cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychometric properties of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in inpatient liver transplant candidates

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a consequence of liver disease and often diagnosed via psychometric testing. With inpatients, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) may be used as part of cognitive screening for transplant candidacy. However, the MoCA was developed to detect mild cognitive impairment in aging populations and its psychometric properties in inpatients with liver disease have not been determined. Retrospective chart review identified inpatient liver transplant candidates who were administered a MoCA as part of their neuropsychological screening and had either no cognitive dysfunction or a diagnosis of HE made by a neuropsychologist (n = 57, mean age = 48.8 ± 12.6 years). Psychometric analyses were conducted and regression analysis was performed to determine the predictive value of different variables on total MoCA scores. Internal consistency of MoCA domain scores was good (α = 0.80). Significant inverse relationships were found with Trail Making Test, Parts A and B (r's = -0.43 and -0.71, respectively). A cutoff score of 24 or below had the best sensitivity (0.72) and specificity (0.77) for identifying those with a diagnosis of HE. Increasing age and the presence of altered mental status were the strongest predictors of lower MoCA scores (both p's < 0.05, ηp2 = 0.10-0.14). The MoCA is appropriate to use with inpatient liver transplant candidates, with a cutoff of 24 or below to detect abnormal cognition. In addition to the clinical interview and other neuropsychological tests (including, but not limited to, the Trail Making Test, Parts A and B), low MoCA scores can help determine the presence of HE.
Student-Authored Case Studies as a Reflective Component of Teacher Education.

Field experiences are often conceptualized as integral to teacher education programming. However, there are often inconsistencies between the beliefs and values espoused in teacher education and those pre-service teachers encounter in schools that they must navigate to be successful. Among other strategies, writing case studies about their experiences may help pre-service teachers critically reflect on their time in schools. To illustrate the utility of student-authored case studies, data are presented from an investigation involving students in a teacher education seminar course. Results indicate that students believed they benefited from the structure of the writing assignment and thought that writing case studies helped them to prepare more completely for issues they would face in their future careers. A case study written by a student teacher is also presented and discussed. Finally, strategies for introducing and implementing student-authored case studies in PE teacher education programs are examined.
Strategic Information Spillover to Be Imitated: Incentive to Make Use of Relative Performance Evaluation

In this article, we deal with the topic of intentional information spillover using a model in which both informational- and payoff-externalities are present and the timing of agents' actions is endogenous. In this model, three players, who are heterogeneous in the quality of their information, compete with one another in a common task. According to the results, the weakly-informed players may voluntarily relinquish an option to wait, although no cost is imposed for a delay of action. When acting without a delay, they reveal their information with the hope that others will imitate them. This type of information spillover is due to their incentive, which is to make use of the relative performance evaluation structure under which a bad reputation can be shared if others are also wrong.
Institutional analysis and economic development policy: notes on the applied agenda of the Bloomington School: Extending Peter Boettke and Christopher Coyne's Outline of the Research Program of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis

Abstract This paper takes as a starting point Boettke and Coyne's argument and uses it as a vehicle in order to focus on one aspect related to the Bloomington research program that was mentioned but not elaborated by them: the applied theory agenda that this program has been inspiring. Specific concentration is placed on one particular facet of that agenda: the issue of economic development policies.
Harmonic Mappings in the Plane

Harmonic mappings in the plane are univalent complex-valued harmonic functions of a complex variable. Conformal mappings are a special case where the real and imaginary parts are conjugate harmonic functions, satisfying the Cauchy-Riemann equations. Harmonic mappings were studied classically by differential geometers because they provide isothermal (or conformal) parameters for minimal surfaces. More recently they have been actively investigated by complex analysts as generalizations of univalent analytic functions, or conformal mappings. Many classical results of geometric function theory extend to harmonic mappings, but basic questions remain unresolved. This book is the first comprehensive account of the theory of planar harmonic mappings, treating both the generalizations of univalent analytic functions and the connections with minimal surfaces. Essentially self-contained, the book contains background material in complex analysis and a full development of the classical theory of minimal surfaces, including the Weierstrass-Enneper representation. It is designed to introduce non-specialists to a beautiful area of complex analysis and geometry.
Multiubiquitin chains linked through lysine 48 are abundant in vivo and are competent intermediates in the ubiquitin proteolytic pathway

A prerequisite for the selective degradation of intracellular proteins by the ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway is the attachment of a chain of ubiquitin monomers to the targeted protein. In these multiubiquitin chains, the carboxyl-terminal glycine 76 of ubiquitin is linked via an isopeptide bond to the epsilon-amino group of lysine 48 in the adjacent ubiquitin. It remains to be determined whether these chains are preassembled and attached en masse to the target, are made by sequential conjugation of ubiquitin monomers to ubiquitins already linked to the protein, or both. Using the 20-kDa ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme TaUBC7 from wheat, we have generated free, glycine 76-->lysine 48-linked multiubiquitin chains (Ubqn), and have individually purified Ubqn species (n lysine 48 linkage. We also show in vitro that purified Ubq2 and Ubq4 are competent in activation by ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1), in transfer to E2s, and in ubiquitin-protein ligase (E3)-independent conjugation to other Ubqn species and to histones H2A/B. These data demonstrate that multiubiquitin chains exist as free, functional structures in vivo and support the possibility that at least a portion of free ubiquitin is preassembled into multiubiquitin chains prior to its attachment to proteolytic substrates.
Resolutions and Hilbert series of the unitary highest weight modules of the exceptional groups

We give a sufficient criterion on a highest weight module of a semisimple Lie algebra to admit a resolution in terms of sums of modules induced from a parabolic subalgebra. In particular, we show that all unitary highest weight modules admit such a resolution. As an application of our results we compute (minimal) resolutions and explicit formulas for the Hilbert series of the unitary highest weight modules of the exceptional groups.
Trading Current or Resistance for Metal Depth to Maintain Ledge

Prolonged changes in electrical input to aluminum reduction cells are generally undesirable, but may be imposed, either intentionally or otherwise. In either case the smelter personnel must react so as to minimize disruption to the process. One concern with respect to such changes is maintaining the protective frozen ledge on the cell walls. The depth of the molten metal pad is one process variable commonly used as a countermeasure or enabler for electrical changes. Limited changes to power input can often be accommodated by increasing or decreasing metal depth, while keeping bath depth constant. This changes the wet area for heat transfer to the ledge around the interior periphery of the cell cavity. This paper presents simple analytical expressions for maintaining ledge by changing metal height to balance changes in cell power.
Qualitative relational mapping and navigation for planetary rovers

This paper presents a novel method for qualitative mapping of large scale spaces which decouples the mapping problem from that of position estimation. The proposed framework makes use of a graphical representation of the world in order to build a map consisting of qualitative constraints on the geometric relationships between landmark triplets. This process allows a mobile robot to extract information about landmark positions using a set of minimal sensors in the absence of GPS. A novel measurement method based on camera imagery is presented which extends previous work from the field of Qualitative Spatial Reasoning. A Branch-and-Bound approach is taken to solve a set of non-convex feasibility problems required for generating off-line operator lookup tables and on-line measurements, which are fused into the map using an iterative graph update. A navigation approach for travel between distant landmarks is developed, using estimates of the Relative Neighborhood Graph extracted from the qualitative map in order to generate a sequence of landmark objectives based on proximity. Average and asymptotic performance of the mapping algorithm is evaluated using Monte Carlo tests on randomly generated maps, and a data-driven simulation is presented for a robot traversing the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars Yard while building a relational map. These results demonstrate that the system can be effectively used to build a map sufficiently complete and accurate for long-distance navigation as well as other applications. Large scale spaces can be mapped by mobile robots using qualitative relationships.Allows mobile robots to determine landmark positions without global information.Qualitative relations can be extracted from sets of monocular images.Mapped spaces can be re-traversed using a graph-based approach.Performance is evaluated using Monte Carlo tests on randomly generated maps.
Regulation of "Nutraceuticals"

The U.S. Congress, in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) established a framework for regulation of dietary supplements by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For dietary supplements, the FDA regulates labeling to limit health claims, but is not empowered to insist on rigorous studies establishing safety before marketing (as would be required for drugs or food additives). This creates a substantial potential risk to the health of the public, and serious adverse effects have been reported from some dietary supplements that are currently being marketed. The author recommends that a new category of dietary supplements, called "nutraceuticals," be established for supplements to be administered at doses that exceed normal human exposure to these agents in foods. Regulations should require that these nutraceuticals be judged safe before they are marketed.
Follower Beliefs in the Co-Production of Leadership

Drawing on a role-based approach to followership, we investigate followers’ beliefs about the co-production of leadership and examine the association of these beliefs with upward communication behaviors. We also investigate the potential moderating effects of leader consideration, leader-follower relationship quality, and autonomous work climate on the relationship between co-production beliefs and upward communication. The findings show a positive relationship between co-production beliefs and upward communication with leaders (i.e., voice and constructive resistance). Findings also show that leadership style, overall relationship quality, and autonomous work climate moderate the relationship between co-production beliefs and voice, but not constructive resistance. Interactions show that followers with weaker co-production beliefs use significantly less voice when leadership and contextual conditions were unfavorable, but that contextual conditions did not diminish the voice behaviors of those with stron...
Identification of the oncogenic kinase TOPK/PBK as a master mitotic regulator of C2H2 zinc finger proteins

// Raed Rizkallah 1 , Paratchata Batsomboon 2 , Gregory B. Dudley 2 , Myra M. Hurt 1 1 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306, United States of America 2 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306, United States of America Correspondence to: Raed Rizkallah, e-mail: raed.rizkallah@med.fsu.edu Keywords: Kinase, Mitosis, Phosphorylation, Zinc Finger Proteins, TOPK/PBK Abbreviation: ZFP: Zinc Finger Protein Received: August 26, 2014 Accepted: November 08, 2014 Published: January 13, 2015 ABSTRACT TOPK/PBK is an oncogenic kinase upregulated in most human cancers and its high expression correlates with poor prognosis. TOPK is known to be activated by Cdk1 and needed for mitotic cell division; however, its mitotic functions are not yet fully understood. In this study, we show that TOPK plays a global mitotic role by simultaneously regulating hundreds of DNA binding proteins. C2H2 zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) constitute the largest family of human proteins. All C2H2 ZFPs contain a highly conserved linker sequence joining their multi-zinc finger domains. We have previously shown that phosphorylation of this conserved motif serves as a global mechanism for the coordinate dissociation of C2H2 ZFPs from condensing chromatin, during mitosis. Here, using a panel of kinase inhibitors, we identified K252a as a potent inhibitor of mitotic ZFP linker phosphorylation. We generated a biotinylated form of K252a and used it to purify candidate kinases. From these candidates we identified TOPK/PBK, in vitro and in vivo , as the master ZFP linker kinase. Furthermore, we show precise temporal correlation between TOPK activating phosphorylation by Cdk1 and linker phosphorylation in mitosis. The identification of this fundamental role of TOPK underscores its significance as a promising novel target of cancer therapeutics.
Molossid Bats from the Late Tertiary of Florida with a Review of the Tertiary Molossidae of North America

The fossil history of molossids in the North American Tertiary is among the poorest for any family of bats. The oldest definite record is of Wallia scalopidens of middle Eocene (Uintan) age from Saskatchewan, Canada. One of the youngest records is of Eumops cf. E. perotis from the late Pliocene (late early Blancan) of Arizona, USA. New occurrences detailed herein from the middle and late Tertiary of Florida, USA, begin to fill in the 40-million-year gap between the previous records. They are: (1) an abraded upper molar of an indeterminate genus from the Brooksville 2 locality, Hernando County, of late Oligocene (Arikareean) age; (2) a large and a small upper molar pertaining to two congeneric species similar to Tadarida and Mormopterus, from the Thomas Farm local fauna, Gilchrist County, of early Miocene (early Hemingfordian) age; and (3) a distal humerus from a Tadarida of an unknown species that is larger than extant Tadarida brasiliensis and similarly sized but differently proportioned than in the extinct Pleistocene species Tadarida constantinei. The last specimen is from the Macasphalt Shell Pit, Sarasota County, and is of late Pliocene (late Blancan) age.
INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC VARIABLES AFFECTING BLOOD PRESSURE RESPONSES TO PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS

Exaggerated blood pressure (BP) responses to stress may be a mechanism or marker for the development of hypertension. In a sample of 211 healthy children between the ages of 6-18 years, we administered a psychological stressor (3 video games) while monitoring BP. If a child's BP (systolic and diastolic) values for each video game were above the median, the child was classified as hyperreactive. We found that 34, or 16%, were classified as hyperreactive. Variables investigated for possible association with hyperreactivity included gender, race, income (as a measure of socio-economic status [SES]), physical activity level, Quetelet index, age, and family history of cardiovascular disease. Only two variables were significantly associated classification as hyperreactive: race and SES. Black children were 3.5 times more likely to demonstrate hyperreactivity than white children. Likewise, children of low SES were 3.2 times more likely to demonstrate hyperreactivity than high SES children. Thus, in normotensive healthy children, low SES black children were at the highest risk of being classified as hyperreactive to a psychologic stressor, i.e., 4.7 times more likely than high SES white children. These data may have critical impact upon research investigating the pathogenesis of hypertension in black Americans. Intervention studies in high risk populations, such as low SES blacks, which attempt to reduce physiologic response to environmental stress, seem to be justified.
STANDARDIZATION OF FIBER-OPTIC PROBES FOR NEAR-INFRARED MULTIVARIATE CALIBRATIONS

The standardization of Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectrometers equipped with fiber-optic probes was investigated. FT-NIR spectra of caustic brines for an industrial process were measured on two different instruments. Calibration transfer across the instruments and probes was studied by employing calibration models built on one instrument to predict properties from spectra measured on the other. The transfer was examined by using spectra without and with preprocessing. The preprocessing methods included a Savitzky-Golay (SG) derivative polynomial filter, a procedure based on a finite impulse response (FIR) filter, and a combination of both. In addition to being a preprocessing technique, the FIR filter is also a standardization method that transforms the instrument response function of one instrument to match that of another. The transformation is performed over a moving processing window without the use of transfer standards. In this study, application of the FIR filter to first-derivative spectra provided the best multivariate calibration models and led to the successful transfer of calibration across different probes and spectrometers.
Establishment of a Multidisciplinary Hepatocellular Carcinoma Clinic is Associated with Improved Clinical Outcome

To evaluate differences in overall survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after the establishment of a multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) for HCC. Patient demographic and tumor characteristics of 355 patients diagnosed with HCC were collected between October 2006 and September 2011. Patients diagnosed after the initiation of the HCC MDC on October 1, 2010, were compared to patients diagnosed in the 4 years before. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment regimens, and overall survival were analyzed between the groups. A total of 105 patients were diagnosed in the time period after HCC MDC initiation compared to 250 patients in the previous 4 years. Patients diagnosed with HCC after the HCC MDC had fewer symptoms at presentation (64 vs. 78 %, p = 0.01) and earlier stage of tumor presentation [Barcelona Clinic for Liver Cancer (BCLC) A stage, 44 vs. 26 %, p = 0.0003; tumor, node, metastasis classification system stage 1, 44 vs. 30 %, p = 0.003) compared with patients diagnosed before MDC formation. The median time to treatment after diagnosis in the later period was significantly shorter than in the earlier time period (2.3 vs. 5.3 months, p = 0.002). On multivariate analysis, being seen in the HCC MDC remained independently associated with better overall survival (hazard ratio 2.5, 95 % confidence interval 2–3), after adjusting for BCLC stage and recipient of curative treatment. Patients diagnosed after HCC MDC initiation had a median survival of 13.2 months compared to the 4.8 months observed in patients diagnosed before MDC formation (p = 0.005). The implementation of a MDC for the evaluation and treatment of patients with HCC is associated with improved overall survival.
The Classroom as Stage: Impression Management in Collaborative Teaching.

This article explores the social-psychological process of identity negotiation in collaborative teaching, using Erving Goffman's (1959) theoretical tradition of dramaturgy to analyze the classroom ...
Role of mast cells and their mediators in failing myocardium under mechanical ventricular support

Abstract Background Mast cells have been implicated in tissue remodeling and fibroblast stimulation. We explored the effect of mechanical support by left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in failing myocardium and looked into grade and distribution of interstitial fibrosis, mast cell density, mast cell phenotypes and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) expression pre- and post-LVAD. Methods Myocardial tissue was obtained from 20 patients with end-stage cardiomyopathy at the time of LVAD implantation and LVAD removal and from 7 donor hearts not used for transplantation. Tissue sections were stained for mast cells using tryptase as a marker and the myocardial fibrosis was measured. Double staining for tryptase and chymase was performed for detection of chymase-positive mast cells. Fluorescent microscopy showed the relationship of mast cells to bFGF, and bFGF expression was quantified by Western blot. Results There was a significant increase in mast cells in heart failure vs normal myocardium. A secondary increase in mast cells occurred after long-term (>40 days) support compared with matched pre-LVAD samples (mean ± SEM; 57.4 ± 8.6 cells/10 fields vs 45.1 ± 7.6 SEM cells/10 fields, p p p Conclusions We suggest that, under long-term support, there is a change in phenotypic expression in mast cells, which can alter fibroblast functions. The decreased myocardial bFGF levels might be the result of these phenotypically altered mast cells.
A multimodel methodology for qualitative model engineering

Qualitative models arising in artificial intelligence domain often concern real systems that are difficult to represent with traditional means. However, some promise for dealing with such systems is offered by research in simulation methodology. Such research produces models that combine both continuous and discrete-event formalisms. Nevertheless, the aims and approaches of the AI and the simulation communities remain rather mutually ill understood. Consequently, there is a need to bridge theory and methodology in order to have a uniform language when either analyzing or reasoning about physical systems. This article introduces a methodology and formalism for developing multiple, cooperative models of physical systems of the type studied in qualitative physics. The formalism combines discrete-event and continuous models and offers an approach to building intelligent machines capable of physical modeling and reasoning.
Chronic phencyclidine induces behavioral sensitization and apoptotic cell death in the olfactory and piriform cortex.

In this study, we tested the hypothesis that chronic administration of phencyclidine (PCP), an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, would cause a long-lasting behavioral sensitization associated with neuronal toxicity. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were administered PCP (20 mg/kg, i.p.) once a day for 5 days, withdrawn for 72 hr, placed in locomotor activity chambers, and challenged with 3.2 mg/kg PCP. Following assessment of locomotor activity, the rats were killed and their brains processed for analysis of apoptosis by either electron microscopy or terminal dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL). In study I, PCP challenge produced a much more robust and long-lasting increase in locomotor activity in rats chronically treated with PCP than in those chronically treated with saline. In study II, clozapine pretreatment blunted the degree of sensitization caused by PCP. In study I, a marked increase in TUNEL-positive neurons was found in layer II of the olfactory tubercle and piriform cortex of rats chronically treated with PCP. Many of these neurons had crescent-shaped nuclei consistent with apoptotic condensation and margination of nuclear chromatin under the nuclear membrane. Acute PCP had no effect. Electron microscopy revealed that PCP caused nuclear condensation and neuronal degeneration consistent with apoptosis. Cell counts in layer II of the piriform cortex revealed that chronic PCP treatment resulted in the loss of almost 25% of the cells in this region. However, an increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive cells in the molecular layer suggests that this neurotoxicity also may involve necrosis. In study II, the PCP-induced neuronal degeneration was essentially completely abolished by clozapine pretreatment. This pattern of degeneration was found to coincide with the distribution of the mRNA of the NR1 subunit of the NMDA receptor. The relevance of these data to a PCP model of chronic NMDA receptor hypofunction is discussed.
Convertible Bond Issues: Evidence from Security Markets

A convertible bond (CB) is a hybrid security containing elements of both common stock and straight debt. Still, empirical investigations on CB issue announcements have failed to discern any pattern in the stock market reaction that is consistent with announcements of either common equity or straight debt issues. This study shows that (a) motives for issuing the CB and (b) its rating (and to a less extent the riskiness of the issuing firm) help explain the stock market reaction to CB issue announcements. Specifically, announcement of a CB issue with an explicitly stated motive for the use of proceeds, when coupled with a high (low) bond rating, generates a stock market response similar to a straight debt (common stock) issue. On the other hand, the preference of CB holders is dictated by the motive for the use of proceeds and the conversion premium. These findings highlight the critical importance of the motive of issue in determining reactions in both the stock and bond markets.
POSTNATAL CHANGES OF ACTIVITY OF ACID LIPASE AND NONSPECIFIC NEUTRAL ESTERASE IN RAT LIVER

Hydrolysis of the 4-methylumbelliferyl (4-MU) esters, oleate and nonanoate, was studied in homogenates of liver from suckling and adult rats. In both age groups, the pH optimum for 4-MU oleate hydrolysis was 4.0, whereas 4-MU nonanoate was hydrolyzed maximally at pH 6.5-7.0. Acid lipaee (4-MU oleate, pH 4.0) was resistant to inhibition by the organophosphate, dlethyl-p-nitrophenyl phosphate (E600), while nonspecific neutral esterase (4-MU nonanoate, pH 7.0) was sensitive to inhibition. Acid lipase and nonspecific neutral esterase differed substantially in the patterns of their postnatal development in the liver. Acid lipase activity was high during the suckling period and decreased after the third week of life to adult levels which were 50% of suckling levels. Nonspecific neutral esterase increased markedly with age, and adults attained levels 10 times those of sucklings. These experiments together with our concomitant findings of high acid lipase in the small intestine of suckling rats suggest the important metabolic role of acid lipase during the suckling period when fat intake is high. (Supported in part by NIH grants HD 08536 and HL 18723-01).
Polymer-coated quartz crystal resonators for multi-information sensing

A study of polyphosphazene-coated QCRs gas sensors using both mass and electrical loadings has been performed. In addition to the device series resonance frequency, the parallel resonant frequency was measured in an attempt to characterise the changes in the dielectric properties of the coating during the detection process. The result is a sensor with an additional parameter to improve selectivity.
Supersymmetric Rotating Black Holes and Attractors

Five-dimensional stringy rotating black holes are embedded into $N=2$ supergravity interacting with one vector multiplet. The existence of an unbroken supersymmetry of the rotating solution is proved directly by solving the Killing spinor equations. The asymptotic enhancement of supersymmetry near the horizon in the presence of rotation is established via the calculation of the supercurvature. The area of the horizon of the rotating supersymmetric black holes is found to be $\sqrt{{Z}_{\mathrm{fix}}^{3}\ensuremath{-}{J}^{2}}$, where ${Z}_{\mathrm{fix}}$ is the extremal value of the central charge in moduli space.
Experimental Comparison between On- and Off-Mass-Shell Inelasticity in π + p Scattering

Evidence is presented from a proton-proton bubble-chamber experiment at 6.6-GeV/c beam momentum that the cross-section ratio $\frac{\ensuremath{\sigma}(pp\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}p{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}n)}{\ensuremath{\sigma}(pp\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}pn)}$ for low momentum transfer to the neutron ($tl0.2$ Ge${\mathrm{V}}^{2}$) is approximately the same as the cross-section ratio $\frac{\ensuremath{\sigma}({\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}p{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}})}{\ensuremath{\sigma}({\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}p)}$ when compared as a function of invariant mass of the non-neutron system in the $\mathrm{pp}$ reactions. These results imply that (a) pion exchange dominates $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}({\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}p{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}})n$ for low momentum transfer to the neutron, in view of the recent results of Ma et al. on $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}({\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}p)n$, and (b) the off-shell corrections to the pion pole equation for $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}({\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}p{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}})n$ are similar to those for $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}({\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}p)n$; the results presented here complement those presented earlier by Colton et al. for the reactions $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}(p{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}){\ensuremath{\Delta}}^{++}$, $(p{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}){\ensuremath{\Delta}}^{++}$, and $(n{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}){\ensuremath{\Delta}}^{++}$.
Student leaders and social performance as measured by the social performance survey schedule.

There is a paucity of research on the social skills of student leaders, although studies have been conducted on other groups of students and adults. In this study, the Social Performance Survey Sch...
1032 ANTIBIOGRAMS – MONITORING ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

Monitoring of antibiotic resistance via disc diffusion or measurement of minimum inhibitory concentration is vital to optimal medical care. The compilation of these patterns of resistance and publication as antibiograms are essential in allowing physicians to intelligently administer proper antibiotic and drug regimens. We have monitored specific resistance rates plus trends of drug resistance in a children's hospital. Of major importance is the decrease of ampicillin-sensitivity by multiple microorganisms including Hemophilus influenzae, salmonella, shigella species, and several gram-negative bacteria involved in pediatric urinary tract infections. In 1979, 78% of the H. influenzae isolates were sensitive to ampicillin, as opposed to 1977 when 82% were ampicillin-sensitive. Even greater changes were seen in the Shigella species, in 1973, 100% of S. flexneri were ampicillin-sensitive and by 1979 only 37% were sensitive. Escherichia coli has gone from 85% to 46% in the same time span. Gram-negative microorganisms have undergone similar patterns with gentamicin. Klebsiella and Enterobacteriaceae have gone from 100% sensitive to gentamicin in 1973 to only 62% and 58% respectively in 1979. Other antibiotics analyzed included: penicillins, semi-synthetic penicillins, cephalosporins, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The use of pediatric antibiograms should be routine in pediatrics.
Disparity between ratios of diameters and blood flows in central pulmonary arteries in postoperative congenital heart disease using MRI.

Purpose To compare the relative severity of stenoses of right or left pulmonary arteries with differences in flow to each lung after repair of congenital heart disease (CHD). Materials and Methods A total of 15 patients with postoperative congenital heart disease underwent MRI to evaluate branch pulmonary artery stenoses. Spin-echo images and MR angiography were used to assess morphology, and velocity-encoded cine (VEC) MRI was used to measure flow in the right and left pulmonary arteries. The ratios of the narrowest diameters of the right to left pulmonary arteries (R/L size) and right to left pulmonary arterial flow (R/L flow) were compared using Spearman's correlation. F test was used to assess the significance of the regression coefficients. Results R/L size ratio varied from 0.50 to 2.66, while the R/L flow ratio varied from 0.36 to 12.02. There was an exponential relationship between R/L size and R/L flow, with r2 = 0.78 and P = 0.001. However, severity of morphologic stenoses was not clinically useful for predicting flow reduction. Prediction residuals ranged from −136% to 54% of the true R/L flow. Conclusion Anatomical evaluation of the pulmonary arteries does not predict accurately differential blood flow in patients with pulmonary stenoses. Therefore, blood flow measurements are essential when considering the need for further surgical or interventional procedures. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Occupational Differences in the Determination of U.S. Workers’Earnings: Both the Human Capital and the Structured Labor Market Hypotheses Are Useful in Analysis

. Using the older men's panel of the National Longitudinal Surveys (n = 5,000), path analysis and occupationally stratified samples, an empirical examination is made of the relative role of the human capital hypothesis and the structured labor market hypothesis in the determination of earnings. Results suggest that both hypotheses are useful in achieving an understanding of the process. There is a primary labor market (jobs with high wages, job security and mobility on promotional ladders) with individual productivity differences largely consequent from human capital differentials (investments in education, training and experience). There is also a secondary labor market (jobs with low wages, high turnover poor working conditions) in which human capital investments are not rewarded, dominated by structural influences (e.g. unionization) that, rather than individual productivity differences, explain the process by which earnings are determined.
Tribological and material properties for cartilage of and throughout the bovine stifle: support for the altered joint kinematics hypothesis of osteoarthritis

Summary Objective Prior studies suggest that ligament and meniscus tears cause osteoarthritis (OA) when changes in joint kinematics bring underused and underprepared regions of cartilage into contact. This study aims to test the hypothesis that material and tribological properties vary throughout the joint according to the local mechanical environment. Method The local tribological and material properties of bovine stifle cartilage ( N = 10 joints with 20 samples per joint) were characterized under physiologically consistent contact stress and fluid pressure conditions. Results Overall, cartilage from the bovine stifle had an equilibrium contact modulus of E c0 = 0.62 ± 0.10 MPa, a tensile modulus of E t = 4.3 ± 0.7 MPa, and a permeability of k = 2.8 ± 0.9 × 10 −3 mm 4 /Ns. During sliding, the cartilage had an effective friction coefficient of μ eff = 0.024 ± 0.004, an effective contact modulus of E c = 3.9 ± 0.7 MPa and a fluid load fraction of F ′ = 0.81 ± 0.03. Tibial cartilage exhibited significantly poorer material and tribological properties than femoral cartilage. Statistically significant differences were also detected across the femoral condyle and tibial plateau. The central femoral condyle exhibited the most favorable properties while the uncovered tibial plateau exhibited the least favorable properties. Conclusions Our findings support a previous hypothesis that altered loading patterns can cause OA by overloading underprepared regions. They also help explain why damage to the tibial plateau often precedes damage to the mating femoral condyle following joint injury in animal models. Because the variations are driven by fundamental biological processes, we anticipate similar variations in the human knee, which could explain the OA risk associated with ligament and meniscus tears.
Ethical judgments on selected accounting issues: An empirical study

This study investigates the judgments made by accounting majors when confronted with selected ethical dilemmas that pertain to accounting practice. Drawing upon literature in philosophy and moral psychology, it then examines these judgments for potential gender differences. Five case studies, each involving a specific ethical dilemma that a practicing accountant might face, were administered to 151 acounting majors (males = 67; females = 84), in four sections of intermediate accounting II at a large, state university. The results suggest that although the vast majority of participants wouldnot engage in unethical behavior, a reasonable opportunity exists to improve the participants' ethical awareness. The results do not, however, support the existence of gender differences in ethical judgments.
In Memoriam Dr. William S. Kroger (1906-1995).

(1996). In Memoriam Dr. William S. Kroger (1906-1995) International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis: Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 287-289.
Antinociceptive effects of the novel anxiolytic buspirone in three pain tests in rats

The analgesic efficacy of the novel anxiolytic buspirone in tests of acute thermal, mechanical and formalin-induced chemical-inflammatory pain were examined. Buspirone produced dose- and time-dependent analgesia in all nociceptive tests, with greatest effects against chemical and mechanical pain. Buspirone was less potent in the thermal pain test. Locomotor and overt behavioral activities were unaffected at any dose tested. These data suggest the potential use of buspirone in the management of specific types of pain.
Ischemic colitis: patterns and prognosis.

We identified 47 patients with nonocclusive ischemia of the large intestine over a seven-year period. The mean age at presentation was 56.2 years, with a 2∶2∶1 male predominance. Associated medical illnesses were diabetes (17 percent), renal failure (5 percent), and hematologie disorders (5 percent). Six patients developed ischemic colitis after aortic surgery. The mean delay in diagnosis was 1.8 days (range, three hours to 23 days). The right colon was involved in 21 patients (46 percent). Overall, 15 of 16 patients were successfully treated non-operatively with bowel rest and antibiotics; one patient who was managed nonoperatively died. Among the 31 requiring intestinal resection, enteric continuity was reestablished in 14. Second-look laparotomy in eight patients revealed further ischemia in two (20 percent). Mortality in the operative group was 29 percent (9 of 31). No patient has developed recurrent ischemia (mean follow-up, 5.3 years). Ischemic colitis often occurs without an obvious predisposing event, may involve all segments of the large intestine, and frequently requires surgery. While its course may be self-limited, elderly and diabetic patients, as well as those developing ischemia following aortic surgery or hypotension, continue to have a poor prognosis.
Parametric least squares approximation using gamma bases

We study the problem of linear approximation of a signal using the parametric gamma bases in L/sup 2/ space. These bases have a time scale parameter, which has the effect of modifying the relative angle between the signal and the projection space, thereby yielding an extra degree of freedom in the approximation. Gamma bases have a simple analog implementation that is a cascade of identical lowpass filters. We derive the normal equation for the optimum value of the time scale parameter and decouple it from that of the basis weights. Using statistical signal processing tools, we further develop a numerical method for estimating the optimum time scale. >
Juvenile exposure to ketamine causes delayed emergence of EEG abnormalities during adulthood in mice.

Abstract Background Increased susceptibility to cognitive impairment or psychosis in adulthood is associated with adolescent drug abuse. Studies in adults have identified impairments in attention and memory, and changes in EEG, as common consequences of ketamine abuse. In contrast, the effects of ketamine on the juvenile brain have not been extensively tested. This is a significant omission, since abuse of ketamine is often observed within this age group. Objectives Juvenile mice (4–6 weeks of age) were administered ketamine (20 mg/kg) for 14 days. EEG was assessed in response to auditory stimulation both at one week following ketamine exposure at 7 weeks of age (juvenile) and again at 12 weeks of age (adult). EEG was analyzed for baseline activity, event-related power and event-related potentials (ERPs). Results While no effects of ketamine exposure were observed during the juvenile period, significant reductions in amplitude of the P20 ERP component and event-related gamma power were seen following ketamine when re-tested as adults. In contrast, reductions in event–related theta were seen in ketamine-exposed mice at both time points. Conclusions Age related deficits in electrophysiological components such as P20 or event-related gamma may be due to an interruption of normal neural maturation. Reduction of NMDAR signaling during adolescence leads to delayed-onset disruption of gamma oscillations and the P20 component of the ERP. Further, delayed onset of impairment following adolescent ketamine abuse suggests that methods could be developed to detect and treat the early effects of drug exposure prior to the onset of disability.
Identification and quantification of (5′R)- and (5′S)-8,5′-cyclo-2′-deoxyadenosines in human urine as putative biomarkers of oxidatively induced damage to DNA

Biomarkers of oxidatively induced DNA damage are of great interest and can potentially be used for the early detection of disease, monitoring the progression of disease and determining the efficacy of therapy. The present work deals with the measurement in human urine of (5'R)-8,5'-cyclo-2'-deoxyadenosine (R-cdA) and (5'S)-8,5'-cyclo-2'-deoxyadenosine (S-cdA). These modified nucleosides had hitherto not been considered or investigated to be present in urine as possible biomarkers of oxidatively induced DNA damage. Urine samples were collected from volunteers, purified and analyzed by LC-MS/MS with isotope-dilution. R-cdA and S-cdA were detected in urine and quantified. Creatinine levels were also measured. In addition, we measured 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine that is commonly used as a biomarker. This study shows, for the first time, that R-cdA and S-cdA exist in human urine and can be identified and quantified by LC-MS/MS. We propose that R-cdA and S-cdA may be well-suited biomarkers for disease processes such as carcinogenesis.
Transverse magnetoresistance and thermopower in metals

The transport equation is solved for a quantum-mechanical system in a transverse magnetic field. The solution gives the linear transport coefficients for electrostatic fields and temperature gradients for electrons in metals. In term of a small expansion parameter, the solution to lowest order confirms the existing semiclassical theory on electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. We also found that the electron-phonon mass enhancement factor is present in the adiabatic thermopower. The next-higher-order approximation exhibits the anisotropic effect caused by the presence of magnetic fields and explains the experimentally observed linear magnetoresistance in simple metals under a high magnetic field.
β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) prevents sepsis-induced diaphragm dysfunction in mice

Infections induce severe respiratory muscle weakness. Currently there are no treatments for this important clinical problem. We tested the hypothesis that β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) would prevent sepsis-induced diaphragm weakness. Four groups of adult male mice were studied: controls (saline-injected), sepsis (intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharide), sepsis+HMB (injected intravenously), and HMB. Diaphragm force generation and indices of caspase 3, calpain, 20S proteasomal subunit, and double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) activation were assessed after 24 hours. Sepsis elicited large reductions in diaphragm specific force generation at all stimulation frequencies. Endotoxin also activated caspase 3, calpain, the 20S proteasomal subunit and PKR in the diaphragm. HMB blocked sepsis-induced caspase 3, 20S proteasomal and PKR activation, but did not prevent calpain activation. Most importantly, HMB administration significantly attenuated sepsis-induced diaphragm weakness, preserving muscle force generation at all stimulation frequencies (p<0.01). We speculate that HMB may prove to be an important therapy in infected patients, with the potential to increase diaphragm strength, to reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation and to decrease mortality in this patient population
Control of the Na+,K+-pump by nerve growth factor is essential to neuronal survival.

Abstract Recently we have shown that nerve growth factor (NGF) controls the performance of the Na+, K+ -pump in its target ganglionic neurons in suspension cultures. In the present study, enriched neuronal preparations of embryonic day 8 (E8) chick dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were obtained by means of a differential attachment procedure using tissue culture plastic dishes. Neurons were routinely seeded into polyornithine-coated 16 mm culture wells in the presence of NGF. After 18 h, cultures were switched to media with or without NGF, and containing either86Rb+ (as a tracer for K+) or22Na+ (as a tracer for Na ions). Over the next 12–15 h the cultures were assessed for numbers of surviving neurons and accumulated radioactivity. Cultured E8 chick DRG neurons fail to maintain their intracellular K+ concentration when deprived of NGF over 4–6 h. The NGF-deprived and K+- depleted neurons reaccumulate K+ within minutes of delayed NGF administration. The occurrence of this K+ response in culture to added NGF parallels the response occurring in E8 neuronal suspensions, including the time of onset of irreversibility. Similar experiments performed with22Na+ indicate corresponding ionic behaviors for cultured E8 DRG neurons. These NGF-controlled ionic responses in monolayer cultures occur for E7 and E10 neurons, but not E14 neurons and parallel the survival response to NGF of the same neurons. Blocking the pump performance by NGF deprivation leads to neuronal death. Identical results are obtained by addition of oubain or omission of external K+ in the presence of NGF. Partial reduction of pump performance by any one of these treatments leads to partial survival of the neuronal population in a precisely predictable manner. Therefore, control of the pump by NGF is an essential component of the NGF action on neuronal survival.
Racial and social class differences in newborn heart rate

Heart rates of 256 newborn infants were measured on the second day of life. Black babies were found to have much higher heart rates than white babies. When socioeconomic status was taken into account no heart rate differences were found between black and white babies in the poorest social class. Neither the emotional health of the mothers nor the physical health of the mothers or infants was related to newborn heart rate levels. Several hypotheses are suggested to explain these differences.