cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EXPANDING AWARENESS: ISSUES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ETHICS SCALE FOR THE SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION

This article describes the development of an ethics scale that measures adherence to social work ethical choices in specific situations. The purpose of this instrument is to provide data that demon...
Is the 3× reading rule appropriate for computer users?

Abstract When reading from an electronic screen, many individuals report symptoms such as tired eyes or eye strain. To minimize these symptoms, a 3× acuity reserve has been suggested, i.e., the minimum print size should be at least 3 times larger than the size of the letters at the reader’s acuity limit. This study evaluated whether the 3× rule is appropriate, or if an alternative relationship between visual acuity and letter size would be preferable. The experiment was performed on 25 visually-normal subjects who viewed a series of random words on a computer monitor. The threshold distance (T) at which the text could be resolved was determined. Both reading speed and accuracy were measured during a 10 min task performed at T and at 0.5T, 0.33T and 0.25T. In a second study, the procedure was repeated at 0.5T and 0.33T for 1 h. Immediately following the 1 h trial, subjects completed a questionnaire concerning symptoms experienced during the task. The mean T for the 10 min trial was 131.4 cm. While the mean reading speeds for the 0.5T, 0.33T and 0.25T conditions were significantly different from the 1T condition, they were not significantly different from each other. For the 1 h trial, reading speed at 1T was significantly different from both the 0.5T and 0.33T conditions, but no significant difference was observed between the 0.5T and 0.33T trials. A significant increase in the total post-task symptoms was found after reading at the threshold distance (T), compared with 0.5T and 0.25T, but no significant difference in symptom score was found between the 0.5T and 0.25T conditions. Accordingly, based on a change in viewing distance (and angular print size) in young, visually-normal subjects, a 2× rule may be appropriate, i.e., for sustained comfortable reading, the text size should be at least twice the individual’s visual acuity. However, higher values may be necessary for older subjects, or individuals with visual abnormalities.
Reply to comment on “temperature dependence of the silicon field evaporation voltage”

La variation avec la temperature de l'evaporation du champ n'est pas aussi influencee par la densite des trous que le pretend Ernst
Analysis of hybrid effect in unidirectional composites under longitudinal compression

Abstract The theoretical analysis deals with the hybrid effect in composites under longitudinal compression. The analysis is based on the instability of different types of fibers on a common elastic foundation of the matrix material. It depends on the elasticity of the matrix and the flexural stiffness of fibers. The model assumes that instability in the low flexural stiffness fiber occurs first. As the load is further increased, instability in the high flexural stiffness fiber follows, and it results in the failure of the composite. The transverse deformation of the matrix induced by the low flexural stiffness fibers enhances the stability of high flexural stiffness fibers in compression. Evaluation of the critical compressive load (stress) has been made. It is shown that a synergistic effect in compressive strength can be realized through fiber hybridization.
A longitudinal comparison of couples with sex-typical and non-sex-typical orientations to intimacy

The present study was designed to investigate the relationship experience of males and females who do not conform to sex-typical orientations to intimacy. One hundred sixty-three couples' and 88 nondating singles' (total N=414) responses to the Relationship World Index—Version 2 (RWI-2) were analyzed via discriminant analysis to determine if subjects' sex could be predicted accurately upon the basis of their RWI-2 scores. One discriminant function was found which was significant by the Wilks' lambda test [x2(60)=140.57, p<.001]; the procedure correctly classified 76% of the respondents. Those who were classified correctly were considered sex-typical and the remaining 24% of the sample was considered non-sex-typical in their orientations to intimacy. Additional analyses using data from a 6-month longitudinal study located qualities which significantly distinguished sex-typical from non-sex-typical subjects and couples in which at least one member was non-sex-typical from couples in which both members were classified as sex-typical.
Electrocatalytic oxidation of NADH at poly(metallophthalocyanine)-modified electrodes

Abstract The electrochemical oxidation of NADH at glassy carbon electrodes modified with electropolymerized films of metal phthalocyanines was investigated. Three different polymers were used in this study, each incorporating a different central metal ion (M = Co, Ni, Zn). All were effective electrocatalysts for NADH oxidation, decreasing the overpotential by several hundred millivolts compared with the unmodified carbon surface. Peak potentials vary only slightly among the three types of modifying layers (for similar film thicknesses), suggesting that the nature of the central metal is a relatively unimportant factor in the catalytic process. The observed peak potentials decrease with increasing pH of the medium and also show a weak dependence on film thickness, scan rate, and electrolyte concentration. Anodic peak currents at the coated electrodes vary linearly with NADH concentration in the range from 20 μM to 3.0 mM. Although the peak currents decrease somewhat following the first few voltammetric scans, the response soon stabilizes, and a steady, reproducible NADH oxidation current is still observed after more than 100 cycles.
Lysine transport and protein incorporation by the lens.

Abstract The rates and interactions between systems for transport, efflux and incorporation into protein of l -lysine were determined in rabbit crystalline lens. l -Lysine was selected as a model amino acid for such studies, as it was not metabolized by the lens. The transport of l -lysine into lens in vitro occurred by saturable and “non-saturable” components. Kinetic constants for the saturable fraction were Km = 0.7 mmole/l and Vmax = 0.110 μmole/lens per h. The renewal rate for lens l -lysine was found to be 6 h. Only a small fraction (2.6 %) of the total lysine in the lens was incorporated into lens protein at the physiologic levels of l -lysine in the aqueous humor (0.55 mmole/l). l -Lysine incorporation into protein was blocked by puromycin without any effect on the rate of l -lysine accumulated by the lens. A decrease in the rate of l -lysine transported and accumulated by lens resulted in a corresponding decrease in the levels incorporated into lens protein.
Simultaneous Dual-Window Measurements with a Linear Photodiode Array Detector

A generally applicable method is described for simultaneous measurement of reference and analyte spectral features which would not otherwise fall within the range covered by a single linear diode array detector. The method employs dual entrance slits on the spectrometer to cause two spectral windows to overlap on the detector. The method is demonstrated for fluorescence measurement of Rhodamine B in ethanol. Recovery of the spectral information from the overlapped spectra using a least-squares fitting procedure is demonstrated. The simultaneously recorded reference measurements are shown to be effective in correcting for excitation source intensity variation by comparing corrected and uncorrected excitation spectra and calibration curve data.
VSL#3 probiotic treatment attenuates fibrosis without changes in steatohepatitis in a diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis model in mice†

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its advanced stage, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), are the most common causes of chronic liver disease in the United States. NASH features the metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and fibrosis. Probiotics exhibit immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory activity. We tested the hypothesis that probiotic VSL#3 may ameliorate the methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced mouse model of NASH. MCD diet resulted in NASH in C57BL/6 mice compared to methionine-choline-supplemented (MCS) diet feeding evidenced by liver steatosis, increased triglycerides, inflammatory cell accumulation, increased tumor necrosis factor alpha levels, and fibrosis. VSL#3 failed to prevent MCD-induced liver steatosis or inflammation. MCD diet, even in the presence of VSL#3, induced up-regulation of serum endotoxin and expression of the Toll-like receptor 4 signaling components, including CD14 and MD2, MyD88 adaptor, and nuclear factor kappaB activation. In contrast, VSL#3 treatment ameliorated MCD diet-induced liver fibrosis resulting in diminished accumulation of collagen and alpha-smooth muscle actin. We identified increased expression of liver peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors and decreased expression of procollagen and matrix metalloproteinases in mice fed MCD+VSL#3 compared to MCD diet alone. MCD diet triggered up-regulation of transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta), a known profibrotic agent. In the presence of VSL#3, the MCD diet-induced expression of TGFbeta was maintained; however, the expression of Bambi, a TGFbeta pseudoreceptor with negative regulatory function, was increased. In summary, our data indicate that VSL#3 modulates liver fibrosis but does not protect from inflammation and steatosis in NASH. The mechanisms of VSL#3-mediated protection from MCD diet-induced liver fibrosis likely include modulation of collagen expression and impaired TGFbeta signaling.
General Models for Automated Essay Scoring: Exploring an Alternative to the Status Quo.

Powers, Burstein, Chodorow, Fowles, and Kukich (2002) suggested that automated essay scoring (AES) may benefit from the use of “general” scoring models designed to score essays irrespective of the prompt for which an essay was written. They reasoned that such models may enhance score credibility by signifying that an AES system measures the same writing characteristics across all essays. They reported empirical evidence that general scoring models performed nearly as well in agreeing with human readers as did prompt-specific models, the “status quo” for most AES systems. In this study, general and prompt-specific models were again compared, but this time, general models performed as well as or better than prompt-specific models. Moreover, general models measured the same writing characteristics across all essays, while prompt-specific models measured writing characteristics idiosyncratic to the prompt. Further comparison of model performance across two different writing tasks and writing assessment progra...
The changing susceptibilities of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at a midwestern hospital: The emergence of “community-associated” MRSA

Background The emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has been well described; however, few studies have reviewed long-term hospital-wide data. Methods This retrospective study of adult patients used the first culture per patient per visit positive for MRSA for 1996 to 2005. Isolates were categorized as community-associated or health care–associated phenotype based on antibiotic susceptibilities. χ 2 tests for trend and linear regression analyses were performed. Results The annual prevalence of CA-MRSA increased significantly over the 10-year study period (from 43 of 507 [8.9%] MRSA cultures in 1996 to 672 of 1697 [39.6%] MRSA cultures in 2005; P P P P P Conclusion An increasing number of MRSA with a community-associated phenotype occurred during the 10-year study period. Patterns of decreasing age, increasing non-Caucasian races, and decreasing socioeconomic status were observed among patients with MRSA.
Associations of body mass index and insulin resistance with leptin, adiponectin, and the leptin-to-adiponectin ratio across ethnic groups: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Purpose Associations of adiponectin and leptin and their ratio with body mass index (BMI) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) have been investigated in different ethnic groups but variability in both assays and statistical methods have made cross-study comparisons difficult. We examined associations among these variables across four ethnic groups in a single study. Methods Adiponectin and leptin were measured in a subset of participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis study. We calculated associations (using both partial correlations and adjusted linear regression) in each ethnic group and then compared the magnitude of these associations across groups. Results After we excluded individuals with type 2 diabetes, there were 714 white, 219 Chinese, 332 African-American, and 405 Hispanic subjects in the study sample. Associations of BMI with adiponectin and leptin differed significantly (P < .05) across the ethnic groups in regression analyses, whereas associations of HOMA-IR with adiponectin and leptin did not differ across ethnic groups. The leptin-to-adiponectin ratio was not associated with a greater amount of adiposity or HOMA-IR variance than leptin or adiponectin in any ethnic group. Conclusions Given the consistency of HOMA-IR and adipokine associations, the differing means of adiponectin and leptin across ethnic groups may help to explain ethnic differences in mean insulin resistance.
Economic issues with new rheumatologic therapeutics.

Purpose of review Pharmacoeconomic evaluations are increasingly important in all aspects of medicine. In rheumatology, such studies have become all the more relevant following the introduction of highly effective biologic agents. Brought to the clinic initially for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, biologic agents have found expanded indication in other rheumatic diseases. Recent findings Building upon a long tradition in rheumatology, recent studies have updated and expanded upon the costs of various rheumatic diseases. These studies set the stage for determining the value of newer therapies. As a result of the chronic nature of rheumatic diseases, pharmacoeconomic evaluations must be carried out over sufficiently long time frames. Therefore, methodologic issues continue to be an area of ongoing discussion. Finally, ongoing studies have estimated the cost-effectiveness of novel rheumatologic therapies, in particular the inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor. These studies have shown that in several clinical circumstances, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors can indeed have an incremental cost-efficacy within the range of generally accepted medical interventions. While many of these studies focused on rheumatoid arthritis, there is growing interest in pharmacoeconomic evaluations in other rheumatic diseases. Summary Pharmacoeconomic evaluations are crucial to the optimal use of new therapies in rheumatology.
HI beyond the Milky Way

The 21 cm HI line was first detected in 1951, and two years later it was detected in an extragalactic system. Since then, HI observations have made important contributions to the field of extragalactic Astronomy. Among others, this review of a 50–year history of the field touches upon highlights that refeer to: the understanding of the structure of spiral galaxies, mapping the distribution of dark matter on galactic and cosmic scales, elucidating the dynamics and evolution of groups and clusters of galaxies, the discovery of the topology of the large–scale structure of the Universe, the measurement of cosmological parameters and the investigation of structures at high redshift.
A nonlinear finite element model of cartilage growth

The long range objective of this work is to develop a cartilage growth finite element model (CGFEM), based on the theories of growing mixtures that has the capability to depict the evolution of the anisotropic and inhomogeneous mechanical properties, residual stresses, and nonhomogeneities that are attained by native adult cartilage. The CGFEM developed here simulates isotropic in vitro growth of cartilage with and without mechanical stimulation. To accomplish this analysis a commercial finite element code (ABAQUS) is combined with an external program (MATLAB) to solve an incremental equilibrium boundary value problem representing one increment of growth. This procedure is repeated for as many increments as needed to simulate the desired growth protocol. A case study is presented utilizing a growth law dependent on the magnitude of the diffusive fluid velocity to simulate an in vitro dynamic confined compression loading protocol run for 2 weeks. The results include changes in tissue size and shape, nonhomogeneities that develop in the tissue, as well as the variation that occurs in the tissue constitutive behavior from growth.
Spin Wave Impurity States in Linear Chain Ferromagnets and Antiferromagnets

A simple linear chain model is used to find the perturbed states in Heisenberg ferromagnets and antiferromagnets with a magnetic impurity. The defect is characterized by a different nearest neighbor exchange coupling, spin, anisotropy field and gyromagnetic ratio from the corresponding parameters for the host lattice. A semiclassical calculation demonstrates that for some values of the defect parameters, resonant states in the spin wave band can arise near the bottom of the band, while for other values, localized states will occur. The various physical conditions for the occurrence of those states are given. When an applied magnetic field is included in the model calculation, a gap mode instability can occur for some values of the gyromagnetic ratio of the impurity spin. For some combinations of defect parameters, a local mode can be transformed into a resonant mode and vice versa by the magnetic field. The impurity-induced absorption is also calculated.
Sex differences in temporal summation but not sensory-discriminative processing of thermal pain

Gender differences in experimental pain sensitivity have been widely investigated, and the results generally indicate that females exhibit greater sensitivity to noxious stimuli than males. However, results using thermal pain procedures have been inconsistent, with some studies reporting greater responses among females and other studies reporting no gender differences. The present study investigated gender differences in thermal pain perception using several different psychophysical procedures. Twenty-seven females and 22 males underwent thermal testing, including: determination of thermal pain threshold and tolerance, a thermal discrimination procedure, real-time magnitude estimates of heat pulses, and temporal summation of thermal pain. The results indicated lower thermal pain threshold and tolerance and greater temporal summation of thermal pain among females, but no gender differences in thermal discrimination or real-time magnitude estimates of discrete heat pulses. These findings suggest that gender differences in thermal pain perception may be more robust for sustained, temporally dynamic thermal stimuli with a strong C-fiber component.
Constructing Better Futures via Video

Abstract Some individuals can rise above disadvantaged environments by cognitively constructing better ones. One way to go beyond limited environments is by creating video futures. This article describes applications of video-based futures planning, in which teenagers find meaning in their current educational setting to prepare them for adulthood. We also describe the systematic training of school-based personnel to support the skills and positive attitudes of their students with carefully planned and edited videos that show future capability of the individual (self modeling and feedforward). We report diverse case studies to illustrate the methodologies, the range of applications, and typical outcomes. Follow-up of dissemination (especially the Video Futures Start-Up Kit) indicates successful replications, particularly in Kentucky and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Exploring the Potential of Online Technology as a Tool for Informing the Practice of License-Exempt Child Care Providers.

In the United States, government funding underwrites the cost of child care services for over 1.7 million children from income-eligible families. About one in four American children served by these subsidies is cared for in a setting where a state-issued license to operate is not required, but in many states the percentages are higher. In Illinois, the use of this form of child care accounts for nearly half of all children receiving services through the state's child care subsidy program each year. Relatives, friends or neighbors are the most common providers of informal child care arrangements, yet most are not closely connected to resources and supports available to them via the state's established early childhood regulatory system. In 2005, a state-wide study was undertaken to better understand the potential of Internet technology as a tool for connecting Illinois license-exempt providers with resources to inform their care-giving practices. This project was underwritten by the Child Care Bureau of the US Department of Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and was strengthened by cooperation from the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. Data drawn from telephone interviews with a representative sample of 102 providers describe the background characteristics of license-exempt providers relevant to their past and prospective engagement in early childhood information and training. Furthermore, this study examined Illinois license-exempt providers' current levels of access to computers and Internet connections along with their perceptions about the degree to which the Internet has a role in their daily routines and activities. Additional outcomes show the extent to which these providers engage in a range of online pursuits such as communicating by email, seeking news and weather reports, conducting web-based business, and seeking online information about early childhood education and care.
Various Artists, Border Songs

On 27 January 2014, the legendary songwriter and voice of social justice, Pete Seeger, walked on at the age of 94. Not one to retire from the cause of reminding us of our duty to our fellow human b...
Changes in the innervation of mammalian skeletal muscle fibers during postnatal development

Abstract The adult pattern of neuromuscular synaptic connections is achieved during a perinatal period in which the initial synaptic contacts formed in the muscle are rearranged. This rearrangement or synapse elimination reduces the number of motor neurons innervating each fiber from several to one. Since the same motor neurons innervate a muscle at the beginning and end of this rearrangement, synapse elimination does not remove innervation of motor neurons errantly projecting to the wrong muscle. Neither does synapse elimination appear to serve to ensure that motor neurons come to innervate particular types of fibers within a muscle. Rather, other developmental mechanisms sort the innervation of motor neurons to the appropriate muscles and to the appropriate fibers within these muscles. Synapse elimination does seem to ensure that each motor neuron forms an independent motor unit containing a certain number of muscle fibers.
Unified Field Theory of Electricity and Gravitation

MAY we be permitted to direct attention to a certain aspect of Einstein's three recent papers (Berliner Berichte, pp. 217, 224, 1928; Feb. 1929) on distant parallelism which came to light in a discussion with Prof. D. J. Struik? The avowed aim of these papers is to develop an improved unified field theory of electricity and gravitation. A much more pressing need of general relativity theory is a harmonisation with quantum theory, particularly with Dirac's theory of the spinning electron. On the basis of Levi-Civita's parallelism the task seems hopeless, inasmuch as we have no adequate means of comparing spins at different points. On the other hand, the notion of a parallelism valid for the whole of space and of Einstein's n-uples enables us to carry over the Dirac theory into general relativity almost without alteration. All that we need do is to interpret Dirac's P0,P1,P2,P3 not as differentiation with respect to four variables x,y,z,t defined throughout space-time, but as differentiation along the lines of the quadruple (Einstein's ‘4-Bein’). That is, the quadruples need not be integrable so as to furnish us with a co-ordinate system throughout space, for such a co-ordinate system is absolutely inessential in the proof of the invariance of Dirac's equations under a Lorentz transformation.
Design considerations for an optical symbolic processing architecture

We examine the key issues in designing an optical expert system architecture. Our conclusions, however, are extendable to architectures for supporting traditional symbolic processing. To determine the basic operations necessary for constructing an expert system, we examine the underlying symbolic processing languages and their associated computational models. We show that traditional symbolic processing in optics would require efficient means of representing and manipulating complex structured data. This requirement necessitates a location-based addressable memory in optics. Based on the analyses of the computational models, we conclude that the architecture most feasible for optical implementation is that for a combinator graph reduction computational model. We briefly outline a proposed fine-grained optical architecture for this computational model.
Interrelation of TEM microstructure, composition, tensile properties, and corrosion resistance of Al-Cu-Mg-Mn alloys

Electron microscopy was used to investigate the effects of alloying element content and quenching rate on the extent of precipitation during quenching and the resulting type of corrosion attack of naturally aged Al-Cu-Mg-Mn, Al-Cu, Al-Cu-Mg and Al-Cu-Mn alloys. Magnesium addition to Al-Cu led to S-phase (Al2CuMg) grain boundary precipitation and development of dislocation loops of the condensed vacancy type. This appears attributable to the greater affinity of magnesium atoms for copper atoms than for vacancies. Manganese, in the presence of copper and magnesium, retarded precipitation, apparently because of its high affinity for vacancies, lowering the number of unassociated vacancies available for long range diffusion. While increasing as-quenched strengths, this association apparently has the effect of developing grain boundary regions with steep electrochemical potential gradients, which appear responsible for susceptibility of the alloy to intergranular corrosion. It is concluded that precipitation phenomena which control the hardening and corrosion behavior of these alloys are related to the relative binding energies between the several solute elements, the affinities of these individual elements for vacancies, and the ratio of the atomic concentrations of the solute elements.
Attention and psychological change in the young child.

This article began by suggesting that different processes are likely to mediate alterations in behavior and cognitive structure and that conditioning principles do not seem sufficient to explain all the classes of change. Although the acquisition of conditioned responses, the potentiation of inborn capacities, and the establishment of schemata probably implicate different processes, all three involve selective attention to sensory events, whether these events function as conditioned stimuli, releasers of innate response dispositions, or the bases for mental representations. Hence, better understanding of the forces that control selectivity and duration of attention should provide insights into the nature of psychological growth, especially the lawful alterations in cognitive structure that seem to occur continually as a function of the child9s encounter with discrepant events. The heart of this article was devoted to this theme. It was argued that events that possessed a high rate of change in their physical characteristics, that were moderately discrepant from established schemata, and that activated hypotheses in the service of assimilation had the greatest power to recruit and maintain attention in the young child.
Dynamic imaging of fibrin network formation correlated with other measures of polymerization

Using deconvolution microscopy, we visualized in real time fibrin network formation in the hydrated state. Individual mobile fibers were observed before the gel point determined by eye. After gelation, an initial fibrin network was seen, which evolved over time by addition of new fibers and elongation and branching of others. Furthermore, some fibers in the network moved for a time. We quantified network formation by number of branch points, and longitudinal and lateral growth of fibers. Eighty percent of branch points were formed, and 70% of all fibers reached their maximum length at the gel point. In contrast, at the gel point, fiber diameter, measured as fluorescence intensity, was less than 25% and turbidity was less than 15% of the maximum values of the fully formed clot. The cumulative percentage of fibers reaching their final length and the number of branch points attained maximum values at 60% of maximum turbidity. Lateral fiber growth reached a plateau at the same time as turbidity. Measurements of clot mechanical properties revealed that the clots achieved maximum stiffness and minimum plasticity after the structural parameters reached their maxima. These results provide new information on the relative time sequence of events during fibrin network formation.
Effluent and production impacts of flow-through aquaculture operations in West Virginia

Abstract In light of recent changes to federal regulatory requirements placed on the aquaculture industry, aquaculture operators must act proactively to maximize their production to meet demands, compete with new operations, and maintain compliance with effluent standards. As a result, water quality characterization was conducted at six anonymous facilities using flow-through design, rearing mostly rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) that were selected based on various water sources, operation, size, and effluent treatment. Average concentrations and mass loadings of regulated parameters were within regulatory limits and increased in direct proportion to the mass of fish reared. However, when comparing effluent pollutant concentrations and loads with West Virginia National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit limitations, the potential for increased production existed at each facility. Based on the current West Virginia NPDES limit of 30 mg/L for total suspended solids (TSS), each facility could increase production from 147 to 819%. However, with a more stringent TSS limitation of 5 mg/L net used in states in the western US, two facilities would have to reduce production from 37 to 44%, while the other sites could increase production from 19 to 170%. Consequently, the opportunity to increase production under any set of regulatory constraints was a function of annual fish production, legal requirements, and the implementation of effective effluent treatment processes.
ACCELERATED GLASS REACTION UNDER PCT CONDITIONS

Static leach tests similar to PCT (Product Consistency Test) were performed for up to 2 years to assess long-term reaction behavior of high-level nuclear waste glasses similar to those at Defense Waste Processing Facility. These tests show the reaction rate to decrease with the reaction time from an initially high rate to a low rate, but then to accelerate to a higher rate after reaction times of about 1 year, depending on glass surface area/leachant volume ratio used. Solution concentrations of soluble glass components increase as the reaction is accelerated, while release of other glass components into solution is controlled by secondary phases. Net result is that transformation of glass to stable phases is accelerated while the solution becomes enriched in soluble components not effectively contained in secondary phases. Rate becomes linear in time after the acceleration and may be similar to the initial forward rate. A current model of glass reaction predicts that the glass reaction will be accelerated upon the formation of secondary phases which lower the silicic acid solution concentration. These tests show total Si concentration to increase upon reaction acceleration, however, which may be due to the slightly higher pH attained with the acceleration. The suddenmore » change in the reaction rate is likely due to secondary phase formation. 17 refs, 2 tabs, 3 figs.« less
Reversibility of increased microvessel permeability in response to VE-cadherin disassembly

We determined the role of vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin complex in regulating the permeability of pulmonary microvessels. Studies were made in mouse lungs perfused with albumin-Krebs containing EDTA, a Ca(2+) chelator, added to study the VE-cadherin junctional disassembly. We then repleted the perfusate with Ca(2+) to restore VE-cadherin integrity. Confocal microscopy showed a disappearance of VE-cadherin immunostaining in a time- and dose-dependent manner after Ca(2+) chelation and reassembly of the VE-cadherin complex within 5 min after Ca(2+) repletion. We determined the (125)I-labeled albumin permeability-surface area product and capillary filtration coefficient (K(fc)) to quantify alterations in the pulmonary microvessel barrier. The addition of EDTA increased (125)I-albumin permeability-surface area product and K(fc) in a concentration-dependent manner within 5 min. The permeability response was reversed within 5 min after repletion of Ca(2+). An anti-VE-cadherin monoclonal antibody against epitopes responsible for homotypic adhesion augmented the increase in K(fc) induced by Ca(2+) chelation and prevented reversal of the response. We conclude that the disassembled VE-cadherins in endothelial cells are mobilized at the junctional plasmalemmal membrane such that VE-cadherins can rapidly form adhesive contact and restore microvessel permeability by reannealing the adherens junctions.
The three dimensional structure of the atmospheric energy budget: methodology and evaluation

Studies of the vertically-integrated energy and moisture budgets of the atmosphere are expanded to three dimensions. The vertical integrals of the moisture, energy and heat budget equations computed analytically act as a very strong constraint on any local computational results of the vertical structure. This paper focuses on the methodology and difficulties in closing the budgets and satisfying constraints, given the need to use a pressure coordinate because model coordinates all differ. Vertical interpolation destroys delicate mass balances and can lead to inconsistencies, such as from how geopotential or vertical motion is computed. Using the advective rather than flux form of the equations greatly reduces the contamination from these effects. Results are documented for January 1989 using European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts reanalysis (ERA-40) data. The moistening, diabatic heating and total energy forcing of the atmosphere are computed as a residual from the analyses using the moisture, dry energy (dry static energy plus kinetic energy) and total atmospheric (moist static plus kinetic) energy equations. The components from the monthly averaged flow and transients, as a function of layer in the atmosphere, and as quasi-horizontal and vertical fluxes of dry static, latent and kinetic energy are examined. Results show the moistening of the atmosphere at the surface, its release as latent heat in precipitation and transformation into dry static energy, and thus net radiative cooling as a function of height and location. The vertically integrated forcings computed from the model parameterizations are compared with available observations and budget-derived values, and large ERA-40 model biases are revealed in radiation and precipitation. The energy and moisture budget-derived quantities are more realistic, although results depend on the quality of the analyses which are not constructed to conserve mass, moisture or energy, owing to analysis increments.
Models for Free Nilpotent Lie Algebras

If a Lie algebra g can be generated by M of its elements E1, . . . , EM , and if any other Lie algebra generated by M other elements F1, . . . , FM is a homomorphic image of g under the map Ei → Fi, we say that it is the free Lie algebra on M generators. The free nilpotent Lie algebra gM,r on M generators of rank r is the quotient of the free Lie algebra by the ideal gr+1 generated as follows: g1 = g, and gk = [gk−1, g]. Let N denote dimension of gM,r. Free Lie algebras are those which have as few relations as possible: only those which are a conseqence of the anti-commutativity of the bracket and of the the Jacobi identity. Free nilpotent Lie algebras add the relations that any iterated Lie bracket of more than r elements vanishes. For further details, see [18] or [13]. In this paper we are interested in explicit computations of the Lie algebras gM,r. It is well known [19] that that there is a representation of gM,r on upper triangular N by N matrices. The problem is that many computations are difficult using this representation. In this paper we present an algorithm that yields vector fields E1, ... , EM defined in R with the property that they generate a Lie algebra isomorphic to gM,r. See [6] for another approach to this problem. In Section 3, we restrict to two generators and give three consequences of this algorithm. First, the form of the vector fields is such that flows of the control system ẋ(t) = (E1 + u(t)E2)(x(t)) may be computed explicitly ∗Research supported in part by Postdoctoral Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation.
A lattice precoding scheme for flat-fading MIMO channels

This paper provides some details of a novel vector perturbation based lattice precoding algorithm based on Eigenvalue decomposition, named EDLP, for single user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems operating over slowly-varying flat-fading channels. Linear precoding is used in this technique to orthogonalize the fading channel, thus nullifying the interference among spatial channels. A perturbation vector is employed as well to reduce the transmitted power. Joint optimization of the linear precoder and the perturbation vector enhances the performance of the algorithm. As a result, the EDLP features full diversity order and full spatial multiplexing order. Furthermore, compared with other precoding techniques, EDLP requires less computational complexity. In appendixes, a proof validating the transformation from the original optimization metric to the minimization of a quadratic form is provided, as well as an elaborated algorithm to generate perturbation vector.
Generalized performance analysis of a delay diversity receiver in asynchronous CDMA channels

In this letter, the performance for the delay diversity receiver is analyzed in asynchronous code division multiple access (CDMA) channels. The outage probability and the bit error probability of the delay diversity receiver are accurately derived and compared with those of the conventional diversity receiver. From the analytical and numerical results, it is confirmed that the delay diversity receiver achieves a remarkable diversity gain with reasonable cost and complexity in asynchronous CDMA channels. Specifically, for roughly the same hardware complexity, the delay diversity receiver achieves nearly twice the diversity order of the conventional receiver.
Radiation Doses and Risks in Chest Computed Tomography Examinations

Effective doses, and the corresponding risks of radiation-induced cancers, are presented for patients undergoing chest computed tomography (CT) examinations. Patient dose calculations were based on the characteristics of 16-slice CT scanner from 4 imaging equipment vendors. The dose–length product (DLP) was used to quantify the amount of radiation used to perform chest CT examinations. Values of DLP were converted into a corresponding effective dose (E) using age-dependent E/DLP conversion coefficients applicable to chest CT examinations. Calculations of effective doses were performed for a typical chest CT examination, as well as for a low-dose protocol for patients with cystic fibrosis. Effective doses were used to estimate nominal cancer risks based on data in Report VII of the Committee of the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation. Patient effective doses in standard chest CT examinations range from approximately 1.7 millisieverts (mSv) in newborns to approximately 5.4 mSv in adults. The effective ...
Perceived Stress and Avoidant Coping Moderate Disordered Gambling Among Emerging Adults in Vietnam

Gambling research conducted in Asia has been limited, despite a continued growth of the gambling industry within the region. Outside Asia, research suggests emerging adults have high rates of gambl...
Ecosystem services: Tensions, impurities, and points of engagement within neoliberalism

Across the world, governments, NGOs, scientists, policy-makers, and resource managers are learning to speak in the language of ecosystem services. It is a concept that seems to belong to what many ...
Competition, Monopoly and Countervailing Power

I. Introduction, 469. — II. Top-level financial control and vertical integration, 472. — III. Bilateral monopoly and countervailing power, 475. — IV. Technological and inter-industry competition, 477. — V. The role of government, 480. — VI. Size, technology, and efficiency, 487. — VII. Conclusion, 491.
Quantitative neuromuscular ultrasound in intensive care unit-acquired weakness: A systematic review.

Intensive care unit–acquired weakness (ICU-AW) causes significant morbidity and impairment in critically ill patients. Recent advances in neuromuscular ultrasound (NMUS) allow evaluation of neuromuscular pathology early in critical illness. Here we review application of ultrasound in ICU-AW. MEDLINE-indexed articles were searched for terms relevant to ultrasound and critical illness. Two reviewers evaluated the resulting abstracts (n = 218) and completed full-text review (n = 13). Twelve studies and 1 case report were included. Ten studies evaluated muscle thickness or cross-sectional area (CSA): 8 reported a decrease, and 2 reported no change. Two studies reported preservation of muscle thickness in response to neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and 1 found no preservation. One study found decreases in gray-scale standard deviation, but no change in echogenicity. One study described increases in echogenicity and fasciculations. Ultrasound reliability in ICU-AW is not fully established. Further investigation is needed to identify ultrasound measures that reliably predict clinical, electrodiagnostic, and pathologic findings of ICU-AW. Muscle Nerve 52: 701–708, 2015
Repomys (Mammalia: Rodentia gen. nov.) from the late Neogene of California and Nevada

ABSTRACT Repomys is a new genus of hypsodont cricetine from the late Neogene of California and Nevada. Three new species define its known temporal and geographic distribution: Repomys gustelyi n. sp. (type species), late Hemphillian, Mojave Desert, California; Repomys maxumi n. sp., early Blancan, San Francisco Bay area, California; and Repomys panacaensis n. sp., middle Blancan, southeastern Nevada. Repomys resembles the “wood rats” in development of hypsodonty, but this resemblance is the result of parallel evolution. The dental morphology of Repomys is much more similar to Nelsonia neotomodon Merriam from the living fauna of Mexico, and this similarity suggests an ancestor-descendant relationship.
Immune Responsiveness And The Pathogenesis Of Human Onchocerciasis

Prominent antibody but minimal cellular proliferative responses to parasite antigen typify the systemic immune response of patients with onchocerciasis. While components of this response are proinflammatory (and antiparasitic), the primary force driving the immune system is the need to contain or limit inflammation around microfilariae that die in the skin or elsewhere at rates up to hundreds of thousands per day. These dying parasites initiate local inflammatory reactions, with the result being "bystander" tissue damage, which cumulatively determines host pathology. Local and systemic immune mechanisms to contain inflammation (e.g., blocking antibodies, down-regulating cytokines) are prominent in infected patients, and their delineation is crucial to understanding the pathogenesis of onchocercal disease in the skin, eye, and elsewhere. The degree of pathology appears directly related to both microfilarial numbers and the intensity of proinflammatory responses to them and inversely related to the effectiveness of specific mechanisms to suppress this inflammation.
Pluripotential Marrow Cells Produce Adipocytes when Transplanted into Steroid-Treated Mice

The effect of steroids on adipogenesis by D1-BAG, a pluripotent cell cloned from mouse bone marrow and transfected with traceable genes encoding beta-galactosidase and neomycin resistance, was investigated in vitro in culture and in vivo after injection into mice. Treatment of D1-BAG cells in culture with dexamethasone produced an accumulation of lipid vesicles and stimulated expression of the fat cell-specific 422(aP2) mRNA. Fifty-six mice each received 1 x 10(6) D1-BAG cells, either by tail-vein injection or by direct injection into the marrow of the right femur. Another 38 mice received either saline injection or no treatment as controls. Half of the animals in each group were treated with 3 mg/kg of methylprednisolone per week. Analysis of marrow blow-outs by flow cytometry, DNA analysis by PCR, and X-gal stain of histological sections indicated that cells transplanted by either intravenous or intramedullary injection had appeared and persisted in the marrow of host mice. Cell sorting by flow cytometry and staining with Sudan IV demonstrated that steroid treatment produced adipogenesis in 5-9% of transplanted cells. The results indicate that steroid-induced differentiation of potentially osteogenic marrow cells into adipocytes in vivo may contribute to the development of osteoporosis and osteonecrosis.
Cultivation in rotating bioreactors promotes maintenance of cardiac myocyte electrophysiology and molecular properties.

We tested the hypothesis that cardiomyocytes maintained their phenotype better if cultured as three-dimensional tissue constructs than if cultured as confluent monolayers. Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were cultured on biomaterial scaffolds in rotating bioreactors for 1 week, and resulting tissue constructs were compared with confluent monolayers and slices of native ventricular tissue with respect to proteins involved in cell metabolism (creatine kinase isoform MM), contractile function (sarcomeric myosin heavy chain), and intercellular communication (connexin 43), as well as action potential characteristics (e.g., membrane resting potential, maximum depolarization slope, and action potential duration), and macroscopic electrophysiological properties (maximum capture rate). The molecular and electrophysiological properties of cardiomyocytes cultured in tissue constructs, although inferior to those of native neonatal ventricles, were superior to those of the same cells cultured as monolayers. Construct levels of creatine kinase, myosin heavy chain, and connexin 43 were 40-60% as high as ventricle levels, whereas monolayer levels of the same proteins were only 11-20% as high. Construct action potential durations were 1.8-fold higher than those in ventricles, whereas monolayer action potential durations were 2.4-fold higher. Pharmacological studies using 4-aminopyridine showed that prolonged action potential duration and reduced maximum capture rate in tissue constructs as compared with native ventricles could be explained by decreased transient outward potassium current.
ARTHUR PEACOCKE'S NATURALISTIC CHRISTIAN FAITH FOR THE TWENTY‐FIRST CENTURY: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

. This article is a brief overview and positive assessment of Arthur Peacocke's essay “A Naturalistic Christian Faith for the Twenty-First Century.” Here Peacocke further develops his panentheist account of God and provides significant reinterpretations of a number of Christian doctrines using the concept of emergent levels of complex reality with downward efficacy on their constituents.