cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Calcium Channel Blockers on Moderate or Severe Albuminuria in Diabetic, Hypertensive Patients.

Abstract Objectives Inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system are recommended for the management of albuminuria in patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus, but there is little consensus about alternative therapies. Calcium channel blockers are recommended for the management of hypertension, but the data are controversial regarding their role in patients with albuminuria. This review was designed to assess the efficacy of calcium channel blockers compared with inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system in decreasing albuminuria in diabetic, hypertensive patients with nephropathy. Methods We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov for records that compared calcium channel blockers to inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system and reported pre- and postintervention albuminuria measurements. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts for randomized, controlled trials in adults. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to select 29 trials from 855 records. We synthesized the data through a random-effects model. Results We analyzed data from 2113 trial participants with hypertension and diabetes mellitus who had the equivalent of ≥30 mg/day of urinary albumin excretion. Inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system were more effective than calcium channel blockers in decreasing albuminuria (standardized difference in means −0.442; confidence interval, −0.660 to −0.225; P Conclusions Inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system are superior to calcium channel blockers for the reduction of albuminuria in nephropathy due to hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The net clinical benefit, however, is small.
Verification of a method with low usage amount of arsenic trioxide for determining urinary iodine by As (III)-Ce4+ catalytic spectrophotometry using ammonium persulfate digestion

Objective To verify a new revised method with low usage amount of arsenic trioxide for determining urinary iodine by As(Ⅲ)-Ce4+ catalytic spectrophotometry using ammonium persulfate digestion.Methods The standard curve linearity,sample detection limit,precision and accuracy of determining urinary iodine of this modified method were verified according to "Determination Methods of Chemicals in Biological Materials".Results The linear correlative coefficients of the 0-300 μg/L range and 300-1200 μg/L range calibration curve were-0.9998--1.0000(n =6) and-0.9998--1.0000,respectively.The detection limit for iodine was 1.3 μg/L.The relative standard deviations were 1.5％ (1.1/71.3)-2.5％ (6.2/244.9) when measuring 3 urine samples with iodine concentration of 71.3-244.9 μg/L,and 0.6％(2.4/388.5)-1.7％(17.3/1018.0) when measuring 3 urine samples with iodine concentration of 388.5-1018.0 μg/L,respectively(n =6).The test results of the four urinary iodine national standard materials with iodine concentration of 73.0,206.0,556.0 and 883.0 μg,/L were all within the given value range and the average value relative deviation was 1.8％ (1.3/73.0),0.4％ (0.8/206.0),0.2％ (1.0/556.0) and-1.6％(-13.7/883.0),respectively (n =6).The average recovery was 98.8％ with a range of 93.2％ (186.3/200.0)-103.4％(51.7/50.0) when measuring 3 urine samples with iodine concentration of 64.6-144.9 μg/L and 3 urine samples with iodine concentration of 346.8-574.4 μg/L,respectively.Conclusions This new modified method greatly reduces the amount of waste containing arsenic,and can directly take urine samples with high iodine concentration to digest and determine without dilution.It is performed with good standard linear curve,better precision and high accuracy,and in line with the analysis of biological samples requirements. Key words: Urine ; Iodine ; Spectrophotometry ; Method validation
Training Preservice Practitioners to Make Data-Based Instructional Decisions

Adapting interventions based on learner progress is paramount to the effectiveness of interventions in special education and applied behavior analysis. Although there is some research on effective methods for training practitioners to make general instructional decisions (e.g., modify an intervention) based on graphed performance data, research on training individuals to make specific decisions (e.g., how to modify an intervention) is more limited. Our purpose in this study was to evaluate the effects of a training package, consisting of a brief online training and a visual decision-making model, for increasing preservice teachers’ and behavior analysts’ accuracy in making specific instructional decisions based on graphed performance data. In a multiple baseline across participants design, all participants increased their decision-making accuracy on novel graphs during assessment sessions and maintained accuracy at 1-month follow-up. The implications of these findings for training and future research on data-based decision-making are discussed.
Perceived risk of using shared mobility services during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has caused our daily routines to change quickly. The pandemic provokes public fear, resulting in changes in what modes of transport people use to perform their daily activities. It is imperative for transportation authorities to properly identify the different degrees of behavioral change among various social groups. A major factor that can substantially explain individuals’ behavioral changes is the personal risk perceptions toward using shared mobility solutions. Thus, this study explores the risk that individuals perceive while using public transit and ridesharing services (as the most widespread forms of shared mobility) during the COVID-19 pandemic. To do so, we designed and implemented a multidimensional travel-behavior survey in the Chicago metropolitan area that comprises socio-demographic information and retrospective questions related to attitudes and travel behavior before and during the pandemic. Utilizing a bivariate ordered probit modeling approach to better account for the potential correlation between unobserved factors, we simultaneously modeled the perceived risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus in case of riding transit and using ridesharing services. A wide range of factors is found to be influential on the perceived risk of using shared mobility services, including the socio-demographic attributes, built environment settings, and the virus spread. Further, our results indicate that the mitigation strategies to increase the ridership of shared mobility services should be adaptive considering the spatial variations.
Optimal Spacecraft Reorientation Trajectories Using Internal Point Masses

The problem of optimal spacecraft reorientation using internal point masses is considered. The masses can move inside the spacecraft arbitrarily but constrained by spatial constraints and subject to control constraints. Assuming linear and angular momentum conservation, both minimum energy and minimum time variants of the optimal control problem are considered and treated numerically. This problem is motivated by the question of whether existing momentum exchange devices provide optimal reorientation capabilities to the spacecraft and whether other potential devices could be devised and be beneficial in certain circumstances. The outcomes of numerical trajectory optimization for different spatial constraints and objectives are reported and discussed.
Göttingen Quantum Theory

Almost all progress in science has been paid for by a sacrifice; for almost every new intellectual achievement, previous positions and conceptions had to be given up. Thus, in a way, increasing knowledge and insight continually diminishes the scientist’s claim to quotedblleft understand” nature.
THRESHOLDS FOR MECHANICAL INJURY TO THE IN VIVO WHITE MATTER

In vivo, tissue-level, mechanical thresholds for axonal injury in the guinea pig optic nerve were determined by comparing morphological injury to estimated in vivo tissue strain. The right optic nerve of adult male guinea pigs was stretched to one of seven ocular displacement levels. Morphological injury was detected three days post-stretch with neurofilament immunohistochemical staining (NF68). A companion set of in situ experiments was used to determine the empirical relationship between ocular displacement and optic nerve stretch. Logistic regression analysis, combined with sensitivity and specificity measures and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were then used to predict strain thresholds for axonal injury. From this analysis, the authors determined three Lagrangian strain-based thresholds for morphological damage to the guinea pig white matter. The threshold intended to minimize the false positive rate was a strain of 0.34 and the threshold that minimized the false negative rate was 0.14. The threshold criteria that balanced the specificity and sensitivity measures was 0.21. With this threshold data, one may gain new insights into the occurrence of DAI in man.
Fluid‐structure interaction of a morphing symmetrical wind turbine blade subjected to variable load

SUMMARY A brief summary of the main challenges of rotor design in wind energy conversion (WEC) systems, most notably the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT), are presented. One of the limiting factors in HAWT design is choosing the rated capacity to maximize power output and turbine longevity. One such strategy to accomplish this goal is to widen the operational range of the WEC system by using pitch or torque control, which can be costly and subject to mechanical failure. We present a morphing airfoil concept, which passively controls airfoil pitch through elastic deformation. As a justification of the concept, a two-dimensional fluid-structure interaction routine is used to simulate the aeroelastic response of a symmetric NACA 0012 blade subjected to variable loading. The results suggest that the morphing blade can be designed to offer superior average lift to drag ratios over a specified range of attack angles by up to 4.2%, and possibly even higher. This infers that the morphing blade design can increase the power production of WEC systems while conceivably reducing cost because the passive deformation of the morphing turbine does not require active control systems that come at an added upfront and maintenance cost. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
What is the optimum amount of organizational slack

Abstract The relationship between organizational slack and innovation has remained an unanswered empirical question for decades and theorists continue to argue over the basic issue of whether slack facilitates or inhibits innovation. Opponents of slack claim that slack relaxes incentives to innovate and encourages wasteful investment in R&D activities, while its proponents counter that slack resources allow individuals and departments to experiment with projects that might lead to important innovations. In this article, Nitin Nohria and Ranjay Gulati attempt to reconcile the theoretical debate by postulating that slack is neither inherently destructive to an organization, nor is it a fail-safe cure. By discouraging any form of experimentation whose success is uncertain, too little slack inhibits innovation. Similarly, an abundance of slack inhibits innovation by fostering complacency and lax controls. These two extremes suggest the notion that an intermediate level of slack is optimal for innovation in any organizational setting. Multivariate analyses of survey data from 264 functional departments of two multinational corporations support the authors' proposition that both too much and too little slack are detrimental for innovation. Thus, the authors argue that rather than focusing on whether slack has a uniformly positive or negative effect on innovation, theorists and managers should instead ask the question, ‘What is the optimal amount of slack?’
ROTATORY COLONIES OF THE CORALS SIDERASTREA RADIANS AND SOLENASTRAEA SSP. (CNIDARIA, SCLERACTINIA), FROM THE PLEISTOCENE BERMONT FORMATION, SOUTH FLORIDA, USA

Study of corallum shape in Siderastrea and Sole- nastraea colonies collected from Pleistocene Bermont strata in western Palm Beach County, Florida, indicates that the corals are rotatory, formed by rolling during growth on the Pleistocene sea floor. Growth of a radial and centrifugal nat- ure away from the corallum centre suggests that rolling was sufficiently frequent and energetic to maintain the health of individual polyps along the skeleton's entire spherical sur- face with no evidence of growth stoppage. Post-mortem sponge boring accompanied by that of sipunculid worms and boring by the bivalves Gastrochaena and Lithophaga during coral colony life is common. Colonization by cirri- peds (barnacles) on some live colonies also occurred, but these are most commonly overgrown. Boring of rotatory coralla decreased the mass of the skeleton and probably increased the ease and frequency of rolling. Comparison with modern rotatory specimens of S. radians from Rodri- guez Bank indicates that the Pleistocene corals were not greatly modified during diagenesis, given their comparable densities. Diameters of both groups of corals are utilised to calculate levels of shear velocities necessary to move them, based on hydrodynamics of rounded sediment of compara- ble size. The presence of these rotatory coralla, by analogy, strongly suggest that Bermont sediments in the study area accumulated on shallow shelf areas populated by numerous other free-living corals along with fewer fixed corals, accom- panying a diverse molluscan assemblage, all indicative of a Thalassia (turtle-grass) community. Nearshore, wave data recorded along Florida's present-day east coast, in contrast to conditions along the west coast, indicate that sufficient wave-generated velocities are present to cause regular rota- tion of Siderastrea and Solenastraea, and would likely have done so during the Pleistocene.
Paediatric laser DCR.

. Purpose: Endoscopic laser dacrocystorhinostomy is an alternative procedure to external approach DCR in children. We report our results with 5 patients (6 eyes) with congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Methods: Six endonasal DCR's were carried out using the KTP laser in patients with congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction resistant to probing and intubation. Results: The follow-up ranged from 3–8 months. All patients experienced a recurrence of their symptoms postoperatively. Conclusion: Endoscopic laser assisted DCR is not a successful procedure in children.
Substance abuse-related P300 differences in response to an implicit memory task.

Abstract The current study examined electrophysiological measures of cognitive efficiency in alcoholics and controls using a negative priming paradigm derived from DeSchepper and Treisman (J. Exp. Psychol. Learn. Mem. Cog. 22 (1996) 27). In this task, sets of novel shapes were presented: Two overlapping green and red shapes on the left and a single white shape on the right. Participants were instructed to ignore the red shape, but to determine whether the green shape was the same as or different from the white shape. On primed trials, previously red (to be ignored; i.e., irrelevant) shapes became green (relevant) shapes in a second component of the task. Participants who were capable of ignoring irrelevant stimuli were expected to experience more difficulty in the primed condition. Therefore, we predicted that, if alcohol-related impairment in cognitive efficiency is due to inability to respond “appropriately” (i.e., ignore irrelevant stimuli), alcoholics would experience less negative priming than normal controls. Both amplitude and latency of the P300 component of the event-related potential were measured in response to each trial condition. Using a 2×2 (group×condition) ANOVA with repeated conditions, a significant pattern of group×condition interactions was observed at right frontal, F4 ( p =.05) and central parietal, Pz ( p =.03) electrode sites on measures of P300 amplitude. A significant group×condition latency interaction was observed at the central parietal electrode, Pz ( p =.006). Overall, controls exhibited increased P300 amplitude and latency in response to negatively primed trials. As predicted, alcoholics did not demonstrate this pattern, a finding consistent with alcohol-related cognitive inefficiency.
Continua in the visible absorption spectrum of K2

The visible absorption spectrum of the potassium dimer has been studied using a new type of optical cell designed specifically for the alkali vapors or alkali–rare-gas mixtures. Particular emphasis has been placed on examining the diffuse K2 bands lying at 722, 575, 478, and 402 nm. Measurements of the reduced absorption coefficient for each feature are presented, and band assignments are made in light of ab initio potential energy-level calculations for K2 that were recently made by Konowalow and Fish [ D. D. Konowalow , State University of New York, Binghamton, N.Y. (personal communication)]. All the observed features are attributable to extrema in the difference potentials between various pairs of K2 electronic states. In addition, the 575-nm band includes contributions from free → bound (excimer) 1 3Σu+→2 3Πg absorptive transitions of the molecule. Undulatory structure on the short-wavelength side of the 402-nm band has a periodicity of 58 ± 4 cm−1 and is associated with the well-known bound →bound X 1Σg+→D 1Πu transition of K2.
Pharmacokinetics of caffeine administered in a time-release versus regular tablet form

Background Caffeine has been associated with enhancing the ability to perform mental tasks and elevate feelings of energy, however, a single dose of caffeine typically induces only 90-120 minutes of increased alertness and is often associated with an acute “crash” state following its metabolism. The nature of formulation can directly influence the rate and extent of absorption following oral administration. Time-release caffeine supplements have been developed to prolong the effects of caffeine. The purpose of this study was to compare the plasma caffeine pharmacokinetics following ingestion of a time-release caffeine capsule (TR-CAF) to an equivalent dose of a regular caffeine capsule (CAF) and a placebo (PL) over an 8-hour period.
Effects of intracerebroventricular captopril on angiotensin-converting enzyme and angiotensinogen mRNA levels in rat brain.

Abstract The effects of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor captopril on angiotensin-induced drinking, brain ACE activity, and ACE and angiotensinogen (A-ogen) mRNA levels were examined. I.c.v. infusion of captopril at a rate of 1 μg/μl per h for 7 days resulted in a 60% reduction in brain ACE activity and an 80% reduction in the drinking response to i.c.v. angiotensin I. Quantitative solution hybridization experiments indicated that brain ACE mRNA levels were decreased by 40%, whereas brain A-ogen mRNA levels were unchanged. These results suggest that ACE and A-ogen mRNA levels are regulated differently in the brain than in the peripheral renin-angiotensin system.
The Bay of Pigs

Howard Jones, Oxford and New York, Oxford University Press, 2008, 237 pp. Howard Jones, Research Professor of History at the University of Alabama, has written a compelling, concise, and convincing...
A new iteration method with cubic convergence to solve nonlinear algebraic equations

Abstract In this paper, a new iteration scheme is proposed to solve the roots of an algebraic equation f(x) = 0. Given an initial guess, x0, the roots of the equation can be obtained using the following iteration scheme: x n + 1 = x n + - f ′ ( x n ) ± f ′ 2 ( x n ) - 2 f ( x n ) f ″ ( x n ) f ″ ( x n ) . This iteration scheme has unique convergence characteristics different from the well-known Newton’s method. It is shown that this iteration method has cubic local convergence in the neighborhood of the root. Using this scheme, real or complex roots for specific algebraic equations can be found. Because there are two iteration directions, for a given initial guess, two solutions can be found for certain algebraic equations with multiple roots. Examples are presented and compared with other methods.
Midface Anatomy, Aging, and Aesthetic Analysis

This article reviews the key anatomic structures in the region of the midface, including important surface and bony landmarks, innervation, blood supply, muscle layers, and fat compartments. It also discusses changes in these structures related to the aging process and aesthetic analysis of the midface to aid with operative planning.
Sub-Continuum Heat Conduction in Electronics Using the Lattice Boltzmann Method

The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used to examine multi-length scale, confined heat conduction problems in one dimension for which sub-continuum effects are important. This paper describes the implementation of the method and its application to electronic devices. A silicon-on-insulator device with internal heat generation is used as a case study to illustrate the advantages of the LBM. We compare our results with various hierarchical equations of heat transfer such as Fourier, Cattaneo, and Boltzmann transport equations, as well as with experimental and numerical data from the literature. Our results provide excellent agreement with other methodologies, at a far less computational effort.© 2003 ASME
Quasi-Static and Dynamic Inflation of a Dielectric Elastomer Membrane Actuator

This paper presents quasi-static and dynamic results for dielectric elastomer actuators subject to a uniform mechanical pressure and an applied voltage. The numerical quasi-static results are compared to experimental data for actuators made from 3M VHB material. It is shown that the theoretical model for the active inflation of hyperelastic membranes is sensitive to the explicit form of the assumed strain energy function. The optimal constants of 2-Term and 3-Term Ogden models are determined from uniaxial and biaxial stress experimental data. Using the best overall values for the material constants, the electro-elastic model is used to predict the voltage-dependent behavior for the inflation of dielectric elastomer actuators. The correlation between the numerical results and the experimental data is good. In previous work, inertial effects have been neglected and a quasi-static approach employed. The method is presently expanded to include the dynamic response of dielectric elastomer actuators. In this case inertial effects become increasingly important as different equilibria modes are obtained during dynamic operation. The results show the potential for voltage-controlled bifurcations during the inflation of spherical dielectric elastomer actuators.
Sublingual epidermal cyst

A patient developed a painful subungual lesion which was an epidermal cyst on biopsy. The incidence and pathogenesis of subungual epidermal cysts are reviewed. This usually asymptomatic tumor should be considered in the differential diagnosis of subungual lesions.
Microminiature refrigeration — small is better

Abstract Microminiature Joule-Thomson refrigerators have been fabricated using a novel photolithographic process. We discuss the scaling laws which allow one to design these refrigerators of arbitrarily small size and the fabrication process which makes it possible to mass produce them at low cost. Commercial systems are now available for operation with N 2 gas from ambient to 80 K with a refrigerator capacity of 250 mW. Lower temperature operation using H 2 and He is presently under development. The use of these devices for microcalorimetry, material research and other applications is reported.
The Src kinase Lyn is required for CCR5 signaling in response to MIP-1β and R5 HIV-1 gp120 in human macrophages

CCR5 is a receptor for several β chemokines and the entry coreceptor used by macrophage-tropic (R5) strains of HIV-1. In addition to supporting viral entry, CCR5 ligation by the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein 120 (gp120) can activate intracellular signals in macrophages and trigger inflammatory mediator release. Using a combination of in vitro kinase assay, Western blotting for phospho-specific proteins, pharmacologic inhibition, CCR5 knockout (CCR5Δ32) cells, and kinase-specific blocking peptide, we show for the first time that signaling through CCR5 in primary human macrophages is linked to the Src kinase Lyn. Stimulation of human monocyte-derived macrophages with either HIV-1 gp120 or MIP-1β results in the CCR5-mediated activation of Lyn and the concomitant Lyn-dependent activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase ERK-1/2. Furthermore, activation of the CCR5/Lyn/ERK-1/2 pathway is responsible for gp120-triggered production of TNF-α by macrophages, which is believed to contribute to HIV-1 pathogenesis. Thus, Lyn kinase may play an important role both in normal CCR5 function in macrophages and in AIDS pathogenesis in syndromes such as AIDS dementia where HIV-1 gp120 contributes to inappropriate macrophage activation, mediator production, and secondary injury.
Coherent-Potential Approximation for Random Systems with Short-Range Correlations

The multiple-scattering equations for a particle in a finite random system of discrete identical scatterers with short-range correlation, which were the subject of a recent paper by Gyorffy, are cast into a form in which the limit for an infinite homogeneous system is easily obtained.
Abstract 4599: Comprehensive molecular oncogenomic profiling & miRNA analysis of prostate cancer

Background: Comprehensive molecular oncogenomic and microRNA (miRNA) profiling of tumors can provide tumor specific oncogenomic and miRNA signatures which can be useful to improve diagnostic accuracy, refine prognostic and predictive capabilities, and may serve as therapeutic targets. In prostate cancer (PCa) such a comprehensive analysis has not been reported. Design: DNA and RNA obtained from scant amounts of fresh frozen PCa tumor tissue samples (n=36) were profiled by (1) Mutation analysis: Sequenom Massarray & OncoCarta VI panel that profiles 238 common cancer mutations in 19 oncogenes (known predictors of response or resistance to targeted therapies);(2) Whole-genome gene expression Microarrays: Illumina Chip;(3) Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) with genome-wide coverage:Illumina Omni microarrays. (4)miRNA analysis was done on RNA from FFPE PCa tumor tissues (n=126) using RT-PCR. Data was statistically analyzed & correlated with clinical & pathologic variables. Results: Massarray analysis identified a MET oncogene mutation, variant T992I, in a 49 year old patient with Gleason score 7 (4+3) tumor. Of the 47,224 genes analyzed by gene expression microarrays, 74 genes were significant predictors of high tumor grade by ordinal regression analysis (p Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4599. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4599
Gas phase nucleation: Steady state rates for two cluster models

Abstract Exact thermodynamic properties of small clusters were computed from a model of argon. These thermodynamic properties were used to calculate steady nucleation rates. Steady state rates were also calculated using the drop model to approximate the properties of small clusters; the parameters required in the drop model were determined from the same model of argon used in the exact calculations. The exact model nucleation rates were lower than the drop model results by as much as 10 16 . The exact calculations suggest that the critical cluster size is nearly temperature independent, while it depends strongly on temperature according to the drop model. It is concluded that the predictions of the classical drop model are both qualitatively and quantitatively incorrect. Inclusion of the Lothe-Pound correction for cluster rotation and translation in the exact results causes the exact model nucleation rates to be nearly equal to the predictions of classical theory (neglecting rotation and translation); this may explain the fact that nucleation rates in many simple systems are correctly predicted by the classical theory.
Signal transduction STIM1 senses both Ca2+ and heat

STIM proteins are ubiquitous endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ sensors that rapidly translocate to couple with ‘store-operated’ Orai Ca2+ channels when luminal Ca2+ levels are low. STIM1 also senses heat changes, which trigger a similar translocation and prime STIM1 to activate Orai, suggesting that STIM1 functions as a sensor of multiple stress signals.
Visual and proprioceptive adaptation to altered oculomotor adjustments

Adaptation to spectacles that alter in equivalent amounts the accommodation and the convergence with which objects are viewed was produced under two conditions. In one, S alternately pushed away or pulled toward him a screen that exhibited only a single vertical contour while wearing glaaaes that caused decreases in accommodation and convergence equivalent to 1.5 lens diopters. Here kinesthesis for these arm movements provided the only veridical distance cues, A small, but highly significant, adaptation effect was obtained with a teat in which S, before and after the adaptation period, pointed to the location of a test line in the distance dimension. Corresponding tests consisting in size and in depth estimates did not show an adaptation effect. In the other condition of adaptation, S moved objects by hand toward and away from himself while wearing spectacles that increased accommodation and convergence by the equivalent of 1.5 lens diopters. In addition to the altered oculomotor cues, some veridical visual cues for distance such as are caused by perspective were present. This condition yielded changes in size and depth estimates indicative of an adaptation in visual distance perception and a larger effect of adaptation measured by the pointing test. We concluded that the excess of the adaptation effect measured by pointing over that measured by size estimation represents an adaptation in proprioception, as did the pointing effect produced by our first adaptation condition.
Conducting end-of-life studies in pediatric oncology

Improving our ability to prevent or diminish suffering in dying children and adolescents and their families is dependent on the completion of high-quality pediatric end-of-life studies. The purpose of this article is to provide useful evidence-based strategies that have been used to implement and complete clinically useful pediatric end-of-life studies in oncology. The article describes specific peer-review and methodological challenges and links those to evidence-based solutions. The challenges and solutions described in this article are from eight end-of-life studies involving pediatric oncology patients. It is hoped that the solutions described here will benefit others in their efforts to implement pediatric end-of-life studies so that clinically useful findings will result and will improve the care of dying children and adolescents.
On the significance of alternating patterns of polar and non-polar residues in beta-strands.

A common assumption about protein sequences in β-strands is that they have alternating patterns of polar and non-polar residues. It is thought that such patterns reflect the interior/exterior geometry of amino acid residue side-chains on a β-sheet. Here we study the prevalence of simple hydrophobicity patterns in parallel and antiparallel β-sheets in proteins of known structure and in the sequences of amyloidogenic proteins. The occurrence of 32 possible pentapeptide binary patterns (polar (P)/non-polar (N)) is computed in 1911 non-homologous protein structures. Despite their tendency to aggregate in experimentally designed proteins, the purely alternating hydrophobic/polar patterns (PNPNP and NPNPN) are most frequent in β-sheets, typically occurring in antiparallel strands. The overall distribution of the pentapeptide binary patterns is significantly different in strands within parallel and antiparallel sheets. In both types of sheets, complementary patterns (where the hydrophobic and polar residues pair with one another) associate preferentially. We do not find alternating patterns to be common in amyloidogenic proteins or in short fragments involved directly in amyloid formation. However, we do note some similarities between patterns present in amyloidogenic sequences and those in parallel strands.
Targeting of the highly conserved threonine 302 residue of cytochromes P450 2B family during mechanism-based inactivation by aryl acetylenes

Cytochromes P450 (CYPs or P450s) contain a highly conserved threonine residue in the active site, which is referred to as Thr302 in the amino acid sequence of CYP2B4. Extensive biochemical and crystallographic studies have established that this Thr302 plays a critical role in activating molecular oxygen to generate Compound I, a putative iron(IV)-oxo porphyrin cation radical, that carries out the preliminary oxygenation of CYP substrates. Because of its proximity to the center of the P450 active site, this Thr302 is susceptible to mechanism-based inactivation under certain conditions. In this article, we review recent studies on the mechanism-based inactivation of three mammalian P450s in the 2B family, CYP2B1 (rat), 2B4 (rabbit) and 2B6 (human) by tert-butylphenylacetylene (tBPA). These studies showed that tBPA is a potent mechanism-based inactivator of CYP2B1, 2B4 and 2B6 with high k(inact)/K(I) ratios (0.23-2.3min(-1)μM(-1)) and low partition ratios (0-5). Furthermore, mechanistic studies revealed that tBPA inactivates these three CYP2B enzymes through the formation of a single ester adduct with the Thr302 in the active site. These inhibitory properties of tBPA allowed the preparation of a modified CYP2B4 where the Thr302 was covalently and stoichiometrically labeled by a reactive intermediate of tBPA in quantities large enough to permit spectroscopic and crystallographic studies of the consequences of covalent modification of Thr302. Molecular modeling studies revealed a unique binding mode of tBPA in the active site that may shed light on the potency of this inhibition. The results from these studies may serve as a basis for designing more specific and potent inhibitors for P450s by targeting this highly conserved threonine residue which is present in the active sites of most mammalian P450s.
Rise-time response of nickel-foil-on-Kapton-substrate, hot-film, shear-stress sensors

An existing nickel-foil-on-Kapton-substrate sensor design was modified by including two heated elements in an attempt to minimize or reduce substrate conduction effects. The rise-time responses of the original and modified sensors were then investigated in unsteady flows of 0.5-1-s duration, consistent with flows encountered in wind-energy applications. The results obtained indicate a measurable degradation in transient performance due to the activation of the dynamic guard heater. Transient heat conduction within the substrate remains the limiting factor in such applications.
Chain gangs and passed bucks: predicting alliance patterns in multipolarity

Contemporary balance-of-power theory has become too parsimonious to yield determinate predictions about state alliance strategies in multipolarity. Kenneth Waltz's theory predicts only that multipolarity predisposes states to either of two opposite errors, which this article characterizes as chain-ganging and buck-passing. To predict which of these two policies will prevail, it is necessary to complicate Waltz's theory by adding a variable from Robert Jervis's theory of the security dilemma: the variable of whether offense or defense is perceived to have the advantage. At least under the checkerboard geographical conditions in Europe before World Wars I and II, perceived offensive advantage bred unconditional alliances, whereas perceived defensive advantage bred free riding on the balancing efforts of others.
Predictors of Change in Physical Activity During and After Pregnancy: Project Viva

Background Few studies document longitudinal changes in physical activity from prepregnancy to the postpartum period. Methods This study estimated change in self-reported leisure-time physical activity in 1442 women before pregnancy, during the second trimester, and at 6 months postpartum. In addition, it also examined predictors of becoming insufficiently active during or after pregnancy. Results The mean (SD) age was 32.5 (4.5) years, 34% of the women were overweight or obese prepregnancy (body mass index equal to or greater than 25 kg/m 2 ), and 76% were white. Before pregnancy, the mean total leisure physical activity was 9.6 hours per week. The reported decrease in total activity between prepregnancy and 6 months postpartum was –1.4 (95% CI=–1.0 to –1.9) hours per week, accounted for by decreases in moderate and vigorous physical activity but not walking. Prevalence of insufficiently active lifestyle (less than 150 minutes per week of total activity) increased from 12.6% before pregnancy to 21.7% during the postpartum period. The OR for becoming insufficiently active during pregnancy was 1.58 (95% CI=1.07–2.32) in women with at least one child compared with no children. Predictors of becoming insufficiently active postpartum included postpartum weight retention (OR=1.31; 95% CI=1.05–1.58 for each 5-kg increment); working longer hours in the first trimester (e.g., OR=5.12; 95% CI=1.96–13.4 for 45+ vs 0 hours); and reporting that lack of child care was a barrier to physical activity (OR=1.73; 95% CI=0.99–3.02). Conclusions Women reported decreases in moderate and vigorous physical activity during pregnancy that persisted at 6 months postpartum. Levels of walking did not decline. Children in the home, longer work hours, and lack of child care were predictors of becoming insufficiently active during or after pregnancy.
Proximal Tibia Fracture After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Autograft: A Case Report

The optimal operative management of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury continues to be debated. Many complications can occur, but fracture is often not routinely discussed. We present a complex intra-articular tibia fracture in a patient who had an autologous, ipsilateral bone-patellar-bone ACL reconstruction. While still advocating early, aggressive physical therapy, this case reminds us of the inherent susceptibility to injury in the immediate post-operative period.
Active walker models for complex systems

Abstract Many complex systems can be described in a unified way by the simple model of active walker(s). Examples of these complex systems are river formation, movement of heat-seeking missiles, ant swarms, worm movements, polymer reptation, retinal neurons and vessels, electrodeposit and dielectric breakdown patterns, percolation in soft materials, ion transport in glasses, rough surfaces, biological evolution, population dynamics, etc. In an active walker model (AWM), the walker changes the landscape as it walks and its steps are influenced by the changing landscape. In this paper, developments of the AWM are summarized and new results are presented. In particular, the three important areas of application of the AWM-- track patterns, intrinsic abnormal growth, and rough surfaces--are discussed.
Multimethod Assessment of Suicidality in Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients: Preliminary Results

ABSTRACT Objective To examine agreement among multiple assessments of adolescent suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior for adolescent psychiatric inpatients, including pencil/paper checklists; structured and unstructured interviews; and adolescent, clinician, and parent reports, and to provide suggestions for the accurate and reliable assessment of suicidality in adolescence. Method Participants included 153 adolescent psychiatric inpatients (54 boys, 99 girls) between the ages of 12 and 17 years. Measurement of suicidal ideation and behavior included common assessment instruments and standard clinical practices, including the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, clinician interview, and parent report (Behavior Assessment Scale for Children). Results Results revealed significantly different rates of suicidality across each instrument and poor to moderate agreement between similar measures of adolescent suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior. Agreement between measures was generally best for boys, for older adolescents, and for assessments relying on a single informant. Reporters were most likely to agree on the presence of suicidality for more severely suicidal adolescents; this finding suggests that agreement in itself may be a useful marker for adolescent suicide. Conclusions Results of this preliminary study supported the use of multiple measurement approaches when examining adolescent suicidality, particularly those that rely on clinician judgment and adolescents’ own reports. Implications for future research and for clinical practice are also discussed.
Public Sector Labor Relations: Agent of Change in American Industrial Relations?

A growing number of observers of industrial relations in the United States are becoming con vinced that broad changes are occurring which will have a major effect on the labor-management relations system. This article looks at the major changes and suggests that one consequence may be the emergence of the public sector as the area where pace-setting innovations could occur. Minimal ly, it is argued, public sector labor-management relations will no longer have "the bridesmaid and never the bride" status with respect to industrial relations practice and scholarship.
Double-diffusive instabilities in a vertical slot

A fluid stably stratified by a salinity gradient and enclosed between two vertical boundaries can become unstable when it is subjected to a temperature difference between the walls. The linear stability of such a fluid in a vertical slot is investigated. Errors in earlier results are found, confirming recent results of Young & Rosner (1998). Four different asymptotic regimes on the stability boundary are identified. One of these, the limit of a strong salinity gradient, has previously been analysed. The analyses of the separate asymptotic limits of weak salinity gradient, large temperature difference and small wavenumber are also given. These four cases make up much of the total boundary between stability and instability for double-diffusive instabilities in a vertical slot, and so most of this boundary can be mapped out for general Prandtl numbers and salt/heat diffusivity ratios using these results.
Afinal, o que a organização mundial do comércio tem a ver com a educação superior?

Higher education is one of the sectors negotiable under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (Gats), one of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. This paper analyzes the consequences of this liberalization. Specifically, it assesses the legal impacts of Gats obligations for the pursuance of higher education policies by WTO Members. The paper argues that despite the potential effects of Gats, the way it works can be used to nullify or mitigate its effects, in accordance with the level of liberalization sought by each Member. At the end, this paper also presents an overview of Members' positions, stressing their arguments pro and against liberalization.
Transfer Pricing Decisions in U.S. Multinational Corporations

This paper provides information about the effect 14 variables have on transfer pricing decisions on 62 MNCs. Questionnaire data is factor analyzed and evaluated to determine whether significant differences exist when respondents are grouped alternately into five dichotomous categories: (1) those assessed compared with those not assessed additional U.S. federal income taxes because of transfer pricing methods, (2) those among the first 150 compared with those among the remaining 500 largest U.S. industrial firms, (3) those whose export sales exceed $25 million compared with those whose export sales do not, (4) those whose export sales to subsidiaries exceed 50 percent of total exports compared with those whose export sales to subsidiaries do not, and (5) those unable to use a market-based transfer price compared with those who are able to do so. By means of Student's t-test and .10 level of significance, it is determined that some variables and factors do have greater influence on transfer pricing decisions for some types of companies.
Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery: right internal thoracic artery to right coronary artery bypass is not the answer.

Objective Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the opposite sinus of Valsalva can be a lethal congenital anomaly. Right internal thoracic artery grafting to the right coronary artery is prone to fail in this circumstance. We sought to describe alternative surgical techniques. Methods Retrospective analysis identified 5 adult and pediatric patients in our database. We reviewed the surgical techniques used to repair this anomaly. On the basis of our experience, we describe our management technique. Results There were no operative deaths, and postoperative computed tomographic scans demonstrated widely patent repairs in all patients. Two patients with previous right internal thoracic artery to right coronary artery grafts presented with occlusion of the right internal thoracic artery. Short-term follow-up demonstrated continued patency. Conclusion Right internal thoracic artery grafting fails in this circumstance, and alternative surgical options provide a good outcome.
Analcite-jadeite phase boundary

Abstract Thirty-one P-T runs were made, using a piston-cylinder apparatus, to study the phase boundary of the reaction analcite ⇌ jadeite+vapor (H2O). The starting material was a stoichiometric mixture of the products and reactants. Reversal of the reaction was obtained. The phase boundary is given by the equation, P = 4000 bars+10.5 T(°C). At about 10 kb and 600 °C the phase boundary is intersected by the melt curve, jadeite+vapor ⇌ liquid which has a steeper slope. The previously determined phase boundary of the reaction, nepheline+albite ⇌ 2 jadeite, ( Robertson et al., 1957) also passes through this invariant point. The above experimental method was also adopted to extend further the studies by Yoder (1954) and Greenwood (1961) of the reaction, 1 2 nepheline + 1 2 albite + H 2 O ⇌ analcite . The results of the thirteen runs for this reaction fit well with their data as well as the data of Boettcher and Wyllie (1967, 1969).
Breakdown strength of nitrogen at high temperatures

IN A-C circuit-interrupting devices, the post-arc period immediately after current zero is of paramount importance. This period is characterized by the rapid cooling and deionization of the hot gases between the contacts, which build up the dielectric strength of the gap. Simultaneously, however, the circuit transients resulting from the interruption of the current impose a rapidly increasing voltage across the contact gap. This so-called recovery voltage may break down the gap and re-establish the arc.
The Galactic Center Wind

The combined effect of winds from a cluster of stars in the central 0.8 pc of the Galaxy is modeled as uniform power and mass input over the central region. The flow becomes supersonic outside the central region, and the expected decrease in pressure is in approximate accord with observations. The pressure variations on a larger scale suggest that the Galactic center wind passes through a shock front at a radius of a few pc, leading to a shocked wind bubble on a scale of 100 pc. The tangential magnetic field can come to dominate the pressure in the shocked wind flow even if the energy density of the magnetic field in the initial wind is only 0.1 percent of the wind kinetic energy density. The magnetic region produced in this way may be related to some of the apparently magnetized structures observed in the central region of the Galaxy.