cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Paternal Behavior and Aggression: Endocrine Mechanisms and Nongenomic Transmission of Behavior

Publisher Summary The chapter examines the relationship between arginine vasopressin (AVP) and these social behaviors in rodent species, including California mice. For both testosterone (T) and AVP, describe the results in the context of the evolution of hormone–behavior relationships. In addition to influencing offspring survival, paternal behavior also may influence offspring behavior once those individuals become adults. The chapter describes evidence that both paternal and maternal behavior may have nongenomic effects on aggression and paternal behaviors that are transferred across generations. For this plasticity in behavior to occur, there must be plasticity in the underlying endocrine and/or neurobiological mechanisms. The chapter presents evidence that AVP may be a critical neurochemical underlying this nongenomic transfer of behavioral patterns. The chapter concludes with discussion of plasticity in behavior and the underlying physiological mechanisms. The degree of plasticity for specific behaviors can vary even among closely related species, perhaps as a reflection of their behavioral ecology, including the degree to which they display territorial behavior and the timing of paternal behavior.
Laboratory studies of the effect of predation on production and the production:biomass ratio of the opportunistic polychaete Capitella capitata (Type I)

The effect of simulated predation upon the secondary production and P:B (production:biomass) ratio of the polychaete Capitella capitata (Type I) was estimated from laboratory studies. The first method (the maximum sustainable yield, MSY, method) summed net increases in biomass of each population over time with biomass exploited by predation. In the specific growth-rate method, experimentally determined specific-growth rates were applied to changes in size classes and standing stock over time, providing another estimate of production for comparison to the MSY method. Predation had a pronounced effect on the magnitude of production, standing stocks, and hence the P:B ratio causing a fourfold difference in P:B ratios between the controls (P:B=4.9) and the 23% wk-1 predation rate (P:B=19.6). Production reached a high of 87 g ash-free dry wt m-2 yr-1 in the highest predation treatment (23% wk-1). An estimate of the number of individuals recruited in each population showed that predation caused an increase in population turnover rate. Gross ecological efficiency (calories of food ingested by the predator/calories of food consumed by the prey) and food-chain efficiency (calories of prey ingested by the predator/calories of food supplied to the prey) were 7.4 and 5.8% respectively, for the 23% wk-1 predation treatment.
Cost differential associated with hospice use among older patients with multiple myeloma.

Abstract Background Hospice is an effective end-of-life care approach for patients with incurable illnesses such as multiple myeloma; however, it has been historically underutilized. In addition to improving quality of life, hospice enrollment reduces healthcare spending in many incurable illnesses but this has been unstudied in the myeloma population to date. Material and Methods Retrospective analysis of myeloma cases diagnosed from 2007 to 2013 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked dataset. Included patients were: diagnosed at age 65 or older, received myeloma-directed therapy, had an overall survival >3 months, and were enrolled in Medicare the month preceding death. Costs included those paid by Medicare and patient copays during the 30 days preceding death. Results 2075 patients were included in the analysis. 56% were enrolled in hospice at end of life. Increasing age and female gender were associated with greater odds of hospice enrollment. Non-white race, Medicaid enrollment, and increasing comorbidities were associated with decreased odds. Hospice enrollment was associated with a $13,574 (p 14 days prior to death. Conclusion While improving quality of life should be the ultimate reason for increasing hospice utilization among patients with myeloma, there seems to be considerable cost implications as well.
A Novel Picture Fingerprinting Technique to Provide Practical Indoor Localization for Wheelchair Users

Although GPS-based localization systems are widely used outdoors, they are inapplicable in indoor settings, where GPS signals are mostly unavailable. Existing research, however, has not found a feasible solution to obtain indoor positioning information. Existing indoor localization approaches either suffer from low accuracy or rely on expensive infrastructure and dedicated devices. In this study, we propose a novel picture fingerprinting-based indoor localization approach for power wheelchair users, who suffer from more restricted mobility. A location is represented by pictures (i.e., picture fingerprints) taken from different angles at the location. Localization is achieved by matching a locating picture, taken during wheelchair navigation, with the picture fingerprints of locations in a building. State-of-the-art deep learning techniques were employed to match locating and fingerprinting pictures. Experimental results showed that the proposed approach achieved accurate location recognition. Compared to existing indoor localization approaches, our proposed approach neither relies on dedicated infrastructures and devices nor requires labor-intensive maintenance and, therefore, provides a new direction for achieving feasible and accurate indoor localization.
Efficacy of dexlansoprazole-based triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori infections.

Background:Dexlansoprazole has been shown to be efficacious for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. However, there is a paucity of data about its efficacy for Helicobacter pylori erad...
Automated curricula through setter-solver interactions.

Reinforcement learning algorithms use correlations between policies and rewards to improve agent performance. But in dynamic or sparsely rewarding environments these correlations are often too small, or rewarding events are too infrequent to make learning feasible. Human education instead relies on curricula--the breakdown of tasks into simpler, static challenges with dense rewards--to build up to complex behaviors. While curricula are also useful for artificial agents, hand-crafting them is time consuming. This has lead researchers to explore automatic curriculum generation. Here we explore automatic curriculum generation in rich, dynamic environments. Using a setter-solver paradigm we show the importance of considering goal validity, goal feasibility, and goal coverage to construct useful curricula. We demonstrate the success of our approach in rich but sparsely rewarding 2D and 3D environments, where an agent is tasked to achieve a single goal selected from a set of possible goals that varies between episodes, and identify challenges for future work. Finally, we demonstrate the value of a novel technique that guides agents towards a desired goal distribution. Altogether, these results represent a substantial step towards applying automatic task curricula to learn complex, otherwise unlearnable goals, and to our knowledge are the first to demonstrate automated curriculum generation for goal-conditioned agents in environments where the possible goals vary between episodes.
Nurse-initiated spontaneous breathing trials in adult intensive care unit patients: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this scoping review was to explore existing literature on protocols initiated by nurses for a spontaneous breathing trial in adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients in order to examine and conceptually map the evidence, and identify gaps in the literature. INTRODUCTION Nurses are vital in the care of the critically ill mechanically ventilated patient. By involving the nurse in the weaning process through implementing the final stage of the weaning process, the spontaneous breathing trial, patients may liberate from mechanical ventilation more readily, thereby reducing the cost of care and number of complications associated with prolonged ventilation. INCLUSION CRITERIA This review considered experimental and quasi-experimental study designs, analytical observational studies, case-control studies, analytical cross-sectional studies, descriptive observational studies, qualitative studies, and text and opinion papers. Adult ICU patients, aged 18 and over who were mechanically ventilated and candidates for weaning to spontaneous breathing trials, were included in the review. Adult ICUs included but were not limited to burn ICUs, cardiovascular ICUs, medical ICUs, neurological ICUs, surgical ICUs and trauma ICUs in all geographic locations. This scoping review considered studies that examined the use of nurse-initiated protocols for a spontaneous breathing trial. METHODS The Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology was used. Key information sources searched were Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed, PROSPERO, DARE, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, MedNar, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Papers First and societal websites with information relevant to the scoping review. Only studies published in English were included, and no date limits were applied. The data extraction tool was developed by the authors to examine information retrieved from the studies. RESULTS Four studies, with 430 participants, were included in this review. One study was a non-randomized controlled trial, two were randomized controlled studies, and one was a text and opinion paper. The four studies included in the review identified both eligibility criteria for spontaneous breathing trial initiation, detailed elements of a spontaneous breathing trial, and criteria for success. Three of the four studies reported outcomes with the use of protocols for spontaneous breathing trials initiated by nurses. CONCLUSIONS All included studies support the utilization of protocols and allowing the nurse to initiate the protocol, however variations in the eligibility criteria, details of the spontaneous breathing trial and success criteria create ambiguity in practice.
Momentum, Reversal, and Seasonality in Option Returns

Option returns display substantial momentum using formation periods ranging from 6 to 36 months long, with long/short portfolios obtaining annualized Sharpe ratios above 1.5. In the short term, option returns exhibit reversal. Options also show marked seasonality at multiples of three and 12 monthly lags. All of these results are highly significant and stable in the cross section and over time. They remain strong after controlling for other characteristics, and momentum and seasonality survive factor risk-adjustment. Momentum is mainly explained by an underreaction to past volatility and other shocks, while seasonality reflects unpriced seasonal variation in stock return volatility.
Gandhi, Brahmacharya and Global Sexual Science, 1919–38

This essay explores the evolution of Gandhi’s philosophy of brahmacharya (celibacy) after World War I. I argue here that Gandhi broadened his understanding of brahmacharya after he assumed leadersh...
Foreign Exchange and Money Markets Transactions

Foreign currency transactions are transactions denominated in a currency other than the entity’s functional currency. Foreign exchange risk represents exposure to changes in the values of current holdings and future cash flows denominated in other currencies. The most used techniques in measuring FX risk are: (i) hedging, (ii) FX gap analysis, (iii) FX rate duration analysis, (iv) FX rate simulation analysis, and (v) FX rate volatility analysis. Money market instruments are securities that provide businesses, banks, and the government with large amounts of low-cost capital for a short time. The period is overnight, a few days, weeks, or even months, but always less than a year. The International Monetary Market (IMM) was formed in December 1971 and was established in May 1972.
Young adult simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use: Between- and within-person associations with negative alcohol-related consequences, mental health, and general health across two-years

Abstract Background Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use (SAM) may be linked to both short- and longer-term problems for young adults. Across two years of longitudinal data, we examined between- and monthly within-person associations of alcohol and marijuana use patterns, including SAM, with negative alcohol-related consequences, depressive symptoms, and general health. Methods 773 young adults (aged 18–23 at screening; 56% women) who used alcohol in the year prior to study enrollment were surveyed monthly for 24 months. Multilevel models assessed associations of alcohol and marijuana use patterns with outcomes. Results Individuals who reported a higher proportion of SAM months had more negative alcohol-related consequences (Rate Ratio [RR] = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.17,1.89). At the within-person level, participants experienced more alcohol-related consequences on months when SAM was reported compared to months of alcohol-only (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.10,1.25) and months of concurrent alcohol and marijuana use without simultaneous use (CAM; RR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.11,1.29). Compared to alcohol-only, SAM was associated with more depressive symptoms and poorer general health at the between-person level and with more depressive symptoms at the monthly within-person level; however, SAM did not differ substantially from using neither alcohol nor marijuana or CAM for these outcomes at either the between- or within-person level. Conclusions SAM use may indicate risk for negative alcohol-related consequences, both within months of SAM use and across more extended time periods. Individuals who engage in SAM may experience worse mental and physical health than individuals who use alcohol exclusively.
Testing Platform of Chains and Sprockets for Conveyer System Designs

Abstract In discrete manufacturing, material-handling systems (MHSs) are highly customized to meet the handling requirements of products, processes, and plant layouts. However, MHSs are often built by third-party suppliers using standardized components such as chains and sprockets. With the globalization of manufacturing businesses, more and more products with similar specifications have become available on the market, and yet MHS suppliers rely heavily on physical tests to select the best components for their products. Since the selection of parts and components is critical to the quality and cost-effectiveness of MHSs, the authors are motivated to develop a systematic approach to building an experimental platform for the selection of chains and sprockets which are widely used for MHS applications. A conceptual design of experimental platform is proposed to illustrate the involved procedure, selection of sensors, and instrumentation for the evaluation of chains and sprockets for MHSs.
Human-environment interactions: Current and future directions

Foreword by Elinor Ostrom Introduction Part I: Health and Adaptation Approaches 1. A Half-Century Portrait: Health Transition in the Xavante Indians from Central Brazil 2. Balancing People, Politics, and Resources in Rural Tibet 3. Human-Wildlife Contact and Emerging Infectious Diseases Part II: Land Change and Landscape Management Approaches 4. Change in Natural Resource Management: An Experiment with 'Participatory GIS' 5. Peopled Parks: Forest Change in India's Protected Landscapes 6. Public-Private Interactions in the Conservation of Private Forests in the United States 7. The Monitoring of Land-Cover Change and Management across Gradient Landscapes in Africa Part III: Institutional and Political Ecology Approaches 8. Between Cooperation and Conflict: The Implementation of Agro-Extractive Settlements in the Lower Amazonian Floodplain 9. Conservation of Natural Resources: Which Matters -Having a Regulation or the Size of the Penalty Imposed? 10. Small-Scale Farmers and the Challenges of Environmental Conservation and Rural Development: Case Studies from the State of Sao Paulo and the Amazon Region 11. Institutional Evolution, Forest Conservation, and Rapid Change in Rural Honduras 12. Land-Use Institutions and Natural Resources in Fast-Growing Communities at the Urban-Rural Fringe Part IV: Historical and Archeological Approaches 13. Agroforestry in Tome-Acu-An Alternative to Pasture in the Amazon 14. Changing Driving Forces, Imposed Tenure Regimes, and Tree-Cover Change on Village Landscapes in the West Mengo Region of Uganda, 1890 to 2002 15. Was Agriculture a Key Productive Activity in Precolonial Amazonia? The Stable Productive Basis for Social Equality in the Central Amazon Part V. Future Directions 16. Human-Environment Research: Past Trends, Current Challenges and Future Directions Index
Visual Communication in Fishes

The intensity and spectral distribution of the light encountered by an animal species set reasonably broad operational limits for the efficient generation and reception of visual signals. This phenomenon is of special importance to fishes because aquatic environments cause profound changes in the nature of light that penetrates to any depth (Blaxter, 1970; Brezonik, 1978; James and Birge, 1938; Jerlov, 1968; Kinney et al., 1967; Tyler, 1959). The complex and variable nature of the underwater photic environment offers a unique opportunity to examine the evolutionary responses of visual receptor systems and body colors to variations in the spectral quality of ambient light. It is of particular interest to determine the extent to which organisms have evolved in directions that either make maximum use of environmental conditions or make optimal compromises in the face of conflicting structural and functional requirements. In other word: how well is the visual communication system of the organism “engineered” to perform the tasks upon which the species depends for its survival?
The Measurement of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism in Human Subjects

This chapter addresses the measurements of metabolism and blood flow of the human brain using modern functional imaging techniques, both invasive and noninvasive. These measurements provide both clinicians and neuroscientists a valuable array of observations with regard to normal brain function and the course of hemodynamic and pathophysiologic events that occur during cerebral ischemia and infarction. The accuracy of such measurements is dependent on both the spatial and the temporal resolution of the technique as well as the sampling volume. Determinations of human cerebral blood flow and metabolism can be obtained using either intrinsic signals that are the result of the natural neurochemistry and physiology of the brain or by the introduction of exogenous agents that reveal this underlying state. Those methods that use intrinsic signals to measure cerebral perfusion and aspects of metabolism include optical intrinsic signal (OIS) imaging, an intraoperative technique using light reflected off the surface of the brain, and certain forms of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The chapter presents a description of methods that use exogenous tracers such as positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), xenon-enhanced computed tomography (xenon-CT), and certain types of MRI.
A knowledge-based testing assistant

As the field of computing has evolved, the increasing level of software complexity has severely affected the capability to deliver software that works as intended. Despite progress during the past decade towards addressing the software quality problems, the software-quality problems remain. Software quality is enhanced by improved testing techniques. One of the functions of testing is the determination of expected results from selected test cases. The mechanism for making that determination is called an oracle. A methodology that provides a knowledge-based oracle to assist with the comparison of actual results with expected results is presented. The methodology is based on a dual transformation of the design to knowledge base and to the source code. A dual evaluation of selected test data in both the knowledge base and the code provide a technique for evaluating the correctness of the code for a given input value. >
Reconfigurable array design using parallel particle swarm optimization

Reconfigurable antenna arrays that are capable of radiating with multiple power patterns using a single power divider network are desirable for many applications. We use the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to perform dual-beam array optimization. Novel features of the PSO algorithm are its generality and ease of implementation over a wide range of electromagnetic problems. The problem investigated is as follows: design a reconfigurable dual-beam 20 element array such that the same amplitude distribution generates either a pencil-shaped or a sector power pattern, the difference being dependent only upon the phase distribution of the array. All excitation phases are set at 0/spl deg/ for the pencil-shaped beam, and are varied in the range -180/spl deg/</spl theta/<180/spl deg/ to form the sector pattern. This is a difficult problem because of the constraint that the same array must produce both patterns. We summarize the design parameters and specify graphically the masks within which the patterns should fit. Dual-beam patterns are achieved using the PSO to optimize the element excitation amplitude and phase directly.
Effects of Hydrothermal Cooling and Magma Injection on Mid-Ocean Ridge Temperature Structure, Deformation, and Axial Morphology

Fault development at mid-ocean ridge spreading centers is strongly dependent on the thermal state of the axial lithosphere. Thermal conditions at a ridge axis are a combined function of spreading rate, mantle temperature, magma injection, and hydrothermal circulation. In this study, we test the sensitivity of fault development in slow-spreading environments to the efficiency of hydrothermal cooling and the depth extent of magma injection near the ridge axis. A 3-D finite difference scheme is first used to calculate axial temperature structure, and deformation is then modeled in 2-D vertical sections of lithosphere using a visco-plastic finite element model. Strain-rate softening in the brittle regime is used to simulate the rate-dependence of frictional strength observed in laboratory studies. This formulation results in the formation of localized zones of high strain rate (analogous to faults) that develop in response to the rheology and boundary conditions and are not imposed a priori. Comparing our numerical experiments with observed faulting at the center and ends of several segments along the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge, we find that temperatures near the segment end must be warmer than predicted by previous models. These predicted high temperatures can be explained by either inefficient hydrothermal cooling in the shallow crust or heating of the upper mantle through magmatic accretion below the Moho. Because geophysical and geochemical evidence support efficient hydrothermal cooling in young oceanic lithosphere, we favor a model in which heat is supplied to the upper mantle beneath the ends of slow-spreading segments by either crystallization of rising asthenospheric melts or episodic lateral dike propagation from the segment center.
Modeling of bubble oscillations induced by a lithotripter pulse

In therapeutic applications of biomedical ultrasound, it is important to understand the behavior of cavitation bubbles. Herein, the dynamics of a single, spherical bubble in water are modeled using the Gilmore equation closed by an energy balance on bubble contents for calculation of pressures inside the bubble. Moreover, heat and mass transfer at the bubble wall are incorporated using the Eller‐Flynn zeroth‐order approximation for gas diffusion, an estimation of non‐equilibrium phase change based on the kinetic theory of gases, and assumed shapes for the spatial temperature distribution in the surrounding liquid. Bubble oscillations predicted by this model are investigated in response to a lithotripter shock wave. Model results indicate that vapor trapped inside the bubble during collapse plays a significant role in the afterbounce behavior and is sensitively dependent upon the ambient liquid temperature. Initial experiments have been conducted to quantify the afterbounce behavior of a single bubble as a function of ambient temperature; however, the results imply that many bubbles are present and collectively determine the collapse characteristics.
Couple Therapy With Lesbian Partners Using an Affirmative-Contextual Approach

Within the Couple and Family Therapy literature, there are few articles directly linking theory to treatment within the lesbian community. Utilizing contextual theory, the author presents a gay affirmative therapeutic approach to work with lesbian couples. The fundamental concepts of contextual therapy are uniquely suited for work with lesbian clients; particularly the four dimensions of individual psychology, relational ethics, systemic interaction, and facts. A case study is presented to highlight this therapeutic process. This article is one step in a larger systemic change related to the challenge of adapting theoretical methodology and gathering evidence for effective treatment of marginalized groups.
Neighborhood degree lists of graphs

Abstract The neighborhood degree list (NDL) is a graph invariant that refines information given by the degree sequence and joint degree matrix of a graph and is useful in distinguishing graphs having the same degree sequence. We show that the space of realizations of an NDL is connected via a switching operation. We then determine the NDLs that have a unique realization by a labeled graph; the characterization ties these NDLs and their realizations to the threshold graphs and difference graphs.
Parallel optoelectronic multiplexer architectures

Parallel optoelectronic multiplexers benefit from the large number of I/O channels available in free-space optics. The comparative advantage of parallel over serial I/O is less power dissipation per unit area and less self-inductance noise, which lead to higher performance and higher reliability, respectively. The penalty is increased communication latency, but for a given message size, the latency can be hidden with the proper choice of multiplexer architecture and optoelectronic technology. >
Parametric study for an immobilized amine sorbent in a regenerative carbon dioxide capture process

An amine-based solid sorbent process to remove CO2 from flue gas has been investigated. The sorbent consists of polyethylenimine (PEI) immobilized onto a silica (SiO2) support. Experiments were conducted in a packed-bed reactor and exit gas composition was monitored using mass spectrometry. The effects of feed gas composition (CO2 and H2O), temperature, and simulated steam regeneration were examined for both the silica support as well as the PEI-based sorbent. The gas analysis artifact of the empty reactor was also quantified. Sorbent CO2 capacity loading was compared to past thermogravimetric (TGA) results to further characterize adsorption isotherms and better define CO2 working capacity. Sorbent stability was monitored by periodically repeating baseline conditions throughout the parametric testing and replacing with fresh sorbent as needed. The concept of using this sorbent within a system where sorbent continuously flows between the absorber and regenerator was introduced. A basic tenet is to manipulate or control the level of moisture on the sorbent as it travels around the sorbent circulation path between absorption and regeneration stages to minimize its effect on regeneration heat duty.
Civil and geological engineering service-learning projects as part of a Pre-Engineering Education Collaborative

Three educational institutions in South Dakota are collaborating to develop pre-engineering courses to increase the enrollment and success of students transferring from Oglala Lakota College (OLC) to 4-year bachelor degree programs in science and engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) and South Dakota State University (SDSU) through a grant from the National Science Foundation Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP). In addition to the development and delivery of these courses, an aggressive summer schedule of service learning projects has been incorporated into the program. The objectives of these projects is to provide a hands-on introduction to science and engineering topics, promote community involvement and service, and to stimulate student interest and motivation to pursue these fields of study. This paper describes the activities of the OLC/SDSU/SDSMT Pre-Engineering Education Collaborative (OSSPEEC) program and two service learning projects related to civil and geological Engineering. Results indicate a high level of mentor involvement and coordination at each institution is an important component to a successful experience for the students. The first year of the program also indicates that student collaboration, variety in project related activities, and active community involvement help support student motivation and interest in their science and engineering related activities.
Catnip: Its Raison d'Être

Catnip (nepetalactone) is closely related chemically to certain cyclopentanoid monoterpenes recently isolated from insects, and it shares with some of these terpenes an ability to repel insects. It is suggested that the adaptive function of catnip is to protect the plants that produce it against phytophagous insects.
Coincidence-detection FDG-PET versus gallium in children and young adults with newly diagnosed Hodgkin’s disease

Coincidence-detection 18F-FDG-PET (PET) and 67Ga whole-body and SPECT (Ga) were compared in children and young adults with newly diagnosed Hodgkin’s disease (HD). Materials and methods: Thirty patients with histologically confirmed HD underwent PET with attenuation correction 1 h after injection of 150–220 MBq 18F-FDG and whole-body and SPECT imaging 72 h after injection of 250–370 MBq 67Ga citrate. Two experienced readers retrospectively reviewed PET and Ga scans, grading 13 anatomic regions from one (normal) to five (abnormal). Numerical stages were assigned based on Ann Arbor classification. Comparison was made with disease sites (established by biopsy or two or more of the following: physical examination, conventional imaging studies, radionuclide studies, and follow-up studies) and clinical stages. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated and significance of differences determined using McNemar’s test. Results: PET detected 120/138 (87%) disease sites and Ga 109/138 (79%). PET and Ga were concordant for 103/138 (75%) sites. Accuracies were not significantly different for supradiaphragmatic disease. PET was more accurate than Ga for detecting splenic (0.91 vs 0.61, P=0.012), infradiaphragmatic (0.89 vs 0.75, P=0.042), and all disease sites combined (0.95 vs 0.91, P=0.039). PET stage agreed with clinical stage in 79% of patients and Ga in 71%. Conclusion: PET was superior to Ga for evaluating children and young adults with newly diagnosed HD.
Mate Choice and Aerobic Capacity in Red Junglefowl

In 'good genes' models of sexual selection, females choose mates whose genes confer increased survival value to offspring. One possible index of male quality is aerobic capacity (the metabolic basis of sustainable exercise), which is likely to be important for fitness. If it is both heritable and ecologically valuable, high aerobic capacity would be a direct signal of male genetic quality. If aerobic capacity is phenotypically plastic but dependent on health, it may provide an indirect index of male quality in other heritable traits (e.g. pathogen resistance). We examined the relationship between courtship behaviour, aerobic capacity (measured as maximum rates of oxygen consumption), and mating success in red junglefowl (Gallus gallus). We also tested the effects of intestinal parasites (the nematode Ascaridia galli) and plasma testosterone levels on aerobic capacity and behaviour. We found no relationship between testosterone and behaviour, mating success, or aerobic capacity. A. galli infection changed the relationship between mass and aerobic capacity; infected males had lower aerobic capacity than uninfected males, but only for small males. Discriminant function analysis suggested that aerobic capacity and display behaviour, together with male ornaments (comb size and colour), were the most important factors determining the mating success of males. However, aerobic capacity and display rate were not strongly correlated, and the manner by which females can discriminate among males with differing aerobic capacity is unclear.
Evaluation of a drug abuse prevention program: a field experiment.

Abstract The central aim of this study was to evaluate Project PRIDE, a school-based affective education program offered in select schools since 1970 and throughout the entire Philadelphia Public School System since 1981. The primary purpose of the program is to increase youth's resistance to drug use and abuse through weekly small group counseling sessions. The 12 weekly student sessions focused on developing self-awareness, life skills, knowledge, and appropriate attitudes about drugs. Project PRIDE also developed training modules for teachers and parents. Evaluation was by means of a true experimental pretest-posttest design, with random assignment to treatment and control groups. Measures of attitudes, self-reported drug use, and behavioral intentions were administered to students, teachers, and parents; process evaluation measures of the student component were collected throughout the treatment period as well. Data analyses indicate that, while a few of the broad aims of the prevention program were not met, there were reliable changes in the intented direction in many of the students' attitudes and intentions. Student attitudes toward drug use and knowledge about drugs both improved. Project PRIDE participation was associated with a relative decrease in willingness to experiment with drugs, even though all groups showed strongly negative attitudes toward drug use. Treatment interacted with sex of student and/or SES on a number of items. Generally, effects were more pronounced for girls and for low SES students. All groups of participants felt they gained significant knowledge and skills from the program. Other effects for parents and teachers were infrequent and inconsistent.
Some Aspects of Species Diversity Models

It is suggested that the sequence of frequency distributions including the Poisson, negative binomial, and logarithmic may serve as useful standards for intercomparing the many measures of diversity in use of proposed. MacArthur's "broken—stick" model is shown to fall essentially into this sequence.
Chemical Laser Interactions With Human Cardiovascular Tissues

Continuous wave (cw) and repetitively pulsed (rp) hydrogen fluoride (HF) and deuterium fluoride (DF) chemical laser interactions with human cardiovascular tissues have been studied in order to understand ablation phenomenology, effects, and mechanisms under well characterized laser irradiation conditions. CW HF/DF experiments were performed on normal and atherosclerotic tissues over a broad irradiance range (3-20 kW/cm2) to determine thermal coupling coefficients and effective enthalpies of ablation as a function of laser wavelength and tissue type. Similar experiments were completed using a rp HF chemical laser with a submicrosecond pulse duration. Plume probing experiments were also performed to characterize particle formation (i.e., spallation) generated by rp laser ablation. All of the data are used to consider the physical and chemical processes associated with thermal coupling phenomenology and thermochemical pyrolysis and ablation of cardiovascular tissues irradiated by infrared lasers.
A note on the Union-Intersection character of some MANOVA procedures

Abstract A decomposition termed the matrix-decomposition of the MANOVA hypothesis is discussed. On the basis of this decomposition the Hotelling-Lawley trace statistic T 0 2 is derived as a Union-Intersection (U-I) statistic. A new derivation of the c 1 -statistic is obtained as a particular case of the U-I nature of all the procedures in a class specified by Definition 3.4.
Age differences in shape recognition through an aperture in a free-viewing situation

Young children (ages 4 to 10) show large deficits in correct shape recognition when the shapes are shown piecemeal through an aperture (Girgus & Hochberg, 1970). This study investigates whether allowing an S to self-program the sequential input results in accurate recognition performance. The stimuli used were a square, a cross, and a block “E.” The absence of self-programming in the earlier experiment apparently cannot account fully for the age-related deficits found in that research inasmuch as the results of this experiment still show a significant age effect.
SU‐FF‐T‐159: Inverse Planning for Segment‐Modulated Arc Therapy (SMART) as a 0–1 Labeling Problem

Purpose: Segment‐modulated arc therapy (SMART) is an efficient and precise radiotherapy modality which is recently available (e.g. Varian RapidArc). The purpose of this work is to propose a novel algorithm for SMART inverse planning by using the concept of binary image labeling. Method: The aim of SMART treatment planning is to find an optimal segment shape and weight for each of a series of consecutive control points to achieve a clinically favorable dose distribution. For this purpose, the planning objective is defined as the sum of a traditional dose/volume objective and a segment objective. By conceiving segmented field as a binary image (1 for open, 0 for close) defined on the MLC plane, the segment objective is set as the total‐variation of the image along the leaf‐motion direction. In the proposed algorithm, the segment shape is not managed by its boundary. Instead, a segment is directly modulated by opening or closing the pixels. To optimize the system, simulated annealing (SA) technique is utilized. Initially, a segment is set by randomly open/close the image pixels. In each step of SA, a beamlet is randomly selected and switched (0→1 or 1→0). The segment weights are determined applying quadratic programming to minimize the dose/volume objective. Then the segment objective and the total objective are calculated. SA algorithm stops when the planning criteria are satisfied. Results: The proposed algorithm was evaluated by a prostate case and it is observed that our algorithm produces a highly conformal IMRT plan. By applying the segment objective, the open pixels in a segment are gradually connected in leaf motion direction as the system converges and a deliverable segment forms. Conclusions: A novel SMART inverse planning algorithm, working on beamlet space by using binary labeling concept, was developed and tested.
Stereotactic Volumetric Resection of Thalamic Pilocytic Astrocytomas

OBJECTIVE To describe the surgical approaches, the radiographic and clinical outcomes, and the long-term follow-up of patients harboring thalamic pilocytic astrocytomas after radical resection by means of a stereotactic volumetric technique. METHODS Seventy-two patients with thalamic pilocytic astrocytomas underwent stereotactic volumetric resection by the senior author (PJK) at the Mayo Clinic between 1984 and 1993 (44 patients) and at New York University Medical Center between 1993 and 2005 (28 patients). Patient demographics, presenting symptoms, surgical approaches, neurological outcomes, pathology, initial postoperative status, and long-term clinical and radiographic follow-up were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS On preoperative neurological examinations, 54 of the 72 patients had neurological deficits; of these, 48 had hemiparesis. Postoperative imaging demonstrated gross total resection in 58 patients and minimal (<6 mm) residual tumor in 13 patients. Tumor resection was aborted in one patient. On immediate postoperative examination, 16 patients had significant improvements in hemiparesis. Six patients had worsening of a preexisting hemiparesis and one had a new transient postoperative hemiparesis. There was one postoperative death. After 13 to 20 years of follow-up in the Mayo group (mean, 15 +/- 3 yr) and 1 to 13 years of follow-up in the New York University group (mean, 8 +/- 3 yr), 67 patients were recurrence/progression-free, one had tumor recurrence, and three had progression of residual tumor. There were two shunt-related deaths. On long-term neurological follow-up, 27 patients had significant improvements in hemiparesis; one patient with a postoperative worsening of a preexisting hemiparesis remained unchanged. There were no patients with new long-term motor deficits after stereotactic resection. CONCLUSION Gross total removal of thalamic pilocytic astrocytomas with low morbidity and mortality can be achieved by computer-assisted stereotactic volumetric resection techniques. Gross total resection of these lesions confers a favorable long-term prognosis without adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy and leads to the improvement of neurological deficits.
β-sitosterol as a nonabsorbable marker of dietary lipid absorption in man

Abstract β-[su14C]Sitosterol was evaluated for its usefulness as a nonabsorbable marker of lipid absorption in intubation studies. A liquid meal, including [su3H] triolein as a marker of absorbable lipid, was used. The β-sitosterol was shown to remain well mixed with triolein in the gastric antrum, validating its suitability for this type of study. In small bowel fluid, the β-sitosterol was shown to partition into the aqueous phase in proportion to triolein and its hydrolysis products. With this system, lipid absorption was shown to take place chiefly in the jejunum in normal individuals.
Modulation of tumor necrosis factor activities by a potential anticachexia compound, hydrazine sulfate.

Abstract Experiments were performed to determine the effects of hydrazine sulfate (HS), a potential anticachexia agent, on tumor necrosis factor activities (cachectin/TNF) in vitro. We present evidence that HS significantly inhibits the lytic activity of TNF on L-929 cells, that HS has no direct effect on TNF itself, and that the minimum amount of time for maximum inhibition of TNF activity to occur after HS treatment is between 1 and 4 h. In addition to HS's effect on the cytolytic activity, we also determined its effect on the antiviral activity of TNF. We found that HS greatly potentiates TNF antiviral activity, while having no significant antiviral activity itself over a range of concentrations, that the potentiation was likely between HS and TNF-induced interferon-B1, and was maximal following 4 and 8 h of treatment with HS. Although the lytic activity of TNF has not been directly correlated with its cachectic activities, these studies provide evidence for an effect of HS on cachectin and its role in the wasting process. Furthermore, a rationale is provided for use of HS in conjunction with TNF for prevention and/or treatment of viral infection.
Steering Agencies with Short‐Term Authorizations

After World War II, the U.S. Congress began a process of engaging in what David Rosenbloom refers to as Congress-centered public administration. In this article, the author argues that the use of short-term authorizations by Congress facilitates congressional oversight and co-management of public programs. Using data from three case studies, the author shows that Congress is able to systematically, on a regularized basis, shape the overall goals, structures, and decision rules that govern agency activities. It can also promote research and analysis that will inform the reauthorization of a program by funding studies and requiring specific reports to be produced. The agencies are, in turn, able to implement the new legislative requirements over a given timeframe—typically four to six years—and do so in an environment that is relatively free from other congressional changes to the legislation underlying the program in question. During this time, the agency and Congress are able to determine what works and what does not work and to formulate changes that should be considered in the next reauthorization legislation.
Effects of methylprednisolone on plasma lipids and aortic mucopolysacchasrides of normal and cholesterol-fed rabbits.

SummaryMethylprednisolone (Medrol) was administered to normal and cholesterolfed rabbits for a period of 2 months, and its effects upon plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations and upon the content of aortic acid mucopolysaccharides (AMPS) were studied. Rabbits fed a chow diet developed both a hypercholesterolemia and a hypertriglyceridemia in response to Medrol, and the already elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels induced by cholesterol feeding were further elevated by Medrol. Despite the hyperlipemia, none of the Medrol-treated animals developed aortic atherosclerosis. Medrol had no significant effect upon the total aortic AMPS content in control animals but it did alter the aortic AMPS content and pattern of cholesterol-fed rabbits. The most significant effect was an increase in an AMPS of low sulfate content. Since all animals fed cholesterol developed some degree of pulmonary atherosclerosis, it is postulated that the antiatherogenic action of the hormone on the aorta is more closel...
A study of jet fuel sooting tendency using the threshold sooting index (TSI) model

Fuel composition can have a significant effect on soot formation during gas turbine combustion. Consequently, this paper contains a comprehensive review of the relationship between fuel hydrocarbon composition and soot formation in gas turbine combustors. Two levels of correlation are identified. First, lumped fuel composition parameters such as hydrogen content and smoke point, which are conventionally used to represent fuel sooting tendency, are correlated with soot formation in practical combustors. Second, detailed fuel hydrocarbon composition is correlated with these lumped parameters. The two-level correlation makes it possible to predict soot formation in practical combustors from basic fuel composition data. Threshold sooting index (TSI), which correlates linearly with the ratio of fuel molecular weight and smoke point in a diffusion flame, is proposed as a new lumped parameter for sooting tendency correlation. It is found that the TSI model correlates excellently with hydrocarbon compositions over a wide range of fuel samples. Also, in predicting soot formation in actual combustors, the TSI model produces the best results overall in comparison with other previously reported correlating parameters, including hydrogen content, smoke point, and composite predictors containing more than one parameter.
Immunolocalization of exoglycoproteins (ependymins) in the goldfish brain

Exoglycoproteins (X-GPs) are a group of very abundant soluble glycoproteins in the goldfish, brain. Immunostaining with polyclonal antisera to X-GPs revealed consistent perinuclear staining in the cells of the inner and intermediate layers of the leptomeninx, which is homologous to the piaarachnoid. Immunolabelling was also prominent in the outer wall of capillaries, and in a variable population of 10–12 μm granular cells that appeared mainly near the ventricles and occasionally within the ventricles or under the meninges. In some cases, small and medium-sized lymphocytes were immunostained. Lymphocytes were sometimes associated with the granular cells, which may be hematogenous cells in transit toward the ventricles. the choroid plexus, saccus dorsalis, the roof of the third ventricle and Reissner's fiber showed strong immunostaining. The localization of the X-GPs suggests that they may contribute to maintenance of the blood-brain barrier or to regulation of immune function within the brain.