cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Demography and welfare economics

The focusing on demographic issues as an important part of welfare-economic assessment shifts the evaluative space in the direction of public discussion and social concern. A commoditycentred view of individual success and social welfare is often used in economics. But the linkage between our economic wealth and our ability to live as we would like has strong limits. This is partly because of interpersonal variations between individuals, but also because of variations in public and social arrangements (for example, for public health care, education and social security). The use of demographic perspectives can enrich economic analysis in several ways. In particular a demographically oriented system of evaluation can not only focus on variables that we all value, but it also gives us the freedom to decide what weights would be most appropriate for the exercise in which we might be engaged. The problem of valuation in welfare economics is ultimately a social-choice issue, requiring the use of explicit judgments on which the society can achieve some consensus through political processes.
The role of management attorneys in union organizing campaigns

We examine the role and effect of management attorneys in union organizing campaigns by conducting in-depth interviews with a number of management and union attorneys, union organizers, and NLRB administrators. Hypotheses are developed for future empirical testing.
Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction by Primary Coronary Angioplasty or Intravenous Thrombolysis

To the Editor: The importance of time to reperfusion among patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with thrombolytic therapy has been firmly established. Recent data suggest that time to reperfusion is a critical determinant of outcome with direct angioplasty as well.1 The primary reason balloon angioplasty has been associated with a better outcome than thrombolytic therapy in nearly all comparative randomized trials is likely that it can achieve reperfusion more rapidly in a greater number of patients.2 3 It was with considerable surprise, therefore, that I read the registry report by Danchin et al4 in which they reported that, contrary to the results of randomized trials, the outcomes of patients receiving thrombolysis and primary angioplasty in the “real world” were similar. Danchin et al’s4 study has 2 important shortcomings. First, the authors did not, in fact, perform “primary coronary angioplasty” because they included patients admitted up to 6 hours after the onset of symptoms and then performed angioplasty up to 24 hours after hospital admission. Direct coronary angioplasty refers specifically to angioplasty performed early during an infarction in patients with persistent pain …
A simplified approach to uncertainty quantification for orbits in impulsive deflection scenarios

Abstract For the majority of near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) impact scenarios, optimal deflection strategies use a massive impactor or a nuclear explosive, either of which produce an impulsive change to the orbit of the object. However, uncertainties regarding the object composition and the efficiency of the deflection event lead to a non-negligible uncertainty in the deflection delta-velocity. Propagating this uncertainty through the resulting orbit will create a positional uncertainty envelope at the original impact epoch. We calculate a simplified analytic evolution for impulsively deflected NEAs and perform a full propagation of uncertainties that is nonlinear in the deflection delta-velocity vector. This provides an understanding of both the optimal deflection velocities needed for a given scenario, as well as the resulting positional uncertainty and corresponding residual impact probability. Confidence of a successful deflection attempt as a function of launch opportunities is also discussed for a specific case.
Automorphism groups of Hadamard matrices

Abstract Automorphism groups of Hadamard matrices are related to automorphism groups of designs, and the automorphism groups of the Paley-Hadamard matrices are determined.
Pharmacometabolomics: Implications for Clinical Pharmacology and Systems Pharmacology

Metabolomics, the study of metabolism at an "omic" level, has the potential to transform our understanding of mechanisms of drug action and the molecular basis for variation in drug response. It is now possible to define metabolic signatures of drug exposure that can identify pathways involved in both drug efficacy and adverse drug reactions. In addition, the "metabotype," the metabolic "signature" of a patient, is a unique identity that contains information about drug response and disease heterogeneity. The application of metabolomics for the study of drug effects and variation in drug response is creating "pharmacometabolomics," a discipline that will contribute to personalized drug therapy and will complement pharmacogenomics by capturing environmental and microbiome-level influences on response to drug therapy. This field has the potential to transform pharmacology and clinical pharmacology in significant ways and will contribute to efforts for personalized therapy. This overview highlights developments in the new discipline of pharmacometabolomics.
Reduced global myocardial thallium uptake—an important marker of severe coronary artery disease: Reply

We appreciate the interest by Keeble et al. in our study concerning T1-201 scintigraphic abnormalities in patients with severe coronary artery disease (CAD) [(1)][1]. Certainly inadequate exercise is a potential cause for limited perfusion abnormalities in patients with severe disease, because the
Monitoring of corrosion in steel structures using optical fiber sensors

A prototype optical fiber sensor for monitoring corrosion on large steel structures has been designed and tested with favorable results. The sensor works by pulling a multimode fiber into a tight bend and securing it with a `corrosion fuse.' When the fuse corrodes, it eventually breaks and allows the fiber to straighten. The resulting difference in optical intensity emerging from the fiber is measurable using an OTDR or other optical detector. Initial experiments were carried out to determine the effect of bending fibers in a small radius and showed the feasibility of the device. Following, tests were performed on three in-line sensors in a simulated corrosive atmosphere and showed that this cheap and easily implemented monitoring scheme could be used to infer the presence of corrosion at different locations, and/or the degree of corrosion at a single location.
Aim, shoot, ready! Future teachers learn to ‘do’ video

This paper describes an intensive 2-hr workshop designed to introduce preservice teachers to digital video in the context of an instructional technology course or as a stand-alone activity. Acknowledging time constraints in most real-life instructional situations, this format takes novices with no or very limited knowledge of video making to the point where they have experienced most of the steps involved in crafting a finished (though almost certainly unpolished) digital video. Conversations introduce project-based collaborative learning as the pedagogical context for digital video production, the value of supporting a sense of creativity in students to promote deeper engagement with subject matter through hands-on activities, and how to involve a variety of learning modalities as opposed to predominantly passive reading and listening. Possible extensions like time-lapsed video are discussed.
Analysis of single-ended traveling-wave fault location based on continuous wavelet transform inferred from signal

This paper presents an approach based on the wavelet transform for analysing transmission line transients in order to locate faults. The basic theoretical aspects related to fault transients are first presented. Then, a methodology is proposed to estimate the fault location taking into account voltage signals only, measured from one terminal. The mother wavelets are inferred from the analysed signals, having an optimal way to identify the wave-fronts. For the case study, ATP was used to simulate a transmission line with frequency-dependent line models. The obtained test results highlight that the proposed algorithm performance is not affected by the fault resistance and operating conditions. (6 pages)
Optimum Capital Structure Redefined

Within a dynamic framework of capital growth and income generation, optimum capital structure of a firm is redefined under two alternative hypotheses. By the optimum control theory, it is shown that under conditions of perfect competition optimum equity/debt ratio of a firm can be uniquely determined in intertemporal maximization models of investor behavior. The result is new, but it is juxtaposed in the vast body of existing literature and finally compared with the Lintner-Sau and Modigliani-Miller models.
Bon Secours Health System integrates Lean Six Sigma and Knowledge Transfer to drive clinical and operational excellence

By harnessing accelerated performance improvement and rapid learning across all of its 29 facilities, Bon Secours pursues consistency, integration, quality, and transparency of patient care, even as it leverages the scale and scope of its operations for higher efficiencies. And now it's pursuing the holy grails of standardized care and a single electronic medical record for each patient. Improvement projects linked to performance gaps in balanced scorecard dashboards are executed with Lean Six Sigma methodologies and rapid-cycle improvement. Communities of Excellence then transfer improvements and replicate proven practices across facilities. This approach is helping fuel two interconnected initiatives: Clinical Transformation, the redesign of workflows—including common order sets and care plans—supported by the new ConnectCare clinical information system, which together aim to standardize 80 percent of patient care across all facilities. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Neural networks modeling of honing surface roughness parameters defined by ISO 13565

Abstract For decades, the arithmetic average (AA or R a ) and root sum of squares (RSS or R q ) have been the two major surface roughness measures to define a broad range of surfaces for a mechanical product. A number of drawbacks have been identified in recent years with the above measures. To map more scientifically and closely the surface roughness to the product functions and performances, ISO 13565 has defined a different set of measures, including R k , R pk , R vk , M r1 , and M r2 . This has not only made process planning different and much more difficult, but also made modeling of the relationship between these roughness measures and the machining parameters a multiple-input and multiple-output problem. While some companies are trying the traditional trial-and-error method to implement the ISO 13565 standard, this study applies artificial neural networks to develop an empirical model for the honing process of engine cylinder liners in order to help reduce emissions, improve oil efficiency, and prolong engine life. Threefold cross-validation is applied to develop the models. Hypothesis testing and the prediction error statistics are employed to select the best model. Data from industrial experiments based on fractional factorial design will illustrate th goodness of the modeling approach and the models.
Food intake reduction: satiation or aversion?

Intraperitoneal injections of a wide range of doses of lithium chloride (LiCl) were given to two groups of Long—Evans rats. In the first group, the effect of the drug on the eating behavior of the animals was measured. In the second group, we tested whether the rats had learned a taste aversion to flavored fluids that had been paired with the LiCl injections. The administration of doses of LiCl that produced reductions in eating in the order of 50% (P
Cocaine affects progesterone plasma levels in female rats

QUINONES-JENAB, V., L. I. PERROTTI, A. HO, S. JENAB, S. D. SCHLUSSMAN, J. FRANCK AND M. J. KREEK. Cocaine affects progesterone plasma levels in female rats. PHARMACOL BIOCHEM BEHAV 66(2) 449–453, 2000.—Female Fischer rats injected with cocaine in a “binge” pattern (15 mg/kg, IP, three times a day, at 1-h intervals) for 1 day had significantly higher levels of progesterone than saline-treated controls (p < 0.001). When analyzed by the stage of the estrous cycle, animals in proestrus showed significantly higher cocaine-induced progesterone plasma levels than those in other stages of the cycle (p < 0.01). Progesterone plasma levels were also increased after a single dose of cocaine (15 mg/kg). However, 3 h postinjection progesterone plasma levels had returned to normal. Thus, cocaine modulation of progesterone plasma levels appears to be an acute effect. In ovariectomized rats pretreated with estrogen, progesterone, or estrogen + progesterone, no significant differences were observed in progesterone plasma levels after acute “binge” pattern cocaine administration. Thus, acute cocaine induced increases in progesterone plasma levels in intact female rats are probably due to an increase in secretion rates of progesterone rather than an acceleration of its biotransformation. Due to the profound effects of progesterone in the modulation of CNS plasticity, the modulation of progesterone plasma level by cocaine may have implications for reproductive processes and neuronal functions of women. Moreover, cocaine may affect the progesterone levels in women utilizing progesterone-based contraception or steroid replacement treatment after menopause.
Vaccines for the prevention of human papillomavirus and associated gynecologic diseases: a review.

Routine vaccination programs have had a substantial impact on reducing the prevalence of a variety of infectious diseases. In light of the fact that human papillomavirus (HPV) is a prerequisite for virtually every case of cervical cancer and genital warts occurring worldwide, vaccination may be the most effective mechanism to prevent HPV infection and HPV-associated disease. HPV vaccines are created from noninfectious virus-like particles (VLPs) of the major capsid protein, L1, that closely mimic natural HPV virions. Proof-of-principle trials of monovalent vaccines that protect against high-risk HPV types such as HPV 16 or 18 have confirmed that intramuscular injection with VLPs induces the production of HPV type-specific neutralizing antibodies. A bivalent vaccine incorporating oncogenic HPV types 16 and 18 was shown to be safe, well tolerated, and 100% efficacious in preventing persistent HPV infection. A quadrivalent vaccine that protects against genital wart-causing HPV types (HPV 6 and 11) and oncogenic HPV types (HPV 16 and 18) demonstrated 100% efficacy in preventing clinical disease. Because VLP vaccines are prophylactic, vaccination before exposure to HPV will result in the greatest public health benefit; therefore, a successful vaccination program should target preadolescents and stress the importance of vaccination before sexual debut.
Pharmacological analysis of diisopropyl fluorophosphate: effects on core temperature, heart rate, and motor activity in the unrestrained rat.

Abstract Humans acutely exposed to anticholinesterase (anti-ChE) pesticides often become febrile, whereas rats and other rodents become markedly hypothermic. The rat may nonetheless be a useful model for anti-ChE toxicity because recent work using radiotelemetry demonstrated an elevation in core temperature of unrestrained rats for several days following acute exposure to the anti-ChE, diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP). To discern the mechanisms of DFP-induced hypothermia and hyperthermia, various pharmacological agents were administered acutely or chronically to rats injected with 1.5 mg/kg DFP (SC). Core temperature, heart rate, and motor activity were monitored continuously via radiotelemetry. Methylscopolamine, a peripheral muscarinic antagonist, attenuated the DFP-induced hypothermia by 1.0 °C and reversed the DFP-induced bradycardia. Chronic scopolamine, a central and peripheral muscarinic antagonist, delivered via a subcutaneously implanted minipump (9.5 mg/kg/day) blocked DFP-induced hypothermia and hyperthermia. Propranolol (10 mg/kg; SC), a general beta blocker, augmented the bradycardic effects of DFP but had no effect on body temperature. Sodium salicylate (200 and 300 mg/kg; IP), an antipyretic that inhibits prostaglandin synthesis, administered during the period of DFP-induced hyperthermia produced a transient recovery in body temperature. Overall, DFP-induced hypothermia and hyperthermia in the rat appear to be mediated via cholinergic activation in the CNS because both are blocked by scopolamine. The decrease in core temperature following sodium salicylate suggests that prostaglandin release is involved in the manifestation of DFP-induced hyperthermia. The elevation in core temperature after DFP appears to involve neurochemical pathways similar to that of fever.
Ultrasound and Medicine (A Survey of Experimental Studies)

Experimental investigations indicate that ultrasound may prove useful for therapy, for diagnosis, and for biologic measurement.Ultrasound, although it may be dangerous in unskilled hands, is an excellent agent for the structural heating of living tissues. The term “structural heating” is used to denote heating at abrupt interfaces.The living organism presents numerous abrupt interfaces.Ultrasound promises to become a reliable diagnostic tool. Either the transmitted or the reflected ultrasonic energy can be used in this application. Tumors, gallstones, kidney stones, stones in the salivary glands, foreign bodies, and abnormal collections of fluid have been located accurately.Preliminary observations on the use of ultrasound for certain biologic measurements are encouraging. Instrumentation for biologic measurement includes ultrasonic flowmeters, devices for measuring thickness of some tissue structures, and equipment for measuring the viscosity of blood.
On Computing Reliable Optimal Grasping Forces

This paper presents algorithms for optimal grasping forces. The previous work reveals that contact forces with minimal sum or maximum of normal force components can be written as positive combinations of primitive contact forces, to which the corresponding primitive contact wrenches express the required resultant wrench as their positive combination with minimum coefficients in terms of the L1 or L∞ metric. On this basis, we first propose an algorithm to compute such a set of primitive contact forces and the minimum contact forces. Moreover, considering the uncertainty in the actual friction coefficient, we develop another algorithm to determine the minimum required friction coefficient and the corresponding minimum contact forces within a given limit on their magnitude so that such contact forces are more reliable in practice. As our algorithms do not rely on any general optimization technique, they are very efficient and easy to implement. These algorithms can also be used in grasp quality evaluation and optimal grasp planning.
Influence of triple-lumen central venous catheters coated with chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine on the incidence of catheter-related bacteremia

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of triple-lumen central venous catheters coated with a combination product of chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine (CSS) in reducing the incidence of local catheter infection and catheter-related bacteremia. Design Randomized, controlled trial. Setting The surgical intensive care units in a university hospital. Patients All patients who needed central venous catheterization were randomized to receive either an uncoated triple-lumen catheter (n=157) or a catheter coated with CSS (n=151). Main Outcome Measure Catheters were removed when no longer needed or suspected as a cause of infection. The tip and a 5-cm segment of the intradermal portion of the catheter were cultured semiquantitatively. Blood cultures were obtained when clinically indicated. The remaining segment of catheters coated with CSS were cut and incubated on an agar plate with strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus . Zone of inhibition was determined 24 hours later. Data were analyzed by survival and logistic multivariate regression methods. Results Catheters coated with CSS were effective in reducing the rate of significant bacterial growth on either the tip or intradermal segment (40%) compared with control catheters (52%; P =.04). However, there was no difference in the incidence of catheter-related bacteremia (3.8% [uncoated] vs 3.3% [coated]; P =.81). In vitro activity of catheters with CSS against S aureus was evident up to 25 days but activity against Enterococcus dissipated more quickly over time and was absent by day 4. The most common colonizing organisms were coagulase-negative staphylococcus and enterococcus. Variables that were associated with a significant amount of growth on the tip or intradermal segment were a duration of catheterization of longer than 7 days, jugular insertion site, and the absence of a CSS coating. The use of a guidewire when the catheter was removed was associated with a lower risk of significant bacterial growth. Conclusions The use of CSS reduces the incidence of significant bacterial growth on either the tip or intradermal segments of coated triple-lumen catheters but has no effect on the incidence of catheter-related bacteremia. In this patient population, catheters coated with CSS provide no additional benefit over uncoated catheters.
Screening for anorexia and bulimia nervosa in a college population: Problems and limitations

In relation to prevalence studies, bulimia and anorexia nervosa symptoms have been reported to be surprisingly high, although such studies have relied upon questionnaire data. The present study examines the reliability and validity of an eating disorder questionnaire (Eating Attitudes Test) in discriminating anorexics and bulimics from a general female college population. Of an initial test sample of 162 subjects, 56 were subsequently interviewed and retested. The results indicated that the questionnaire gave a high false positive rate for both eating disorders. Discussion focuses on limitations of questionnaire data in determining bulimia prevalence rates.
Series spectra of ionized phosphorus, P-II

One hundred and ten of the strong lines of P-II have been classified as arising from various combinations between thirty-two terms of the triplet system. The observed terms are exactly those demanded by the Hund theory.
Bretylium: A prototype for future development of antidysrhythmic agents

The management of ventricular rhythm disorders and the prevention of sudden coronary death continue to be a major challenge for both the clinician and basic scientist. There is little doubt, from the very suddenness of and the ECG observations preceding or accompanying sudden coronary death, that cardiac arrhythmias are the cause of this event-either ventricular asystole or ventricular fibrillation. In view of the incidence of sudden death in patients with coronary artery disease, effective therapeutic interventions would be desirable in those who are demonstrated to be at high risk. In addition, patients who have high risk of coronary artery and left ventricular characteristics for developing a recurrent episode, need to be placed on prophylactic medical therapy. Thus survivors of myocardial infarction and that identifiable segment of the asymptomatic population with an ominous risk profile are demonstrably at very high risk of sudden death with at least two thirds of the deaths occurring in the first hour.’ There is ample evidence” attesting to the fact that sudden death is reversible. However, if an impact is to be made upon the high mortality due to sudden coronary death, it must depend upon the recognition and treatment of those at risk with the goal of preventing ventricular fibrillation by a prophylactic therapeutic regimen. In reviewing the results of long-term suppressive therapy for the prevention of sudden coronary death, Lovell” stated that “nonspecific long-term use of existing drugs holds less promise than appeared at one time to be the case. It may be that tolerable drugs which are highly effective in inhibiting ven-
The 5'-7-methylguanosine cap on eukaryotic mRNAs serves both to stimulate canonical translation initiation and to block an alternative pathway

Translational control is frequently exerted at the stage of mRNA recruitment to the initiating ribosome. We have reconstituted mRNA recruitment to the 43S preinitiation complex (PIC) using purified S. cerevisiae components. We show that eIF3 and the eIF4 factors not only stabilize binding of mRNA to the PIC, they also dramatically increase the rate of recruitment. Although capped mRNAs require eIF3 and the eIF4 factors for efficient recruitment to the PIC, uncapped mRNAs can be recruited in the presence of eIF3 alone. The cap strongly inhibits this alternative recruitment pathway, imposing a requirement for the eIF4 factors for rapid and stable binding of natural mRNA. Our data suggest that the 5' cap serves as both a positive and negative element in mRNA recruitment, promoting initiation in the presence of the canonical group of mRNA handling factors while preventing binding to the ribosome via an aberrant, alternative pathway requiring only eIF3.
The sternal gland and recruitment communication in the primitive antAneuretus simoni

In the primitive antAneuretus simoni, the only living aneuretine species, recruitment communication is mediated by the secretions of the sternal gland, whereas alarm substances are produced in the pygidial gland. This represents the first demonstration of chemical communication in this species.
The use of a CB radio-to-telephone interconnect for motorist aid communications

The increased installation of citizens' band (CB) radios in private vehicles has provided the opportunity to consider new methods of communications for motorist aid purposes. With channel 9 reserved as the emergency and assistance channel of CB radio, numerous volunteer and government organizational units throughout the United States have established networks to monitor this channel for these urgent calls. However, the extent of the roadway system in the U.S. makes total coverage of the highway system 24 h/day impractical, leaving major coverage gaps in both time and location. The technical and operational feasibility of a system which could provide wide area 24 h/day coverage with low manpower requirements is discussed. The system is called Citizens' Band--Automatic Interconnect Digital System (CB-AIDS) and uses unmanned remote stations to provide an automatic interconnect of a CB base station to a response network through the dial telephone system. Access to the system is provided by use of a digital adapter attached to the user's CB radio. This system has been installed on an experimental basis in DeKalb County, GA, through funding by the Federal Highway Administration, in order to determine the technical and operational feasibility of the concept. During the program, 100 digital adapters were produced and provided to volunteers who travel in the areas covered by three remote stations. The remote stations provide dial telephone access to either the DeKalb County Police Department Communications Center or to a volunteer Dual County Radio Emergency Associated Citizens Teams (REACTS) monitor based on user push-button selection. Following the telephone connection, voice communications proceed on a push-to-talk basis in the same manner as normal CB communications. The system was placed in operation in April, 1978, and is presently active.
Paroxysmal wave and spike activity and diagnostic sub-classification

Abstract One-hundred seventy-eight cases, presenting wave and spike activity in standard EEG recording, were reviewed with respect to type or types of seizures. The wave and spike activity was descriptively subclassified on the basis of frequency per sec. of the paroxysmal discharge. It was found that: 1. 1. (a) Only 16 per cent had seizures classified as the petit mal triad, without seizures of other types. This is in close agreement with the 1941 report of Jasper and Kershman; (b) twenty-two and a half per cent had seizures classified as grand mal (only); (c) seventy per cent of the total group had seizures of the petit mal triad, plus other seizures types (and, conversely, 30 per cent had no seizures classified as the petit mal triad). This is in closer agreement with the findings of Gibbs et al. than with those of Jasper and Kershman. 2. 2. Considering “variants” of the wave and spike as being slower or faster than the “classical” three per sec. paroxysmal pattern, or admixed with it, such variants were more evident in the clinical grand mal than the clinical petit mal triad group. Particularly, most cases exhibiting the fast 4 per sec. variant had grand mal epilepsy. Rarely did these cases exhibit petit mal symptomatology. 3. 3. Presumed organic etiology of seizures was found infrequently in those cases showing the classical 3 per sec. pattern. However, when slow variants are considered, the incidence of idiopathic and presumed organic etiology was equal; these data do not indicate that organic etiology can be accurately predicted from the fact that a slow wave and spike appears in the EEG. Idiopathic epilepsy does seem to be related to the 3 per sec. paroxysmal wave and spike.
Medical Malpractice in Hand Surgery

The rise in medical malpractice claims over the past few decades has altered physicians' practice patterns and has had a considerable financial impact on the medical community as a whole. While numerous studies have analyzed the content and effect of these claims, only a handful of articles have addressed specifically the issue of medical malpractice in hand surgery. This article outlines the available literature on malpractice in hand surgery, offers guidance to hand surgeons on managing medical malpractice claims, and discusses preventative measures they might take to limit such claims from being filed in the future. We conclude that the key measures one can take to protecting oneself legally are knowing and abiding by the standard of care, keeping patients informed and developing good relationships with them, and meticulously documenting. Although some malpractice claims are unavoidable, we believe that one can limit his or her exposure to them by incorporating these measures into their respective practices.
Clinical applications of cognitive event-related potentials in Alzheimer's disease

This article has reviewed several abnormalities in the cognitive ERPs of AD patients. These abnormalities are prominent from latencies of approximately 200 msec and later. In contrast, sensory-dependent evoked potentials, such as N100, are generally normal in AD. This finding is as one familiar with the neuropathology of AD would predict. Predilection sites in early AD include the medial temporal lobe, other limbic areas, and multimodal association cortices with sparing of primary sensory areas. Unimodal association cortex is involved in AD, but not as heavily as multimodal cortex. Particular advantages of studying a given ERP paradigm or component depend largely on the specific application or hypothesis being tested. A P300 paradigm can be useful in detecting a disorder of attention or in quantifying the effects of drugs that improve attention, such as the cholinesterase inhibitors. For the early diagnosis of AD or other memory disorders, a word-repetition paradigm with an explicit recognition task or one that fosters associative learning would be recommended. This article has discussed potential use of N400 in tracking disease progression. ERPs provide a flexible and powerful technique, with superb temporal resolution, which can be used as a probe into subtle "subclinical" abnormalities of cognitive processes. Despite being applied to AD for about 25 years since the early P300 studies, the full potential of ERPs in helping diagnose and treat AD patients has yet to be realized. In this era of rapidly evolving brain-imaging techniques, electrophysiologic data are important in advancing understanding of cognition. Brain-mapping techniques that can inform where and when key cognitive processes occur are finally emerging. A final example of potential clinical application of cognitive ERPs is in the development of rational combinational treatment of cognitive enhancing drugs. Along these lines, P300 investigations in epilepsy proved helpful in ranking the cognitive side effects of anticonvulsant drugs. Drug studies that use 2 x 2 combinational designs, which compare the effects of drug A, drug B, with A + B, are currently prohibitively expensive for full-scale clinical trials in AD. It is likely that precise ERP measures could hasten drug development in several ways. Smaller samples could be used, at lower cost, to test the cognitive effects of each specific drug combination. Optimal doses of combinational therapy perhaps could be identified by repeated within-subject ERP measures. Longitudinal changes in the ERP hold promise as a marker of individual responsivity to a particular agent, which could have diagnostic utility (eg, testing response to cholinergic or dopaminergic therapy). This horizon and many others remain wide open for well-planned explorations.
Understanding web images by object relation network

This paper presents an automatic method for understanding and interpreting the semantics of unannotated web images. We observe that the relations between objects in an image carry important semantics about the image. To capture and describe such semantics, we propose Object Relation Network (ORN), a graph model representing the most probable meaning of the objects and their relations in an image. Guided and constrained by an ontology, ORN transfers the rich semantics in the ontology to image objects and the relations between them, while maintaining semantic consistency (e.g., a soccer player can kick a soccer ball, but cannot ride it). We present an automatic system which takes a raw image as input and creates an ORN based on image visual appearance and the guide ontology. We demonstrate various useful web applications enabled by ORNs, such as automatic image tagging, automatic image description generation, and image search by image.
Bosentan prevents hypoxia-reoxygenation–induced pulmonary hypertension and improves pulmonary function

Abstract Background . Acute hypoxia results in increased pulmonary vascular resistance. Despite reoxygenation, pulmonary vascular resistance remains elevated and pulmonary function is altered. Endothelin-1 might contribute to hypoxia-reoxygenation–induced pulmonary hypertension and to reoxygenation injury by stimulating leukocytes. This study was carried out using an established model of hypoxia and reoxygenation to determine whether endothelin-1 blockade with Bosentan could prevent hypoxia-reoxygenation–induced pulmonary hypertension and reoxygenation injury. Methods . Twenty neonatal piglets underwent 90 minutes of hypoxia, 60 minutes of reoxygenation on cardiopulmonary bypass, and 2 hours of recovery. Control animals (n = 12) received no drug treatment, whereas the treatment group (n = 8) received the endothelin-1 receptor antagonist, Bosentan, throughout hypoxia. Results . In controls, pulmonary vascular resistance increased during hypoxia to 491% of baseline and remained elevated after reoxygenation; however in the Bosentan group, it increased to only 160% of baseline by end-hypoxia, then decreased to 76% at end-recovery. Arterial endothelin-1 levels in controls increased to 591% of baseline after reoxygenation. Arterial nitrite levels decreased during hypoxia in controls but were maintained in the Bosentan group. Consequently, animals in the Bosentan group had better postreoxygenation pulmonary vascular resistance, A-a gradient, and airway resistance along with lower myeloperoxidase levels than controls. Conclusions . Acute hypoxia and postreoxygenation pulmonary hypertension was attenuated by Bosentan, which maintained nitric oxide levels during hypoxia, decreased leukocyte-mediated injury, and improved pulmonary function.
Toner Adhesion in Electrophotography

The adhesion of electrophotographic toner to carrier and to photoconductor is commonly believed to be the result of electrostatic forces, van der Waals forces, or a combination of the two. We discuss the assumptions that are typically used and show that they are generally deficient. When the surface texture and geometry of the toner particles are considered, it appears that electrostatic forces should actually dominate both toner-carrier and toner-photoconductor adhesion. Data are presented to support this conclusion.
Stability via Tychonov's theorem

The stability of a quasi-linear system is investigated by assuming stability properties of associated linear systems. By this method, the task of finding suitable Lyapunov functions may be avoided in certain cases.
Envisioning power The political thought of a late eighteenth-century Mughal prince

The article reflects on the first part of the memoirs of a late eighteenth-century Mughal prince, Mirza ‘Ali Bakht Azfari, who was held prisoner in Shahjahanabad-Delhi until well into his adult yea...
There’s Still No Free Lunch: Poverty as a Composite of SES Predicts School-Level Reading Comprehension

School-level performance on standardized reading comprehension was obtained for 259 public schools in a South Florida district with 270,000 children. Eleven percent of the students were English Lan...
Mice lacking NKCC1 have normal olfactory sensitivity.

Abstract When olfactory receptor neurons respond to odors, a depolarizing Cl − efflux is a substantial part of the response. This requires that the resting neuron accumulate Cl − against an electrochemical gradient. In isolated olfactory receptor neurons, the Na + + K + + 2Cl − cotransporter NKCC1 is essential for Cl − accumulation. However, in intact epithelium, a robust electrical olfactory response persists in mice lacking NKCC1. To determine whether NKCC1 is required for normal olfactory sensitivity, olfactory sensitivity was compared between knockout (KO) mice carrying a null mutation for NKCC1 and wild-type (WT) littermates. Using operant behavioral techniques, olfactory sensitivity was measured using a commercial liquid-dilution olfactometer. Detection thresholds for the simple odorants cineole, 1-heptanol, and 1-propanol were compared in KO and WT animals. Regardless of the stimulus conditions employed, no systematic differences in behavioral thresholds were evident between KO and WT animals. We conclude that NKCC1 is not required for normal olfactory sensitivity.
Time-resolved domain dynamics in thin-film heads

A novel magnetooptic imaging technique was used to investigate the dynamics of magnetization response in thin-film head yokes. Completed head devices were excited with a sinusoidal current applied to the integrated coils. The amplitude (20 to 40 mA pp) and frequency (1 to 50 MHz) of excitation were chosen to simulate the write process. Pulsed laser illumination permitted stroboscopic observation of domain-wall and flux-flow dynamics with a time resolution limited only by the 5-ns pulse width (full width at half maximum). Results suggest that high-frequency write performance is degraded by two mechanisms not considered previously for thin-film heads: first, 180 degrees walls appear to impede the flux-flow across the plane of the wall and, second, the inhomogeneous rotational magnetization response observed is known to be much slower than the typically assumed coherent rotation. The effect of NiFe composition on dynamics was also investigated by comparing responses of two heads, one having positive and the other negative magnetostriction. Flux in the head with positive magnetostriction flows in a constricted path along yoke edges, rather than at its center, which is consistent with the significantly lower efficiency measured electrically for this head. >
Co-workers who telework and the impact on those in the office: Understanding the implications of virtual work for co-worker satisfaction and turnover intentions

Telework and other forms of virtual work have experienced dramatic growth over the last decade. While research is beginning to understand its impacts on teleworkers themselves, studies to date have not looked at its effect on those who remain in the office. This study therefore shifts the focus to non-teleworkers in offices where telework is present, to investigate if the prevalence of teleworkers in an office impacts the work outcomes of non-teleworkers. Using a sample of 240 professional employees, results suggest teleworker prevalence is negatively associated with co-worker satisfaction, and that this relationship is influenced by the amount of time co-workers telework, the extent of face-to-face interactions, and job autonomy. Moreover, a non-teleworker's satisfaction with co-workers was also found to be negatively associated with turnover intentions. Together, results suggest the need to consider the full range of telework's impacts including the potential adverse consequences for non-teleworkers.
Personalized interactive characters for toddlers' learning of seriation from a video presentation

Abstract Children's media is rooted in relationships with onscreen characters. In this study, 18-month-old toddlers were initially exposed to one of two unfamiliar interactive media characters for 3 months. Conditions varied whether the character was personalized to them or not. At age 21 months, toddlers were tested on a seriation task that was presented onscreen by the character and compared to the performance of a 21-month-old control group who did not view a video demonstration (total N = 48). Toddlers learned significantly more from the personalized character, but not from the non-personalized character, when compared to the control group. Children in the personalized condition also increased in parasocial, nurturing behaviors directed at the character during play sessions, and these scores were linked to better seriation performance. The results suggest an important role for social relationships with interactive characters to teach early seriation skills.
Recent Government Publications of Political Interest

Agricultural Credit and Cooperation in Germany. Report to the British Board of Agriculture and Fisheries of an inquiry into agricultural credit and agricultural cooperation in Germany with some notes on German livestock insurance. 1913. 474 p. 4?. Congress. Senate. (S. doc. 17.) Reprint of British report, cd. 6626. American Commission respecting Agricultural Finance, organization, co6peration, and the betterment of rural conditions, Work of. Address of Hon. Duncan U. Fletcher. 1913. 15 p. 80. Congress. Senate. (S. doc. 177.) Arbitration in Controversies between Employers and Employees. Hearings before the Committee on Interstate Commerce, U. S. Senate, on S. 2517. pt. 1. 1913. 92 p. 80. Senate. Committee on Interstate Commerce. Banking and Currency. A letter from the chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency to Joseph T. Talbert. 1913. 7 p. 80. Congress. Senate. (S. doc. 144.) Banking and Currency Legislation. Criticisms and suggestions received by the Committee on Banking and Currency, U. S. Senate, 63d Congress, on S. 2639. 1913. 52 p. 8?. Senate. Committee on Banking and Currency. Banking and Currency Legislation. Miscellaneous suggestions received by the Committee on Banking and Currency, U. S. Senate, 63d Congress, respecting proposed currency reform. 1913. 200 p. 80. Senate. Committee on Banking and Currency. Banking and Currency Legislation. Replies received by the Committee on Banking and Currency, U. S. Senate, 63d. Congress, to questions submitted by members of the committee. 1913. 124 p. 80. Senate. Committee on Banking and Currency. Banking and Currency System of the United States, Changes in the. Report from the House Committee on Banking and Currency. 1913. 166 p. 80. House. Committee on Banking and Currency. (H. rept. 69.) Conditions in the Republic of Mexico. A statement of the conditions in the Republic of Mexico with relation to the Diaz and Madero regime and the Huerta "de facto" government. 1913. 14 p. 8?. Congress. Senate. (S. doc. 153.)
Bridge to Recovery and Weaning Protocols

The discovery of substantial myocardial improvement following the mechanical unloading afforded by left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy challenged the dogma of heart failure being irreversible. Since then, a significant experience with the use of LVAD therapy as a bridge to recovery has accumulated. The discovery of substantial structural and functional changes (reverse remodeling) in the myocardium has resulted in an intensive effort to define the biologic determinants of the reversibility of these changes. Herein the scientific foundations, clinical practice, and future of the use of LVADs as a bridge to recovery are reviewed.
Query by templates: a generalized approach for visual query formulation for text dominated databases

The WWW has a great potential of evolving into a globally distributed digital document library. The primary use of such a library is to retrieve information quickly and easily. Because of the size of these libraries, simple keyword searches often result in too many matches. More complex searches involving boolean expressions are difficult to formulate and understand. This paper describes QBT (Query By Templates), a visual method for formulating queries for structured document databases modeled with SGML. Based on Zloof's QBE (Query By Example), this method incorporates the structure of the documents for composing powerful queries. The goal of this technique is to design an interface for querying structured documents without prior knowledge of the internal structure. This paper describes the rationale behind QBT, illustrates the query formulation principles using QBT, and describes results obtained from a usability analysis on a prototype implementation of QBT on the Web using the Java/sup TM/ programming language.
Generalization of the Normalization (Per-Unit) Technique

This paper presents a generalization of the normalization (per-unit) technique. The introduction of a region graph with its associated tree and cotree, a form of network equations designated as a primary system and some properties of matrix triple products, makes it possible to develop this normalization theory in a broad and mathematically rigorous form. Particular attention is paid to nominal normalization and the restrictions it imposes on the inter- relations of the normalization constants. A particularly significant result of this normalization theory is that it produces a normalized network identical with its prototype except for altered values of network parameters. The development organizes the normalization portion of the mathematical model for vast power networks into an effective structure, one which is particularly suitable for further theoretical development, digital computer calculations, and tutorial purposes.
The Importance of Zinc in Human Nutrition and Estimation of the Global Prevalence of Zinc Deficiency

This paper summarizes recent research on the importance of zinc for human health, and reviews available methods of evaluating zinc status in individuals and populations. The lack of generally accepted biomarkers of zinc status has impeded estimation of the global prevalence of zinc deficiency. Although measurement of zinc consumption and/or plasma zinc concentration can be used to assess population zinc status, few countries have collected adequate data to permit estimation of the prevalence of zinc deficiency. An alternative method, described herein, is to estimate the zinc content of national food supplies, using FAO food balance sheets; the assumed bioavailability of that zinc based on phytate: zinc molar ratios; and the relation between absorbable zinc and theoretical requirements according to country-specific demographics. The results of these analyses indicate that nearly half of the world's population is at risk for inadequate zinc intake, suggesting that public health programs are urgently needed ...