cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The contribution of NMDA receptors to the visual response in animals that have been partially monocularly deprived.

Abstract Kittens were monocularly deprived to give a partial shift in the ocular dominance histograms from their visual cortices. Responses were measured for the normal and deprived eyes at a variety of contrasts, and curves fitted to give measurements of background activity and peak visual response. The N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) antagonist d -2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (APV) was then applied, and the effect on the contrast-response curves was measured, and compared in the two eyes. In normal animals, the effect of APV on the contrast-response curve was similar in the two eyes. In monocularly deprived animals, on average, peak visual response was affected similarly in the two eyes, although there was wide variability from cell to cell. When the effect of APV on background activity was measured, there was a difference between the normal and deprived eyes. APV reduced background activity in the normal eye more than it reduced background activity in the deprived eye. In other words, the NMDA contribution to background activity in the deprived eye was reduced compared to the NMDA contribution to background activity in the normal eye. This could represent a reduction of NMDA receptors in the pathway from the deprived eye, like the reduction of acetylcholine receptors associated with the losing input at the neuromuscular junction before the nerve is eliminated.
Recent advances in the understanding of the pathology of testicular germ-cell tumors

Most testicular cancers probably arise in intratubular germ cells. This article proposes that tumorigenesis involves two steps: activation of the germ cells, which can result either in simple proliferation (intratubular atypia) or in parthenogenetic development (teratomas), and malignant transformation, either simultaneously (embryonal carcinoma) of later (tumors with restricted developmental potential). The embryonal carcinoma cells then may be able to differentiate into the other types of nonseminomatous tumors according to the traditional schema. This model implies that histologically similar tumors have different origins and destinies. The clinical implications are discussed briefly.
Fixing problems in fisheries—integrating ITQs, CBM and MPAs in management

We aim to show how some of the important interdisciplinary fixes or solutions to diverse problems observed in fisheries can complement each other. This can be achieved through methodical allocation of the rights pertaining to fisheries and simultaneous implementation of policy instruments to correct for market failures and equity concerns. We emphasize via a roadmap that there are some general principles that should be invoked when choosing between alternative structures of rights. Our examples from Sweden provide evidence of the flexibility of fishing rights and how they can be adapted to integrate fixes from different disciplines into practical fisheries management.
Patient compliance with self-directed hemoccult testing☆

Abstract A program of Hemoccult slide testing for colon cancer detection was offered to approximately 1200 persons over the age of 62 years. The program consisted of a standardized information/demonstration procedure followed by the dissemination of prepared kits with instructions for self-directed testing of the stool. Approximately 40% (N = 472) chose to enroll in the program which involved self testing at regular intervals and returning tested slides for accuracy checks. Seventy-eight percent (N = 366) of those enrolling in the program returned slides. Program noncompliers were significantly more elderly, less likely to be married, less likely to have a family physician or to have previously used Hemoccult slides, and significantly more likely to rate their eyesight as fair to poor than persons who complied by mailing back analyzed slides. Results suggest that efforts directed at increasing initial enrollment in a self-directed Hemoccult testing program may be well placed. Once enrolled, a reasonably high percentage of persons complied with self testing.
Nanopatterned Metallic Films for Use As Transparent Conductive Electrodes in Optoelectronic Devices

We investigate the use of nanopatterned metallic films as transparent conductive electrodes in optoelectronic devices. We find that the physics of nanopatterned electrodes, which are often optically thin metallic films, differs from that of optically thick metallic films. We analyze the optical properties when performing a geometrical transformation that maintains the electrical properties. For one-dimensional patterns of metallic wires, the analysis favors tall and narrow wires. Our design principles remain valid for oblique incidence and readily carry over to two-dimensional patterns.
Fracture surface analysis of free-standing diamond films

Free-standing CVD diamond disk-shaped films of varying thicknesses between ∼40 and 1000 μm were fractured in ball-on-ring flexure using a high-precision hydraulic testing machine. Some of the films were smooth on the side formerly in contact with the substrate and rough (large crystallites) on the reverse side and some of the films were polished. Raman spectroscopic examination showed some of the films to be of high quality and others to be of lower quality (higher levels of non-diamond carbon mixed with diamond phase). All fracture surfaces were examined to identify the origin of failure. Strength varied between 650 and 971 MPa, and the fracture toughness was determined from fracture surface analysis to average 8 ± 1 MPam1/2.
Adaptive state estimation for control of flexible structures

This paper proposes a new approach of obtaining adaptive state estimation of a system in the presence of unknown system disturbances and measurement noise. In the beginning, a non-optimal Kalman filter with arbitrary initial guess for the process and measurement noises is implemented. At the same time, an adaptive transversal predictor (ATP) based on the recursive least-squares (RLS) algorithm is used to yield optimal one- to p- step-ahead output predictions using the previous input/output data. Referring to these optimal predictions the Kalman filter gain is updated and the performance of the state estimation is thus improved. If forgetting factor is implemented in the recursive least-squares algorithm, this method is also capable of dealing with the situation when the noise statistics are slowly time-varying. This feature makes this new approach especially suitable for the control of flexible structures. A numerical example demonstrates the feasibility of this real time adaptive state estimation method.
Grounded research into U.S. paramilitary policing: Forging the iron fist inside the velvet glove

Police studies have paid almost no attention to the increase in the number of and significant changes in the use of police paramilitary units (PPUs) in the United States ‐ commonly known as SWAT teams. This research examines a self‐proclaimed community policing department's past and current use of its PPU using participant‐observation, in‐depth interviews, and quantitative data. The quantitative data document the increased use of the unit and the trend toward normalizing it into mainstay policing functions. The qualitative data reveal several cultural themes unique to these types of units, including a pronounced militaristic culture, a preoccupation with danger, a high level of pleasure from engaging in paramilitary activities, and an active construction of PPU's status as the “elite” police.
Generation of Low-Frequency Unstable Modes in a Coupled Equatorial Troposphere and Ocean Mixed-Layer Model

Abstract An important issue presented here is the existence of two different types of correlation between time rate of change of sea surface temperature (SST) ∂Ts/∂t and the ocean mixed-layer (OML) depth hw, depending on the ocean surface conditions. In the tropics, the net heat flux (including radiation budget) at the ocean surface is generally downward and dampens the OML turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). As the ocean surface is under weak wind forcing, the OML shallows to the Monin-Obukhov length scale due to insufficient wind-generated TKE to entrain the deep cool water into the OML. Net heat gain at the ocean surface and very little heat loss at the OML base leads to a warming OML. The thinner the OML, the warmer the OML. Therefore, ∂Ts/∂t and hw are negatively correlated; however, as the ocean surface is under strong wind forcing, the OML deepens due to sufficient wind-generated TKE to entrain the deep cool water into OML. The excessive heat loss at the OML base (entrainment heat flux) over net heat g...
Women in Higher Education: Access, Success, and the Future

Several months ago, the Georgia Association for Women in Higher Education asked me to deliver the keynote address for their annual state meeting, with a focus on the “Current Status of Women in Higher Education: Challenges and Strengths to Moving Forward.” Over time, I have given time and small donations to various women’s advocacy and educational groups; but I must admit I have not been on the forefront of tracking women’s achievements and struggles. Developing my own career; mentoring graduate students (and others on campus who needed a listening ear); and tending two boys, a husband, and several family pets kept me busy. So, I found it interesting to do the background research for this talk. Below is a brief summary of my speech and an explanation of why I think the subject raises important questions for authors and readers of Innovative Higher Education. My talk centered on women’s earliest access to higher education, recent gains in enrollment and graduation, and current leadership in executive and administrative positions. We all know that women were excluded from formal education in the earliest years of higher education. The Georgia Female College of Macon, Georgia (now Wesleyan College) and Oberlin College in Ohio led the way in admitting women students in the 1830s, approximately 200 years after Harvard (1636) had enrolled its first class of males in an institution on a frontier that was to become the United States of America. The women’s colleges of the Northeast followed soon with the founding of Vassar (1865), Wellesley and Smith (1875), and Bryn Mawr (1884). The following100 years saw state colleges and private universities open their doors to women students, and enrollments and graduations increased at an accelerated pace according to the American Council on Education’s report about Gender Equity in Higher Education: 2010. Women’s share of baccalaureate enrollment and graduation is now close to 60 percent overall, and this percentage has remained consistent since 2000. From no participation to equal participation in a century is actually great progress. However, while the numbers highlight equity, they also conceal the struggle–legal, policy, and personal–that enabled this progress. Innov High Educ (2011) 36:145–147 DOI 10.1007/s10755-011-9184-x
Trace-Element Accelerator Mass Spectrometry: A New Technique for Low-Level Impurity Measurements in Semiconductors

SIMS is a well-established technique for the measurement of impurities in semiconductor materials. It is the technique of choice for the measurement of very low levels of impurities, especially depth profiles. Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is also a well-established technique and is primarily used for measurements of abundance ratios of long-lived radionuclides, such as 14C and 36Cl to their respective stable isotopes. A combination of these techniques holds the potential for impurity determination in semiconductors at the ppt level. The new technique, Trace- Element Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (TEAMS), eliminates the problem of molecular interference which is the major constraint limiting the sensitivity of SIMS. Depth profiles for B, P and As implants in Si, obtained by TEAMS are presented below.
The Patriotic Society: Discussions and Omissions About Indians in the Peruvian War of Independence *

Few topics if any have perplexed Peruvian thinkers in the twentieth century as much as why the indigenous population has not been more fully incorporated into the nation. While the question has been posed in a number of ways from a variety of perspectives and disciplines, changing greatly over the decades, all agree that the indigenous population has not, as of the late twentieth century, been granted the rights and dignity implied by the term citizenship. Although the question has been addressed in literature, the social sciences and other academic disciplines, the answer is ultimately historical. Most analysts cast an eye on the colonial period and pay particular attention to the War of Independence. For the indigenous population, continuity more than change marked the Andean republics' rupture with Spain. Well into the republican era, “Indians” continued to pay tribute, euphemistically renamed the Contribution, and thus continued to constitute a unique fiscal and political category.
A PCR-restriction enzyme technique for determining dengue virus subgroups within serotypes

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction enzyme analysis were used to develop a rapid and simple procedure for identifying geographic subgroups of dengue virus within serotypes for epidemiologic investigations. The entire structural protein region of dengue viruses was amplified and the products were digested with the endonucleases AluI or DdeI. By comparing the restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), we recognized dengue-2 and dengue-3 subgroups that corresponded to those previously determined by oligonucleotide fingerprinting or genomic sequencing. This procedure can be performed in 2 days without the use of radioisotopes, and results can be interpreted without computer analysis. For those analyses which require only subgroup affiliations, this is a useful tool for rapidly screening multiple virus isolates.
Eventually independent sequences

The class of eventually independent sequences for a weakly mixing transformation is an isomorphism invariant that is useful for distinguishing zero entropy transformations. This invariant is used to distinguish certain weakly mixing transformations as well as certain partially mixing transformations.
Optimizing Student Learning: Examining the Use of Presentation Slides

Sensory overload and split attention result in reduced learning when instructors read slides with bullet points and complex graphs during a lecture. Conversely, slides containing relevant visual elements, when accompanied by instructor narration, use both the visual and verbal channels of a student's working memory, thus improving the chances of increasing knowledge in long-term memory and assisting the over 40 percent of students who are visual learners. Applying cognitive processing and constructivist learning theories, this paper contains best-practice sample slides for motivating student interest, relating a topic to previously learned material, creating an environment for student knowledge cocreation, and assessing learning.
Pleurodesis by autologous blood, doxycycline, and talc in a rabbit model.

Abstract Background . Management of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax or symptomatic pleural effusion often uses thoracoscopic pleurodesis, about which many questions remain. Both effectiveness and toxicity of agents currently used for pleurodesis were evaluated in a rabbit model. Methods . Agents administered were autologous blood 1 mL/kg, talc slurry (70 mg · mL −1 · kg −1 ), and doxycycline 10 mg/mL, given through a chest tube to 30 rabbits. Controls had only chest tubes inserted. At 30 days surfaces were graded by gross observation and histologic examination. Blood and lung tissue from all animals were analyzed for enzymes and blood chemistries. Results . Gross observations showed mediastinal thickening and adhesions with doxycycline, and threadlike adhesions with talc. Autologous blood was only slightly more effective than a chest tube alone. Talc significantly increased angiotensin converting enzyme activity in serum, whereas doxycycline changed liver function enzymes and produced tissue toxicity. Conclusions . Doxycycline produced effective pleurodesis but yielded remarkably severe local effects. The distant sequelae of talc and doxycycline pleurodesis—histologic changes in the contralateral lung and serum enzyme elevations—suggests undesirable systemic effects for the commonly used agents, and autologous blood exhibited no significant pleurodesis, short-term. The search for the ideal agent for chemical pleurodesis continues.
Comparative advantages of the Indian and Chinese apparel industries: an analysis of the global value chain

The research investigated comparative advantages of the Indian and Chinese apparel industries by evaluating each industry's performance. The investigation employed the global value chain framework. A wide range of secondary data were used from the Indian, Chinese and international databases. The data were synthesised and analysed at the level of each component of the global value chain: textile materials supply, manufacturing, transportation and logistics services, and marketing. The study revealed that the Chinese apparel industry had comparative advantages in the following: material supply in the MMF sector; full-package production and lean/agile manufacturing; and efficient transportation and logistics services. The Indian apparel industry had comparative advantages in: lower labour costs, production differentiation and specialisation, flexible manufacturing, and marketing. Disadvantages in the Chinese and Indian apparel industries were also identified respectively. Industrial upgrading opportunities a...
GLOBAL PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF A CRYPTIC COPEPOD SPECIES COMPLEX AND REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION BETWEEN GENETICALLY PROXIMATE “POPULATIONS”

The copepod Eurytemora affinishas a broad geographic range within the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting coastal regions of North America, Asia, and Europe. A phylogenetic approach was used to determine levels of genetic differentiation among populations of this species, and interpopulation crosses were performed to determine reproductive compatibility. DNA sequences from two mitochondrial genes, large subunit (16S) rRNA (450 bp) and cytochrome oxidase I (COI, 652 bp), were obtained from 38 populations spanning most of the species range and from two congeneric species, E. americana and E. herdmani. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a polytomy of highly divergent clades with maximum sequence divergences of 10% in 16S rRNA and 19% in COI. A power test (difference of a proportion) revealed that amount of sequence data collected was sufficient for resolving speciation events occurring at intervals greater than 300,000 years, but insufficient for determining whether speciation events were approximately simultaneous. Geographic and genetic distances were not correlated (Mantel's test; r 5 0.023, P 5 0.25), suggesting that populations had not differentiated through gradual isolation by distance. At finer spatial scales, there was almost no sharing of mtDNA haplotypes among proximate populations, indicating little genetic exchange even between nearby sites. In- terpopulation crosses demonstrated reproductive incompatibility among genetically distinct populations, including those that were sympatric. Most notably, two geographically distant (4000 km) but genetically proximate (0.96% 16S, 0.15% COI) populations exhibited asymmetric reproductive isolation at the F2 generation. Large genetic divergences and reproductive isolation indicate that the morphologically conservative E. affinisconstitutes a sibling species complex. Reproductive isolation between genetically proximate populations underscores the importance of using multiple mea- sures to examine patterns of speciation.
YBa2Cu3O7―δ coated conductor cabling for low ac-loss and high-field magnet applications

The electromechanical properties of YBa2Cu3O7−δ coated conductors under high axial compressive strain are measured; they show no irreversible degradation in critical current up to −2% strain. The high degree of elasticity of the ceramic layers in these conductors is beneficial when used in high-field applications, but has not been fully exploited. The results presented here lead to the introduction of a new method of producing YBa2Cu3O7−δ coated conductor cabling for use in low ac-loss and high-field magnet applications, where coated conductors are wound around a former with a relatively small diameter. This concept allows for full transposition of the conductors, a high cable critical current, low inductance, and a relatively high engineering current density. The feasibility of the concept is demonstrated by constructing several prototype cables and by comparing the cable critical current to that of a straight sample under axial compression.
Characterizing the General Surgery Workforce in Rural America

Background General surgeons form a crucial component of the medical workforce in rural areas of the United States. Any decline in their numbers could have profound effects on access to adequate health care in such areas. Hypothesis We hypothesize that the rural areas of the United States are relatively undersupplied with general surgeons. Design and Setting The American Medical Association’s Physician Masterfile was used to identify all clinically active general surgeons as well as their locations and characteristics. Their geographic distribution was examined using the ZIP code version of the Rural-Urban Commuting Areas. Surgeons were classified as practicing in urban areas, large rural areas, or small/isolated rural areas. Results There are currently 17 243 general surgeons practicing in the United States. Nationally, the number of general surgeons per population of 100 000 varies from 6.53 in urban areas to 7.71 in large rural areas and 4.67 in small/isolated rural areas. Only 10.6% of the nation’s general surgeons are female. Wide variations in numbers of general surgeons were found between and within individual states. General surgeons in the smallest rural areas are more likely than those in urban areas to be male (92.7% vs 88.3%, P P P Conclusions The overall size of the rural general surgical workforce has remained static over the last decade, but its demographic characteristics suggest that numbers will decline. Many rural residents have limited access to surgical services. Steps to reverse this trend are needed to preserve the viability of health care in many parts of rural America.
Amphiregulin is coordinately expressed with heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor in the interstitial smooth muscle of the human prostate.

Peptide growth factors have been proposed as mediators of smooth muscle-epithelial cell interactions in the human prostate; however, the identity of these molecules has not been established. In this study, we compared expression levels of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) encoding the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor-related receptor tyrosine kinases (ErbB1 through 4), the six EGF receptor ligands, EGF, transforming growth factor (TGF)-a, amphiregulin (ARG), HB-EGF, betacellulin, and epiregulin, and the related molecule heregulin-a ,i n a series of 10 prostate tissue specimens. Only EGF showed a diseasespecific association, with increased mRNA levels in four of five PCa specimens in comparison to matched normal tissue from the same subject. In contrast, ARG and HB-EGF mRNAs showed a coordinate pattern of expression in 7/10 specimens that was distinct from all other growth factor or receptor genes examined and from mRNAs for prostate specific antigen, the androgen receptor and GAPDH, a housekeeping enzyme. Analysis of an additional series of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer specimens from 60 individuals confirmed that ARG and HB-EGF mRNA levels varied in a highly coordinate manner (r 5 0.93; P , 0.0001) but showed no association with disease. ARG was immunolocalized largely to interstitial smooth muscle cells (SMC), previously identified as the site of synthesis of HB-EGF in the prostate, while the cognate ARG and HB-EGF receptor, ErbB1, was localized exclusively to ductal epithelial cells and carcinoma cells. Although ARG was a relatively poor mitogen for Balb/c3T3 cells in comparison to HB-EGF, it was similar in potency to HB-EGF in stimulating human prostate epithelial cell growth, suggesting that prostate epithelia may be a physiologic target for ARG in vivo. Expression of both ARG and HB-EGF mRNAs was induced in cultured prostate SMC by fibroblast growth factor-2, a human prostate SMC mitogen linked to prostate disease. These findings indicate that ARG and HB-EGF are likely to be key mediators of directional signaling between SMC and epithelial cells in the human prostate and appear to be coordinately regulated. (Endocrinology 140: 5866 ‐5871, 1999)
THIRTY‐DAY STABILITY OF SPONTANEOUS GALVANIC SKIN RESPONSES IN MAN

Measures of long-range stability of spontaneous GSRs (Galvanic Skin Response) were obtained from 23 male university students. Records were taken throughout a weekly recording period and compared with measures obtained under identical conditions 30 days later. In addition to the investigation of long-term spontaneous GSR stability, this design permitted analysis of the 24-hr stability of measured responses within each of the recording periods. Results yielded significant correlations between measures obtained 24 hr apart, as well as a significant correlation between the median weekly rates of spontaneous GSR emission taken 30 days apart. Comparison of emission rates on comparable recording days 30 days apart failed to manifest a significant relationship. Present data support earlier studies of 24-hr spontaneous GSR stability. In spite of the failure to find significant relationships between emission rates on comparable days of the two recording periods, the authors conclude that the significant relationship between median weekly rates of emission, taken 30 days apart, indicates that spontaneous GSR is an intra-individual characteristic which remains relatively stable, even over extended periods of time.
The ϱ−ππ coupling constant in lattice gauge theory

Abstract We present a method for studying hadronic transitions in lattice gauge theory which requires computer time comparable to that required by recent hadron spectrum calculations. This method is applied to a calculation of the decay ϱ → ππ .
Reconstruction of Gene Regulatory Networks from Temporal Microarray Data Using Pattern Recognition Techniques

Gene regulatory networks allow us to study and understand genes' roles in biological processes. Among others, regulatory networks help to identify pathway initiator genes and therefore potential drug targets. In this paper, we discuss mining temporal microarray data for regulatory network information. For this study we have used simulated data in order to be able to verify our results. The data set was generated using a simulation model similar to the model proposed by Wahde and Hertz (2001). For data mining, we have used order estimation criteria, in conjunction with artificial neural networks. This approach allows us to incorporate a priori biological knowledge, and thereby reduces dimensionality. This in turn produces more determined and accurate models of regulatory networks. Our experiments show that this approach produces more determined and more accurate models of the regulatory network. This was especially true in cases where the number of genes is much greater than the number of time points at which gene expression is measured.
Microsurgical replantation of an incompletely amputated penis

The use of microvascular techniques in the replantation of one partially amputated penis is presented. The advantages of these techniques are discussed. A review of the literature is included; penis-replantation results prior to the introduction of microvascular techniques are compared to results achieved since the advent of these techniques. The superior results associated with microsurgical techniques are demonstrated, and it is concluded that microsurgical replantation is the procedure of choice in the repair of penis amputations.
DRAM-Level Prefetching for Fully-Buffered DIMM: Design, Performance and Power Saving

We have studied DRAM-level prefetching for the fully buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM) designed for multi-core processors. FB-DIMM has a unique two-level interconnect structure, with FB-DIMM channels at the first-level connecting the memory controller and advanced memory buffers (AMBs); and DDR2 buses at the second-level connecting the AMBs with DRAM chips. We propose an AMB prefetching method that prefetches memory blocks from DRAM chips to AMBs. It utilizes the redundant bandwidth between the DRAM chips and AMBs but does not consume the crucial channel bandwidth. The proposed method fetches K memory blocks of L2 cache block sizes around the demanded block, where K is a small value ranging from two to eight. The method may also reduce the DRAM power consumption by merging some DRAM precharges and activations. Our cycle-accurate simulation shows that the average performance improvement is 16% for single-core and multi-core workloads constructed from memory-intensive SPEC2000 programs with software cache prefetching enabled; and no workload has negative speedup. We have found that the performance gain comes from the reduction of idle memory latency and the improvement of channel bandwidth utilization. We have also found that there is only a small overlap between the performance gains from the AMB prefetching and the software cache prefetching. The average of estimated power saving is 15%
Work in College and Subsequent Wage Rates.

This is an empirical study of early postenrollment wage determinants of white young men in the 1966 to 1971 period. Data are from the National Longitudinal Survey for young men. The focus is on student labor force status as a determinant of postenrollment wage rates. As such, the results are related to the combined employment and college enrollment goal expressed repeatedly in federal work-study programs from the 1930s to date. Results suggest that work while enrolled may not only support the student, but mitigate transition problems to full-time work after enrollment. The major result, found with OLS multiple regression techniques, is that student job holding significantly and positively increased postenrollment wage rates relative to youth who neither worked nor looked for work as students. This indirect effect implies that the social cost of the college work-study program may be less than the federal outlays if the extra work experience enables a youth to obtain a more productive and higher paying job after enrollment.
Ranking versus scale rating in conjoint analysis: Evaluating landscapes in mountainous regions in southeastern Spain☆

Abstract In order to evaluate the landscape and its agrarian components in the low mountainous region of the Alpujarras in Southeastern Spain, Conjoint Analysis (CA) was used, and both alternative ranking and rating approaches were considered as a way of assessing preferences. Data was obtained from a preference test carried out with a sample survey of 165 visitors to the area. Three main real landscape components were considered for this analysis as follows: type of vegetation layer, density of rural building and level of incline. Several levels were also considered for each component: abandoned fields, dry farming, irrigation farming and virgin lands were included for the vegetation layer; and three levels (low, intermediate and intense) were considered for the level of incline and rural building. Finally, conclusions were drawn concerning both the preferences for landscapes and the comparative analysis of the results when using either the ranking or scale rating approach. From these conclusions, some strategies have been suggested to maintain the highest valued landscape in the area, within the scope of a sustainable rural development process.
PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTION EFFECTS ON ADAPTATION, DISEASE COURSE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL PROCESSES IN CANCER

A diagnosis of cancer and subsequent treatments place demands on psychological adaptation. Behavioral research suggests the importance of cognitive, behavioral, and social factors in facilitating adaptation during active treatment and throughout cancer survivorship, which forms the rationale for the use of many psychosocial interventions in cancer patients. This cancer experience may also affect physiological adaptation systems (e.g., neuroendocrine) in parallel with psychological adaptation changes (negative affect). Changes in adaptation may alter tumor growth-promoting processes (increased angiogenesis, migration and invasion, and inflammation) and tumor defense processes (decreased cellular immunity) relevant for cancer progression and the quality of life of cancer patients. Some evidence suggests that psychosocial intervention can improve psychological and physiological adaptation indicators in cancer patients. However, less is known about whether these interventions can influence tumor activity and tumor growth-promoting processes and whether changes in these processes could explain the psychosocial intervention effects on recurrence and survival documented to date. Documenting that psychosocial interventions can modulate molecular activities (e.g., transcriptional indicators of cell signaling) that govern tumor promoting and tumor defense processes on the one hand, and clinical disease course on the other is a key challenge for biobehavioral oncology research. This mini-review will summarize current knowledge on psychological and physiological adaptation processes affected throughout the stress of the cancer experience, and the effects of psychosocial interventions on psychological adaptation, cancer disease progression, and changes in stress-related biobehavioral processes that may mediate intervention effects on clinical cancer outcomes. Very recent intervention work in breast cancer will be used to illuminate emerging trends in molecular probes of interest in the hope of highlighting future paths that could move the field of biobehavioral oncology intervention research forward.
FIXED-INTERVAL WORK HABITS OF CONGRESS

The rate at which Congress passes bills during its legislative session exhibits a fixed-interval pattern: the rate of passage is extremely low three to four months after commencement followed by a positively accelerated growth rate that continues until the time of adjournment. This scalloped configuration appears uniformly in each of the eight Congresses sampled, from 1947 to 1968, and in both sessions of each Congress.
Should we treat the andropause

Gonadal function declines with aging in women and men. Although the decrease in ovarian estrogen production occurs at the menopause in a dramatic, universal, and relatively brief time-limited manner, the decline in testosterone secretion known as the andropause develops slowly over several decades in most, but certainly not all, men. Serum total testosterone levels decline at a constant rate from the mid-thirties onward in healthy men. By the age of 70 years, only 1 in 5 men has a total testosterone level that is lower than normal, but by the ninth decade of life, 50% of men have low total testosterone levels, and more than 90% have a free testosterone index that is low (1). Because many of the catabolic sequelae associated with aging, such as sarcopenia, increased adiposity, and osteoporosis, are similar to those seen in hypogonadal young men, it has been tempting to recommend treating andropausal men with testosterone replacement therapy in a manner analogous to treating postmenopausal women with estrogenic compounds. Moreover, the successful use of androgens to treat wasting related to infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has renewed the argument that androgen therapy might prove useful to combat frailty in aging men and women (2).
Consequences of Quality Circles in an Industrial Setting: A Longitudinal Assessment

The purpose of this study was to test the consequences of implementing quality circles in an industrial setting. Using a longitudinal and experimental research design, the study tracked 73 employees organized into eight circles over a three-year period. A matched-pairs comparison group was drawn from another plant within the same company. Results indicated that attitudes, behaviors, and effectiveness all improved initially for the experimental group but then dropped back to previous levels. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Valence state of titanium in the Wark-Lovering rim of a Leoville CAI as a record of progressive oxidation in the early Solar Nebula

Abstract Simon et al. (2005) reported low Ti3+/Ti4+ values in Ti-rich pyroxenes in the Wark–Lovering rim (WL) of a Leoville CAI (144A) as compared to the interior of the inclusion. These electron microprobe analyses were interpreted as evidence that the growth of the WL rim is the manifestation of an evolution to a more oxidizing environment. Further work by Simon et al. (2007) used XANES analyses to argue for higher Ti3+ abundances and interpreted the data of Simon et al. (2005) as the result of X-ray contamination by neighboring phases, specifically spinel. Late-stage alteration was also included as a possible explanation. To investigate further the oxidation state of Ti in WL rims, we re-analyzed Leoville 144A to obtain a more complete data set of Ti3+/Ti4+ values in the Wark–Lovering rims. We conducted experiments on spinel-mixing to determine whether this was a plausible explanation for the observed paucity of Ti3+ in WL rims. While we found a wider range of Ti3+/Ti4+ in these WL rim data than in our original study, our new data show that the original conclusion that rims are lower in Ti3+/Ti4+ than interiors remains valid. We conclusively rule out spinel-mixing as an explanation for our data, and we see no clear inconsistency between our electron microprobe data and the XANES data. The WL rim of CAI Ef3 was also analyzed by EMPA and compared to the results of Leoville 144A. To predict compositional consequences of this hypothesis, we constructed a reaction space between Ti-rich pyroxene in the WL rim, perovskite, Mg(g), Ca(g), O2(g), and SiO(g). We find the oxidation of Ti3+, coupled with Ti loss via perovskite formation, explains many features of WL rim EMPA analyses. We maintain that the WL rim pyroxenes are compositionally distinct from those in the interior, and are evidence of a more oxidizing environment during WL rim formation.
Integration site preferences of the Alu family and similar repetitive DNA sequences

Numerous flanking nucleotide sequences from two primate interspersed repetitive DNA families have been aligned to determine the integration site preferences of each repetitive family. This analysis indicates that both the human Alu and galago Monomer families were preferentially inserted into short d(A+T)-rich regions. Moreover, both primate repeat families demonstrated an orientation specific integration with respect to dA-rich sequences within the flanking direct repeats. These observations suggest that a common mechanism exists for the insertion of many repetitive DNA families into new genomic sites. A modified mechanism for site-specific integration of primate repetitive DNA sequences is provided which requires insertion into dA-rich sequences in the genome. This model is consistent with the observed relationship between galago Type II subfamilies suggesting that they have arisen not by mere mutation but by independent integration events.
Transient leakage flux in small universal motors

This communication reports an investigation into the transient back-of-core flux that arises in a small universal motor. A substantial leakage flux has been shown to exist under starting conditions which is caused by excess field ampere turns saturating the core and forcing the flux into the back-of-core region.
Counseling patients regarding multiple cycles of elective oocyte cryopreservation: what have we found the second time around?

diameters and the E2 secretion in the 10ng/ml GDNF group and 100ng/ml GDNF group were significantly higher than that in the control group and 1ng/ml GDNF group (P 0.05). CONCLUSION: The human preantral follicles in the two-step serum-free fibrin-alginate three-dimensional culture system could maintain good viability. And it can be used as threedimensional culture system for the isolated follicles in vitro culture. 10ng/ml and 100ng/ml GDNF added in vitro culture medium can promote isolated human preantral follicular growth and development, and improve the secreted E2.
Modelling Geomagnetic Variations in or near an Ocean using a Generalized Image Technique

Summary A generalized image technique is described for modelling electromagnetic induction in two-dimensional systems, consisting of a thin (Price-type) ocean overlying a perfect conductor in the mantle. The method constructs a Green’s function for currents in the ocean by conformally mapping the perfect conductor boundary into a straight line. Examples are given that show the effects to be expected at an ocean-continent boundary with isotherms rising under the ocean, and at a mid-ocean rise where the high temperatures are believed to be quite shallow. The object of most magnetic variation and magnetotelluric surveys is an understanding of electrical conductivity at great depth (anywhere from 5 to 1000 km depending on the frequency band). When such studies are made near or in the ocean, the conductivity of the water is great enough to modify the fields and complicate the interpretation of the observations (Parkinson 1959); it is therefore important that theoretical studies be capable of accounting for the presence of the ocean in a realistic fashion. Price (1949) develops an approach to this problem in which the oceans are represented by an infinitesimally thin conducting sheet, with integrated conductance defined by 3 = @y, where cr is the conductivity of the water and y the vertical co-ordinate. With this approximation, 5 is allowed to vary from place to place; included in such variations are the ocean depth, salinity and temperature, of which the first is the most important. Electric currents with a component normal to the ocean surface are ignored, but we feel this is entirely reasonable. Although the ocean itself appears to be adequately described by this representation at frequencies above 2 cycles per hour, the incorporation of realistic upper mantle conductivity structures has proved more problematic. Earlier work on this topic (Roden 1964; Bullard & Parker 1970) employed the method of images, which meant that the mantle conductivity was modelled by a perfect conductor (conductivity infinite) with a horizontal surface. Schmucker’s (1971) technique enables us to deal with arbitrary horizontally layered media and, although this method was developed neglecting the Earth’s curvature and only in two dimensions, neither restriction is essential.$ The obvious way to remove the requirement of horizontal layering in the
Spectral editing for in vivo 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy

In vivo detection of carboxylic/amide carbons is a promising technique for studying cerebral metabolism and neurotransmission due to the very low RF power required for proton decoupling. In the carboxylic/amide region, however, there is severe spectral overlap between acetate C1 and glutamate C5, complicating studies that use acetate as an astroglia-specific substrate. There are no known in vivo MRS techniques that can spectrally resolve acetate C1 and glutamate C5 singlets. In this study, we propose to spectrally separate acetate C1 and glutamate C5 by a two-step J-editing technique after introducing homonuclear (13)C-(13)C scalar coupling between carboxylic/amide carbons and aliphatic carbons. By infusing [1,2-(13)C(2)]acetate instead of [1-(13)C]acetate the acetate doublet can be spectrally edited because of the large separation between acetate C2 and glutamate C4 in the aliphatic region. This technique can be applied to studying acetate transport and metabolism in brain in the carboxylic/amide region without spectral interference.
Bounds to texture components in superposed crystallographic textures

Crystallographic texture generates anisotropy that is essential to many advanced ceramic applications. For microstructures where texture components have resulted from unique material processes, the measured texture is a superposition of these independent texture components, making it difficult to characterize these unique processes independently. For superposed crystallographic textures comprised of both a random and a textured component, the volume fraction bounds of the randomly oriented texture component can be determined from the minimum value of the superposed orientation distribution function (ODF). In such textures, the maximum pole density of the textured component ODF is shown to be a function of the minimum and maximum values of the superposed ODF. An illustration of the formalism is given for a textured bismuth titanate ceramic.
Increased Susceptibility to Induction of Long-Term Depression and Long-Term Potentiation Reversal during Aging

Homosynaptic long-term depression (LTD) and reversal of long-term potentiation (LTP) were examined extracellularly at CA3-CA1 synapses in stratum radiatum of slices from adult (6-9 months) and aged (20-24 months) Fischer 344 rats. Prolonged low-frequency stimulation (LFS) (900 pulses/1 Hz) of the Schaffer collaterals depressed the initial slope of the excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) in aged but not adult rats. LTD at aged synapses was pathway-specific, persistent, and sensitive to the NMDA receptor antagonist DL-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5). Adult slices exhibited AP5-sensitive LTD in high [Ca2+] medium, whereas LTD in aged slices was blocked by high [Mg2+], suggesting that differences in Ca2+ regulation may underlie susceptibility to LTD. Despite age-related differences in LTD induction, no age difference in LTP magnitude was revealed. Additionally, LFS delivered 60 min after LTP induction resulted in similar LTP reversal for both age groups. Susceptibility differences to LTP reversal were indicated after multiple short-duration LFS bursts (30 pulses/1 Hz), with each burst separated by 10 min. Aged synapses exhibited significant reversal after a single burst and complete reversal after three LFS episodes. In adult slices, LTP reversal appeared after the fourth burst, and at no time was LTP depressed to initial baseline levels. This study provides the first characterization of homosynaptic LTD/LTP reversal in the aged animal and demonstrates that one form of plasticity, depression attributable to LFS, is increased during aging.
MATING CALL RECOGNITION IN THE GREEN TREEFROG {HYLA CINEREA): THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SOME FINE-TEMPORAL PROPERTIES

1.Two hundred and eighty-eight female green treefrogs responded in two-choice experiments using synthetic calls. The spectral properties of the sounds were similar; the fine-temporal properties were systematically varied. 2.Females preferred sounds in which the waveform periodicity was about 300/s, a rate typical of natural mating calls. They discriminated strongly against calls with periodicities of 100/s, 60/s and 50/s. Aperiodic calls and calls with periodicities of 225/s and 900/s were intermediate in attractiveness. 3.The results of four experiments indicated that periodicity preferences depended on corresponding changes in the amplitude-time envelopes of the signals. 4.Neurophysiological correlations and the implications of the behavioural results are discussed. 5.The biological significance in species recognition and in the differentiation of the mating call from other signals in the repertoire of the green treefrog is discussed.