEGR events, but the majority of decreases in OP pH were not temporally correlated with GER. Oropharyngeal pH monitoring without concurrent esophageal measurements may overestimate the presence of SEGR in children.
Optimization of Image Reconstruction for Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Guided Near-Infrared Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy in Breast

An optimized approach to nonlinear iterative reconstruction of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided near-infrared spectral tomography (NIRST) images was developed using an L-curve-based algorithm for the choice of regularization parameter. This approach was applied to clinical exam data to maximize the reconstructed values differentiating malignant and benign lesions. MRI/NIRST data from 25 patients with abnormal breast readings (BI-RADS category 4-5) were analyzed using this optimal regularization methodology, and the results showed enhanced p values and area under the curve (AUC) for the task of differentiating malignant from benign lesions. Of the four absorption parameters and two scatter parameters, the most significant differences for benign versus malignant were total hemoglobin (HbT) and tissue optical index (TOI) with p values = 0.01 and 0.001, and AUC values = 0.79 and 0.94, respectively, in terms of HbT and TOI. This dramatically improved the values relative to fixed regularization (p value = 0.02 and 0.003; AUC = 0.75 and 0.83) showing that more differentiation was possible with the optimal method. Through a combination of both biomarkers, HbT and TOI, the AUC increased from 82.9% (fixed regulation = 0.1) to 94.3% (optimal method).
Sacred Soil in Kadavu, Fiji

In this paper, I consider historical and ethnographic evidence to explain how 'sacred soil' becomes an intelligible and palpable reality in Kadavu, Fiji. I begin by describing the fundamental Fijian cultural division between lotu (Methodism, or Christianity more broadly) and vanua (people and land), and argue that these entities are fruitfully considered as Bourdieuan fields whose competition is culturally generative. Examining historians' well-known work on precolonial land alienation and colonial land tenure codification in Fiji, I note that Methodist missionaries helped add to indigenous Fijians' senses that their land was diminishing or even disappearing. In addition, I examine data from recent fieldwork in Kadavu, particularly discourse about soil's and land's importance and descriptions of a Methodist ritual called the masu sema ('chain prayer') in which soil's investiture with mana (efficaciousness) is particularly apparent. Having shown how 'sacred soil' becomes both an intelligible and palpable reality, I then argue that we should consider the creative force of friction between lotu and vanua in indigenous Fijian social life generally. 'In Fiji all things go in pairs,' an informant once told A.M. Hocart, 'or the sharks will bite' (Hocart 1952:57). This division into pairs or sides is a fundamental organizing principle of many Fijian rituals, and less formal events as well. Yet despite the prominence of diagrammatic icons of duality in Fijian public life, many ethnographers have failed to note the productiveness of friction between two of the most salient institutions in Fijian society, lotu and vanua. Lotu is the verb meaning 'worship' and noun generally meaning 'Christianity.' Vanua is the richly polysemous word meaning both 'place' and 'land' in several senses (from microscopic to macroscopic levels), and also 'people,' specifically a group of people united under a chief. In the word 'lotu,' we see the conjunction of religious action and its institutionalization; in the word 'vanua' we see the conjunction of geographic and social locations. In this paper, I examine the ways that tensions or frictions between lotu and vanua are an important factor in soil becoming considered sacred in present-day Fiji. Soil becomes a potent sign, able to mean and do different things; one of the things it does is to stand apart as 'a break in the homogeneity of space' which 'is symbolized by an opening... from one
Congratulations to Dr. Donald G. Miller on his 80th Birthday

Dr. Donald G. Miller celebrates his 80th birthday on 29 October 2007. We congratulate our friend, colleague, and scientific collaborator on this happy occasion. Don Miller received his B.S. in Chemistry at the University of California (Berkeley) in 1949, and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Illinois (Urbana) in 1953 under the mentorship of Prof. F.T. Wall. He was subsequently an Assistant Professor at the University of Louisville (1952–1954), a Research Associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory (1954–1956), and a Chemist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (1956– 1991). He retired in 1991 but has continued his productive scientific career since then as a Participating Guest at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). At various times he has been a Fulbright Professor (Facultes Catholiques de Lille, France), Research Fellow (Australian National University, Canberra, Australia), Contract Professor (Universita degli
A calculation of relaxation, migration and formation energies for surface defects in copper

Abstract The relaxation and migration energies of adatoms and terrace vacancies on copper surfaces have been calculated for (100), (110) and (111) surface orientations. The calculations were performed using a pairwise interaction model based on a modified Morse potential energy function and indicate a strong influence of orientation on the magnitude of the defect migration energies. Estimates of defect formation energies have also been made, using a simple bond-breaking model but including relaxation effects. Thus, it has been possible to estimate the activation energies for surface self-diffusion for three different surface orientations. The results obtained are discussed in terms of current mechanistic interpretations of the experimentally observed activation energy for surface diffusion.
IMPACT OF THE NUMBER OF POSITIVE LYMPH NODES ON DISEASE-FREE SURVIVAL IN PATIENTS WITH PATHOLOGICAL STAGE B1 NONSEMINOMATOUS GERM CELL TUMOR

ABSTRACTPurpose:: The prognostic significance of the number of metastatic lymph nodes detected at surgery on survival is well documented for breast and colon cancer, and it has recently been reported in bladder cancer. We tested this hypothesis in patients with pathological stage B1 nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT).Material and Methods:: This series included 118 patients with pathological stage B1 NSGCT (5 or fewer positive lymph nodes) at primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy at a followup of greater than 24 months.Results:: Five-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 68% at a median followup of 43 months. Median followup in patients without recurrence was 67.4 months and median time to recurrence was 5.0 months. The mean and median number of positive lymph nodes was 2.0. Five-year DFS for 1 or 2 and 3 to 5 positive lymph nodes was 72% and 59%, respectively (p = 0.0847). Five-year DFS for lymph node density less or greater than 0.05 was 75% and 66%, ...
Relationships among sexual behavior, hot flashes, and hormone levels in perimenopausal women

Forty-three perimenopausal women kept daily records of menstrual cycles and sexual activity. Data on hot flashes and plasma estradiol and testosterone levels were obtained at two points during the menopausal transition. The prospective data yielded a significant negative association between hot flash ratings and regularity of sexual intercourse at both time points. A significant negative correlation was found between estradiol (in the early part of the cycle) and hot flashes ratings at the first data point only, and positive correlations were found between hot flashes and ratio of testosterone to estradiol (T/E) at both. Frequency of sexual intercourse and level of plasma estradiol were higher, and T/E and hot flash ratings were lower in “early” perimenopausal women who were still having cycles at least once every 30 days, as compared with “late” perimenopausal women who were cycling less often. It was concluded that a close association exists between increasing irregularity of menstrual cycles, hot flashes, declining estradiol levels, and declining frequency of intercourse during the perimenopause. Causal relationships remain to be established.
Multimarket trading and corporate bond liquidity.

Abstract Global bonds are international securities traded and settled efficiently in multiple markets. This paper examines global bonds to evaluate the effects of multimarket trading on corporate bond liquidity and pricing. The results show that global bonds are significantly more liquid than similar-sized domestic bonds of the same issuers, and their liquidity advantage is reflected in higher market valuations. These findings support microstructure models that predict a positive relation between the number of potential investors and liquidity in over-the-counter markets, and help explain the increasing use of global bonds by corporate issuers.
The Secret of the Secret Chromatic Art

In 1946, just after emigrating from Nazi Germany via the Netherlands and Cuba to the United States, Edward Lowinsky published The Secret Chromatic Art in the Netherlands Motet . He posited a system of chromatic modulations through musica ficta in sixteenth-century Netherlandish polyphony circulated by clandestine heretic societies during the period of religious struggle in the Low Countries. According to Lowinsky, in the second half of the century a small contingent of northern musicians with radical Protestant sympathies wrote pieces that appeared on the surface to set texts and use diatonic melodies condoned by the Church. Beneath that compliant surface lurked secret chromaticism and seditious meanings that remained hidden from the Inquisition. Despite Lowinsky’s obvious interest in odd passages in motets of Clemens non Papa, Lassus, and others, I argue that his history as a Jew in Nazi Germany and then as an exile from that regime compelled his idiosyncratic hearing of sixteenth-century polyphony. A close reading of the text suggests that Lowinsky identified with the composers he wrote about and that he aligned Nazi Germany with the Catholic Inquisition. Beyond its engagement with music theory and cultural history, The Secret Chromatic Art delivers a modern narrative of oppressed minorities, authoritarian regimes, and the artistic triumph of the dispossessed. The Secret Chromatic Art matters today because its themes of displacement and cultural estrangement echo similar issues that Pamela Potter and Lydia Goehr have discerned in the work of other exiled musicians and scholars who migrated from Nazi-controlled Europe to the United States, and whose contributions helped shape our discipline. Moreover, Lowinsky’s theory figured prominently in the debate initiated by Joseph Kerman in the 1960s that pitted American criticism against German positivism, a polemic that is still with us today.
A Content Analysis of Value-Based Advertising on the Internet: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract The internet has attracted companies in different industries to market products and services. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2003), the volume of business-to-consumer (B2C) electronic commerce was 71 billion dollars, approximately 6.6% of total internet sales. The greatest growth has been seen in business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce with the remaining 93.4% of sales. The success of companies in B2C and B2B on the internet has been the quality of their website and advertising; however, researchers suggest that value-based advertising is the key concept behind it. Hence, the purpose of this study is to analyze the contents of various websites to determine whether, and to what extent, they implement value-based advertising strategies for high and low involvement products. The results showed that most websites reviewed seem to comply with expected value-based advertising strategies.
The political economy of China's energy and climate paradox

Abstract This communication argues for the existence of a fundamental paradox related to Chinese energy and climate policy, made all the more discernible by trends in the electricity sector, urban development, and transportation. It first makes the case for the “browning” of China, identifying trends in electricity, pollution, and transportation that highlight the unsustainable nature of their present predicament. The second section, however, points to countervailing trends suggesting that China is also “greening,” becoming cleaner and less carbon intensive. The article concludes by noting that Chinese governance is excessively fragmented and that environmental sustainability may be incompatible with the accepted model of economic growth.
The stress-hyperactivity-pain theory of myogenic pain

The psychophysiological theory of stress-hyperactivity, as used to explain chronic benign muscle pain, contains two links: a direct link between stress and hyperactivity and an implicit link between hyperactivity and pain. Support for the stress-hyperactivity link within the psychophysiological theory is relatively strong if conceptual concerns about experimental methodology are taken into account. Support for the link between hyperactivity and nociception, however, is presently weak and, without support for that link, the overall theory is in serious trouble. The present neurophysiological data do not provide support for the purported vicious cycles between pain and hyperactivity at the segmental level as a causal explanation for such chronic pain. The role of human experience associated with the nature of stress and the pain related to chronic muscle states, however, may supersede the segmental neural mechanisms. A revised stress-hyperactivity theory is proposed that describes a higher-order vicious cycle of low-magnitude but persistent muscle activity that is stressrelated and that leads to reduction in normal length of the associated muscle, reduction of stretchinduced aversive experience, and continued hyperactive states that protect against the pain and maintain the dysfunctional muscle condition.
Uneasy Settlements: Reparation Politics and the Meanings of Money in the Israeli Withdrawal from Gaza

Negotiations about reparations tend to take the language of interests and to deal primarily with monetary compensation for disadvantaged groups. In such proceedings, aggrieved claimants are likely to make a variety of claims about the use of money to represent their experience, ranging from demands for increased compensation to rejections of the entire process altogether. This article draws attention to the communicative functions of money in the reparation process. It claims that actors may grudgingly agree to attach a monetary value to what they hold sacred, but simultaneously strive to preserve their sense of self-worth and to elicit identification by raising moral critiques about the use of fiscal logic. To exemplify, the article focuses on the 2005 removal of Jewish-Israeli settlers from Israeli-occupied territories. It shows that settlers indeed demanded to be compensated fiscally for their lost property. At the same time, it shows that they raised objections to the use of fiscal logic in representing their experience and offered alternate logics of evaluation. The settlers resisted shame and devaluation through such competing logics, demanding that the state reaffirm a positive and embracing relationship with them despite its decision to evict them.
Frequency-dependent effects of quinidine on the ventricular action potential and QRS duration in humans.

We studied the frequency-dependent effects of quinidine on the right ventricular action potential and QRS duration in 10 patients (nine men and one woman; mean age, 57 +/- 14 years) undergoing electrophysiologic studies for clinical indications. The right ventricular monophasic action potential, electrocardiographic, and conventional intracardiac electrical signals from various sites were recorded at different pacing cycle lengths from 30 seconds to 1 minute before and after a 10-mg/kg i.v. quinidine infusion. We used the extrastimulus technique to determine the effects of quinidine on ventricular refractory periods at different pacing cycle lengths and on the abrupt changes of the action potential duration. The action potential duration progressively decreased as the ventricular pacing rate increased at baseline and after quinidine infusion. Quinidine significantly increased the action potential duration from that of control by 25 msec (p less than 0.02) at the relatively slow pacing cycle lengths of 600, 500, and 400 msec. Quinidine's effect on the action potential duration was attenuated at the pacing cycle length of 350 msec and became negligible at 300 msec. In contrast, quinidine progressively lengthened the QRS duration as the pacing rate increased (20, 18, 37, 46, and 34 msec at pacing cycle lengths of 600, 500, 400, 350, and 300 msec, respectively; p less than 0.05). There were no rate-dependent changes in the QRS duration during the control period. The relation between the ventricular refractory periods and the action potential duration at different pacing cycle lengths was also determined before and after quinidine infusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Publication patterns of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons. Is there support among members for peer-reviewed pediatric neurosurgical journals?

The American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons (ASPN) has expressed a commitment to have all of its members’ qualifying research efforts published in peer-reviewed pediatric neurosurgical journals such as Pediatric Neurosurgery. To test this commitment, citations from January 1985 through December 1994 were analyzed for all 76 current members of the ASPN. The citations were divided into those of general or adult neurosurgical interest, and those of pediatric neurosurgical interest based upon title, key words, and/or abstract. Each pediatric neurosurgical citation was further classified by topic, and by the type of journal in which it appeared (pediatric neurosurgical, general or adult neurosurgical, and other pediatric or adult journal, subspecialty journal, or basic science journal). A total of 1,887 individual author citations were identified during the study period; of these, 1,586 citations (84%) were classified as pediatric neurosurgical citations. These included 1,391 citations from peer-reviewed publications and 195 citations from Concepts in Pediatric Neurosurgery. As a society, the ASPN published only one third of its citations in peer-reviewed pediatric neurosurgery journals; the remainder were cited in general neurosurgical or other journals. Even when only citations from neurosurgical journals (in which pediatric neurosurgeons were more likely to be primary authors and therefore to have more control over the journal of publication) were analyzed, less than 50% of citations appeared in peer-reviewed pediatric neurosurgery journals. Nearly three quarters of ASPN members failed to provide even a modest commitment – publishing 51% or more of their pediatric citations in peer-reviewed pediatric neurosurgical journals. When the analysis was again limited to only those citations published in neurosurgery journals, over half of the members failed this ‘51% rule’. These results suggest the need for a firmer commitment from ASPN members to publish in peer-reviewed pediatric neurosurgery journals.
Melanocytic Nevi in Histologic Association with Primary Cutaneous Melanoma of Superficial Spreading and Nodular Types: Effect of Tumor Thickness

The histologic presence of benign dermal nevus cells in contiguity with primary cutaneous melanoma, as a distinct population separate from malignant melanocytes, was evaluated in a large referral data base. The melanomas were limited to superficial spreading melanoma (SSM) and nodular melanoma (NM). Overall, dermal melanocytic nevi were found associated with 1126 of 1954 primary SSM/NM (57.6%). When the melanomas were stratified by tumor thickness, an inverse relationship between the presence of benign nevus cells and tumor thickness was found: 64.9% of tumors less than 0.76 mm and 64.5% of those between 0.76 and 1.69 mm were associated with dermal nevi, whereas in the thickness range 1.70-3.60 mm, there were 45.6% associated nevi, and in melanomas greater than 3.60 mm, there were only 32.0% noted to have nevus cells. When melanomas were separated by nevus type, it was found that 41% were associated with an acquired pattern nevus, 38% with congenital pattern nevus, and 21% with dysplastic nevus. It may be concluded that 1) the histologic presence of nevus cells is a common event in SSM/NM; 2) the association of melanocytic nevus and melanoma is more easily demonstrated in thinner tumors; and 3) acquired pattern nevi, congenital pattern nevi, and dysplastic nevi are all potential precursors of melanoma.
Curved finite elements by the method of initial strains.

A simple procedure has been presented for combining two discrete linear vibratory systems by a discrete spring or damper. The procedure leads to an exact formulation of the characteristic equation for which the roots can be readily found by a NewtonRaphson iteration scheme. After the initial coupling is completed, successive eigenvalue modifications can be used to add additional discrete elements as required. J. T. Weissenburger neglected damping and used back substitution to eliminate the added degree of freedom whereas the procedure discussed in this note takes damping into account and does not limit the size of the added system. E. H. Dowell used Lagrange multipliers to derive a characteristic equation similar in form to Eq. (6) which can be used to join elastic vibratory systems of unlimited size, but, like Ref. 4, he also neglected damping. AXIS OF REVOLUTION
“Electromagnetic” contribution to the nucleon spin

Abstract A possible resolution to the question of where the nucleon gets some portion of its internal angular momentum, not carried by the valence quarks, is given in terms of the electromagnetic field angular momentum of the nucleon. This field angular momentum is similar in origin to that of the Thomson dipole (an electric charge and a magnetic monopole), but arises from the interaction of the quark electric charges and magnetic dipoles. Rough, order of magnitude calculations show that such a field angular momentum could provide some of the nucleon's spin. Under assumptions similar to those used to calculate hadron mass splittings, QCD should also exhibit a similar field angular momentum coming from the interaction of color charges with color magnetic dipoles.
Effect of ischemic pressure using a Backnobber II device on discomfort associated with myofascial trigger points

Summary Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of ischemic pressure on myofascial trigger point (MTrP) sensitivity. Design Randomized, controlled study with the researcher assessing MTrP sensitivity blinded to the intervention. Participants Twenty-eight people with two MTrPs in the upper back musculature. Intervention The sensitivity of two MTrPs in the upper back was assessed with a JTECH algometer. One of the two MTrPs was randomly selected for treatment with a Backnobber II, while the other served as a control. Outcome measures Pre- and post-test pressure–pain thresholds of the MTrPs Results There was a significant difference between the pre- and post-test sensitivities of the treated and non-treated MTrPs ( p =0.04). Conclusions The results of this study confirm that the protocol of six repetitions of 30-s ischemic compression with the Backnobber II rendered every other day for a week was effective in reducing MTrP irritability.
VIBRATIONAL ANALYSIS OF NUCLEIC ACIDS. IV. NORMAL MODES OF THE DNA PHOSPHODIESTER STRUCTURE MODELED BY DIETHYL PHOSPHATE

Raman and ir spectra are reported for diethyl phosphate [(CH3CH2O)2PO2-] and diethyl phosphate isotopomers incorporating carbon-13 at methylene group sites [(CH313CH2O)2PO2-] and deuterium substituents on methyl and methylene carbons [(CH3CD2O)2PO2-, (CD3CH2O)2PO2-, (CD3CD2O)2PO2-]. The vibrational spectra are analyzed to develop a consistent set of assignments for the C-C-O-P(O2-)-O-C-C network, which serves as a model for the nucleic acid phosphodiester backbone. The present study resolves previously conflicting vibrational assignments for the phosphodiester skeleton and provides a firm empirical basis for interpreting conformationally sensitive modes of DNA and RNA. Ab initio vibrational analyses have also been conducted on the above isotopomers of diethyl phosphate in the trans-gauche-gauche-trans conformation, optimized using the 3-21+G* basis set at the restricted Hartree-Fock level. The ab initio calculations are in good agreement with the empirical results, thus strengthening the proposed assignment scheme for Raman and infrared spectra. The present study provides a basis for improvement of empirical force fields utilized in previous normal coordinate analyses of the nucleic acid phosphodiester group.
Viper venom disintegrins and related molecules.

AbstractThe term “disintegrin” was first used in 1990 to describe a group of viper venom-derived, nonenzymatic small proteins that shared numerous structural and functional properties. These proteins, which have been found in a great number of viper species studied since that time possess both a remarkable sequence homology and an equally notable variability in potency and selectivity in their interactions with integrin receptors. The discovery that small disintegrins may actually have been derived from much larger mosaic proteins possessing catalytic activity, and that species other than snakes (both plant and animal) produce proteins containing disintegrin-like domains, has led to much research related to both the proteins themselves and the receptors to which they bind. The purpose of this review is to discuss the literature and the authors'own data on the structure and function of disintegrins and their relevance to the studies on proteins containing disintegrin-like domains, such as hemorrhagins and ...
Statistical evaluation of predictive data compression systems

A simple image reconstruction evaluation procedure has been developed for use in analysis and design of image compression systems. The evaluation consists of two parts: 1) examination of the autocorrelation function of the reconstruction errors, and 2) comparison of the distribution size and shape of the reconstructed image to that of the original. The philosophy behind the evaluation procedure is rooted in consideration of visual mechanisms and in linear system identification model validation techniques. Although originally postulated for use in the development of compression systems for noisy synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery for which the usual mean square error criterion is particularly useless, the evaluation procedure is proposed to be useful for analysis of any image compression system. The utility of the procedure is demonstrated with the selection of the best quantizer step sizes and data rates for an SAR predictive coding algorithm combined with a switched quantizer. It is also demonstrated with SAR data from which the speckle noise has been removed.
Analytical Results for Sound Wave Propagation in Small-Scale Two-Dimensional Channels

When the characteristic scale of a channel decreases, wave propagation is increasingly dominated by viscous effects. This was first realized by Lamb who predicted that when the channel size is small compared to the diffusion length based on the oscillation frequency, the gas inertia becomes negligible (the fluid motion is effectively quasi-steady) and the flow is isothermal. This parameter regime is referred to as the narrow channel regime. We take advantage of this observation to derive analytical results for wave propagation in small scale channels for arbitrary Knudsen numbers, since due to their small transverse dimensions micro and nanochannels satisfy the narrow channel requirement except at very high frequencies. In the slip-flow regime in particular where the equations of motion can be integrated analytically, we show that thermal effects are always negligible and that the long wavelength approximation is always satisfied for narrow channels. We also discuss how this theory can be extended beyond the narrow channel approximation, that is, to include the effects of inertia and heat conduction to first order. Our results are verified by direct Monte Carlo simulations of the Boltzmann equation.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Photographic Stimulus Material As A Psychophysical Tool

Controlled studies, that seek to explore the role of the human observer in the evaluation of photographic images, are possible only when stimulus material is employed whose objective, quality is well known. When such studies involve the imagery of complex photo-reconnaissance systems, the necessary stimulus material is difficult to acquire due to the variability in image quality and inadequate means of evaluating such images. In view of these difficulties, techniques have been developed whereby the prerequisite stimulus material can be prepared in the laboratory by simulating the characteristics of the photographic system. These techniques will be discussed, typical stimulus material will be displayed, and applications in the field of psychophysical experiments will be considered.© (1966) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Rhabdastrellins A-F, isomalabaricane triterpenes from the marine sponge Rhabdastrella aff. distincta

Chemical examination of the marine sponge Rhabdastrella aff. distincta resulted in the isolation of six new isomalabaricane triterpenes, rhabdastrellins A−F (1−6), which were present as minor components, along with stellettins L and M. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data analyses and comparison with spectroscopic data of known analogues. The cytotoxicity of compounds 1−6 against a small panel of human tumor cell lines was also evaluated.
Intertextual Interpretation, Fantasy and Samoan Dreams

This paper offers both an intertextual method for analyzing dreams and a model of fantasy processes in culture. The method consists in interpreting a dream in light of other narratives in a culture that share a motif with it. There is a spectrum of tales in cultures, ranging from founding myths rooted in the political realm to the highly personal proto-narratives we dream. I argue that narrative motifs from stories that circulate in public life move into people’s dreams, where these motifs represent shared meanings. In dreams, motifs are combined in novel ways; these combinations are, in effect, thought about these meanings. The narrative spectrum, together with this symbolic traffic, comprises a cultural fantasy system that is compelled by socially stylized desires and shared anxieties rooted in historical experience. The method and the model are explicated and illustrated through the analysis of four Samoan dreams from a larger collection.