cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EMPROVING Outcomes: Evaluating the Effect of an Ultra-Lung Protective Strategy for Patients with ARDS Treated with ECMO

Purpose While there is much discussion about selection of patients for ECLS for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), little is said about the impact that ventilator management after cannulation might have on outcomes. We hypothesized that failure to properly protect the lungs after cannulation would lead to higher mortality. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients undergoing venovenous (VV) ECLS at a single center from Jan 2014 to July 2018. We evaluated the impact of ventilator management during ECLS on mortality by evaluating three variables obtained during ECLS support: the mean peak inspiratory pressure (PIP), FiO2, and respiratory rate. Results 54 patients underwent VV ECLS for ARDS . Bivariate analysis (Table) revealed a significant association with higher total bilirubin , lower mean arterial pressure & higher total days on ECLS in those who died vs. those who lived. During ECLS higher mean PIP & higher FiO2 were found in those who died. In multivariate analysis increasing age was predictive of mortality (OR 1.2; CI 1.04-1.39, p=0.02) while higher pre-cannulation serum hemoglobin was protective (OR = 0.42, CI 0.18-0.98, p=0.04). The mean PIP & the mean FiO2 during ECLS were both predictive of increased risk of mortality (PIP; OR 1.40, CI 1.03-1.89, p=0.03;FiO2; OR 1.16, CI 1.02-1.32, p =0.02). Conclusion The use of the EMPROVE protocol is significantly associated with survival in this study. As our patients’ PIP & FiO2 during ECLS more closely approximated the EMPROVE protocol criteria, survival increased. For every 1 mmHg increase in the mean peak pressure the risk of dying increased 1.4x, and for every 1% increase in the mean FiO2 during ECLS the risk of dying increased 1.16x. For lung rest to truly be effective, the lungs must be relieved of the burden of gas exchange. If gas exchange is not adequate with simple VV configuration, alternatives for gas exchange should be sought such as switching to venoarterial, rather than increasing the burden on the lungs.
To Serve the People: Income, Region and Citizen Attitudes towards Governance in China (2003–2016)

Through use of a unique, multi-year public opinion survey, this paper seeks to measure changes in self-reported governmental satisfaction among Chinese citizens between 2003 and 2016. Despite the persistence of vast socio-economic and regional inequalities, we find evidence that low-income citizens and residents living in China's less-developed inland provinces have actually reported comparatively greater increases in satisfaction since 2003. These results, which we term the “income effect” and “region effect” respectively, are more pronounced at the county and township levels of government, which are most responsible for public service provision. Our findings also show that the satisfaction gap between privileged and more marginalized populations in China is beginning to close, in large part owing to efforts by the Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping administrations to rebalance the gains of economic growth and shift resources towards the populations most overlooked during China's first few decades of reform.
Behavioral Management of Children

Children are anxious before anesthesia, and studies show up to 25% may require restraint. Anxiety at induction has many consequences including regression in behavior (or dysfunctional behavior) that may last months, increased pain, and fear of future hospitalization and anesthesia. Pharmacological premedication is the single most effective method of reducing anxiety, and one can be selected from a range of agents according to the level of the child’s anxiety. The behavior of the anesthetist also has a large effect on a child’s anxiety at induction. Some behaviors of the anesthetist and other health care providers focus the child on their anxiety, whereas others distract and calm the child. There are simple and practical methods to distract children at induction or during procedures. Although parental presence in theater does not reduce the child’s anxiety at the moment of induction, it avoids separation, involves the parent and should be included as part of family centered care.
Three Numerical Reproducibility Issues That Can Be Explained as Round-Off Error

We explore an application from the author’s work in neuroscience. A code used to investigate neural development modeled 100 neurons with all-to-all excitatory connectivity. We used a simple ordinary differential equation system to model each neuron, and this 100-neuron model was used to produce a paper published in the Journal of Neurophysiology. Later a colleague used our code to continue this work, and found he could not reproduce our results. This lead us to thoroughly investigate this code and we discovered that it offered many different ways to thwart reproducibility that could be explained by round-off error arising from floating-point arithmetic.
Characterizing the Spatial Determinants and Prevention of Malaria in Kenya

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3 is to ensure health and well-being for all at all ages with a specific target to end malaria by 2030. Aligned with this goal, the primary objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of utilizing local spatial variations to uncover the statistical relationships between malaria incidence rate and environmental and behavioral factors across the counties of Kenya. Two data sources are used—Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys of 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015, and the national Malaria Indicator Survey of 2015. The spatial analysis shows clustering of counties with high malaria incidence rate, or hot spots, in the Lake Victoria region and the east coastal area around Mombasa; there are significant clusters of counties with low incidence rate, or cold spot areas in Nairobi. We apply an analysis technique, geographically weighted regression, that helps to better model how environmental and social determinants are related to malaria incidence rate while accounting for the confounding effects of spatial non-stationarity. Some general patterns persist over the four years of observation. We establish that variables including rainfall, proximity to water, vegetation, and population density, show differential impacts on the incidence of malaria in Kenya. The El-Nino–southern oscillation (ENSO) event in 2015 was significant in driving up malaria in the southern region of Lake Victoria compared with prior time-periods. The applied spatial multivariate clustering analysis indicates the significance of social and behavioral survey responses. This study can help build a better spatially explicit predictive model for malaria in Kenya capturing the role and spatial distribution of environmental, social, behavioral, and other characteristics of the households.
Collaboration between breast and reconstructive surgery in optimizing outcomes for women with breast cancer

Performing successful breast reconstruction after mastectomy requires communication and collaboration between the breast and reconstruction surgery teams. This allows for oncologic safety while providing esthetic and functional reconstruction. In this article, we discuss the numerous techniques we have adopted successfully into our breast reconstructive practice that were possible due to this collaboration including prophylactic lymphaticovenous bypass (LVB), tumor ultrasound-guided incision (TUGI), esthetic closure in patients not eligible or desiring reconstruction, nerve identification at time of mastectomy to allow for sensate reconstruction, and the prevention of chronic pain and strategic oncoplasty.
Foresight for Cultural Materials Preservation: The Role of Environmental Scanning in Conservation

This paper introduces foresight methodologies and their application to conservation with particular focus on environmental scanning. Organised into two parts, the first section of the paper describ...
Why test and trace will fail without support for self-isolation: lessons from San Francisco

It was gratifying to see the recognition of San Francisco’s effort to help people isolate with Right to Recover.1 It is also worth noting that, even before Right to Recover, San Francisco recognised that the hardest hit people in …
Structure from Motion and Archaeological Excavation: Experiences of the Via Consolare Project in Pompeii

The last decade of advances in Image-Based Modeling (IBM) data acquisition based on Structure from Motion (SfM) have made it possible as never before to record excavated archaeological deposits, historical architectural remains, artifacts, and geographical surroundings in the field. Armed only with digital cameras and low-cost or open-source software, researchers can now produce accurate point clouds of millions of points, capturing archaeological information in high-resolution detail. But what changes will IBM really bring to the standards, requirements, and expectations of practical field methodology for projects operating on shoe-string budgets? Since 2010, the Via Consolare Project, a small archaeological research project from a State level University, has employed an entirely open-source and “free for academic use” IBM pipeline to record a variety of archaeological features in Insula VII 6 and the “Villa delle Colonne a mosaico” in Pompeii. Ranging from surviving architecture, to rubble fill layers, to the interiors of inaccessible cisterns and drains, this work has been carried out in preparation for the eventual coordination of these data into a 3D GIS of all recorded stratigraphy. Rarely were sufficient resources available for dedicated equipment or personnel to be devoted to this task. While practical implementation, even in a low-budget excavation environment, has confirmed that this technology can indeed augment archaeological field documentation and provide investigation opportunities that would otherwise be impossible, it failed to replace traditional handdrafted recording techniques and was found to present significant challenges and a number of hidden costs. This emphasizes a need for appropriate and cautious planning in implementation, especially in projects with limited means.
Treatment of Food Selectivity in an Adult With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Food selectivity is common among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Left untreated, food selectivity may continue into adulthood, leading to social and nutritional deficits. Although effective treatments have been identified for young children and the school-aged population, these treatments may not be feasible with adults. As such, effective treatments for adults with ASD need to be identified. In this study, the participant was a 26-year-old male with ASD and a history of food selectivity. We compared two treatments that used differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors—one using positive reinforcement and the other negative reinforcement—to increase acceptance of novel fruits and vegetables. Both treatments resulted in increases in the acceptance of grapes and red bell peppers. When given the choice, the participant preferred the positive reinforcement contingency. Additionally, his food acceptance occurred in the presence of novel foods (e.g., carrots and lettuce) and settings. This study represents one of the only studies examining the treatment of food selectivity in adults with ASD.
Fossil Fuel Reserves Versus Consumption

In Table 2.1 of Chapter 2, data are presented which reveal that the U.S.’s known and recoverable reserves of petroleum are about 22.5 billion barrels (early 1998), representing about 2.2 percent of the known and recoverable reserves of the world. In Chapter 4, recoverable coal reserves in the United States are listed at 434 billion tons, representing about 35 percent of the known and recoverable reserves of the world. For more than three decades petroleum has supplied more than 40 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States, and in 1997 that percentage stood at 40 percent of consumption. (See Figure 1.3.) Coal is 23 percent of consumption. During most of that period petroleum imports as a percentage of demand increased steadily, standing at 52 percent of demand for the year 1996 (Figure 2.1).
Accurate estimation of gene expression levels from DGE sequencing data

Two main transcriptome sequencing protocols have been proposed in the literature: the most commonly used shotgun sequencing of full length mRNAs (RNA-Seq) and 3'-tag digital gene expression (DGE). In this paper we present a novel expectation-maximization algorithm, called DGE-EM, for inference of gene-specific expression levels from DGE tags. Unlike previous methods, our algorithm takes into account alternative splicing isoforms and tags that map at multiple locations in the genome, and corrects for incomplete digestion and sequencing errors. The open source Java/Scala implementation of the DGE-EM algorithm is freely available at http://dna.engr.uconn.edu/software/DGE-EM/. Experimental results on real DGE data generated from reference RNA samples show that our algorithm outperforms commonly used estimation methods based on unique tag counting. Furthermore, the accuracy of DGE-EM estimates is comparable to that obtained by state-of-the-art estimation algorithms from RNA-Seq data for the same samples. Results of a comprehensive simulation study assessing the effect of various experimental parameters suggest that further improvements in estimation accuracy could be achieved by optimizing DGE protocol parameters such as the anchoring enzymes and digestion time.
Introduction: Public Administration at the Margins

(2008). Introduction: Public Administration at the Margins. Administrative Theory & Praxis: Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 393-397.
Modern middle east authoritarianism: roots, ramifications, and crisis

As the Arab revolts in Egypt, Syria, and Libya face serious hurdles, and pessimism about the state of affairs in the region (with some optimism about Tunisia) is rising, this new edited volume come...
Blood return after Veress needle placement for left-sided thoracoscopy.

AN 11-YEAR-OLD boy was scheduled to undergo minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum with a Lorenz retrosternal stabilizing bar. This procedure required bilateral thoracoscopy. A small incision was made over the left seventh rib in the midclavicular line. A Veress needle (Fig 1) was inserted through the pleura to insufflate carbon dioxide. Significant blood return was noted and a possible diagnosis of cardiac perforation was entertained. An intraoperative transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) was performed, and the following images (Figs 2-4) were obtained. What is the diagnosis?
Effects of UV light and moisture absorption on the impact resistance of three different carbon fiber-reinforced composites

Carbon fiber is extensively used in aircraft components and structures, where its superior strength-to weight ratio far exceeds that of any metal. Thirty percent of all carbon fiber is used in the aerospace industry. The purpose of this research was to determine the influence of material properties on the impact response of a laminate, whereby specimens were fabricated and cured under a vacuum and high temperature using three types of pre-impregnated (prepreg), carbon fibers, namely unidirectional fiber, plain weave woven fiber, and non-crimp fiber. Each carbon fiber panel, usually known for its low-impact properties, with respective type of prepregs, of 16 plies underwent impact testing using a low-velocity impactor and visual damage inspection by C-scan in order to measure the damage area and depth, before and after impact testing. These panels were treated with UV exposure and moisture conditioning for 20 days each. Water contact angles were taken into consideration to determine the hydrophobicity and hydrophillicity of the respective prepreg material. Experimental results and damage analysis show that UV exposure and moisture conditioning showcased the variation in impact response and behavior, such as load-carrying capacity, absorbed energy, and impact energy of the carbon fiber panels. This study illustrates that non-crimp carbon fiber laminates were far more superior relative to load capacity than woven and unidirectional laminates, with the NCF-AS laminate exhibiting the highest load capacity of 17,244 lb/in (pre-UV) with only 0.89% decrease after UV exposure. This same laminate also had a 1.54% decrease in sustaining impact and 31.4% increase in wettability of the panel. Moreover, the study shows how symmetric and asymmetric stacking sequences affect the impact behavior of non-crimp fiber laminates. These results may be useful for expanding the capacity of carbon fiber, lowering costs, and growing new markets, thus turning carbon fiber into a viable commercial product.
Airlines’ plight: where has all the luggage gone?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) for improving track and trace of the luggage handling process and to determine potential decreases in operational costs of airports, namely through reduced baggage sorting expenses.Design/methodology/approach – An experiment was designed to test the feasibility of implementing a RFID‐based tracking system and to determine the practicality and the technical hurdles which must be addressed.Findings – RFID‐optimized airline value chains can improve efficiencies through adaptive load planning, whereby luggage can be loaded onto aircraft based on final destination and reduce manual sorting.Research limitations/implications – The experiment was tested in a small regional airport.Practical implications – RFID allows for synchronous communication through the value chain, enabling airlines to proactively determine if departing aircraft contain the appropriately checked luggage.Originality/value – As customers become mor...
Douglas J. Schuurman, Vocation: Discerning Our Callings in Life

(2004). Douglas J. Schuurman, Vocation: Discerning Our Callings in Life. Political Theology: Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 504-506.
GENETIC VARIATION IN EASTERN WASHINGTON POPULATIONS OF NAVARRETIA LEUCOCEPHALA (POLEMONIACEAE) A VERNAL POOL ENDEMIC

ABSTRACT We used Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) to investigate genetic variation in eight populations of the vernal pool endemic Navarretia leucocephala Benth. in eastern Washington. Five of the populations were subspecies minima, collected in Spokane County. The other three populations were subspecies diffusa, a recently described taxon known only from adjacent Lincoln County in eastern Washington. We also sampled a nearby vernal pool population of N. intertexta (Benth.) Hook., a closely related species whose range overlaps with N. leucocephala. Distances among the sampled pools ranged from a few tens of meters to 80 km. The populations differed in their levels of genetic variation, with proportions of polymorphic loci ranging from 10% to 55% and mean gene diversities from 0.05 to 0.30. Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) among the eight N. leucocephala populations showed significant spatial structuring, with 52% of the observed genetic variation due to differences between the Spokane County ...
Surface oxidation of an AlPdMn quasicrystal, characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Abstract X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is used to determine the extent of oxidation of each of the three metals which comprise a quasicrystalline alloy. A single-grain sample, oriented with the fivefold axis perpendicular to the surface plane, and with nominal bulk composition Al 70 Pd 21 Mn 9 is used. The oxide which results from exposure to ambient gas at room temperature is compared with that which results from exposure to pure oxygen in ultrahigh vacuum at temperatures up to 870 K. XPS probes the near-surface region (ca. top 100 A), and shows that only the Al can be oxidized. The depth of the oxide layer depends systematically upon the conditions of treatment, but is always very thin — in the range of about 5–30 A. Taken together, the data suggest that the surface forms a thin, passivating, surface layer of aluminum oxide.
Emissions from forest fires near Mexico City

The emissions of NOx (defined as NO (nitric oxide) + NO2 (nitrogen dioxide)) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN), per unit amount of fuel burned, from fires in the pine forests that dominate the mountains surrounding Mexico City (MC) are about 2 times higher than normally observed for forest burning. The ammonia (NH3) emissions are about average for forest burning. The upper limit for the mass ratio of NOX to volatile organic compounds (VOC) for these MC-area mountain fires was approximately 0.38, which is similar to the NOx/VOC ratio in the MC urban area emissions inventory of 0.34, but much larger than the NOx/VOC ratio for tropical forest fires in Brazil (approximately 0.068). The nitrogen enrichment in the fire emissions may be due to deposition of nitrogen-containing pollutants in the outflow from the MC urban area. This effect may occur worldwide wherever biomass burning coexists with large urban areas (e.g. the tropics, southeastern US, Los Angeles Basin). The molar emission ratio of HCN to carbon monoxide (CO) for the mountain fires was 0.012 +/- 0.007, which is 2-9 times higher than widely used literature values for biomass burning. The ambient molar ratio HCN/CO in the MC-area outflow is about 0.003 +/- 0.0003. Thus, if only mountain fires emit significant amounts of HCN, these fires may be contributing about 25% of the CO production in the MCarea (approximately 98-100 W and 19-20 N). Comparing the PM10/CO and PM2.5/CO mass ratios in the MC Metropolitan Area emission inventory (0.01 15 and 0.0037) to the PM1/CO mass ratio for the mountain fires (0.133) then suggests that these fires could produce as much as approximately 79-92% of the primary fine particle mass generated in the MC-area. Considering both the uncertainty in the HCN/CO ratios and secondary aerosol formation in the urban and fire emissions implies that about 50 +/- 30% of the "aged" fine particle mass in the March 2006 MC-area outflow could be from these fires.
Radioimmunoassays for N2-dimethylguanosine, 7-methylguanosine, and pseudouridine

Abstract Radioimmunoassays capable of detecting pseudouridine, N 2 -dimethylguanosine, and 7-methylguanosine at picomole levels were developed. The antibodies to the nucleoside-human serum albumin conjugates recognize the modified ribose linked to the ϵ-amino group of lysine. The relative serological activities of the different nucleosides in the pseudouridine anti-pseudouridine-human serum albumin reaction depend upon the presence of the ribose ϵ-aminocaproate moiety in the radiolabeled antigen and/or the competing unlabeled nucleoside.
Cholinergic neurones acquire adrenergic neurotransmitters when transplanted into an embryo

During development, cells become progressively restricted, until they reach their final phenotype. Differentiation was originally thought to be irreversible, but phenotypic plasticity has been observed in a variety of cell types, for example sympathetic neurones, the limb blastema and some glial cell types. A detailed description of the individual steps that lead to expression or reversal of phenotype is essential to understand the molecular events underlying cell differentiation. We examined whether ciliary neurones acquire adrenergic properties when exposed to a permissive embryonic environment. Cholinergic neurones were selectively labelled with a retrogradely transported marker and injected into chick embryos during active neural crest migration. Four to five days after injection, some of the labelled neurones were found in ‘adrenergic sites’ and had developed catecholamine histofluorescence. The cells had thus accumulated adrenergic neurotransmitters even after differentiation into Cholinergic neurones. This result shows that neurotransmitter plasticity occurs in Cholinergic neurones and suggests that the neurotransmitter phenotype can be modified by the embryonic environment.
Reflection of electromagnetic waves at a biaxial–isotropic interface

The reflection of electromagnetic waves at a plane boundary between isotropic and biaxial media has been investigated using the kDB approach. The general case has been considered in which the principal dielectric axes of the biaxial medium are oriented at an arbitrary angle to the normal of the plane boundary. In general, two characteristic waves propagate in the biaxial medium, leading to coupling of vertical and horizontal polarizations in the reflected waves. Some special cases are illustrated. The results have applications to problems in remote sensing and integrated optics.
Modes of tilting during extensional core complex development.

Crustal extension and formation of the Mineral Mountains core complex, Utah, involved tilting of the Mineral Mountains batholith and associated faults during hanging wall and footwall deformation. The batholith was folded in the hanging wall of the Beaver Valley fault between 11 and 9 million years ago yielding about 45° of tilt. Subsequently, the batholith was unroofed along the Cave Canyon detachment fault, and the batholith and fault were tilted approximately 40° during footwall uplift. Recognition of deformed dikes beneath the detachment fault establishes the importance of footwall tilt during formation of extensional core complexes and demonstrates that footwall rebound can be an important process during extension.
Nonlinear astrophysical dynamo: Three-mode interaction

The effect of mode-coupling on the temporal variation of the linearly unstable magnetic mode is investigated for weakly unstable dynamos. It is shown that the nonlinear coupling of the unstable mode to itself is the dominant effect which stabilizes the mode at a certain amplitude rather than the coupling to other damped modes.
Symmetry-induced local magnetic moments in icosahedral Al-Mn alloys.

Electronic-structure calculations of icosahedral Al-Mn clusters suggest well-defined quasiatomic Mn moments. The driving force for moment formation is a large Mn d density of states at the Fermi energy in a non-spin-polarized calculation. The onset of Mn magnetism results directly from the local coordination in the icosahedral environment, which does not split the Mn 3d levels and inhibits Al-Mn sp-d hybridization.
Predicting space telerobotic operator training performance from human spatial ability assessment

Abstract Our goal was to determine whether existing tests of spatial ability can predict an astronaut's qualification test performance after robotic training. Because training astronauts to be qualified robotics operators is so long and expensive, NASA is interested in tools that can predict robotics performance before training begins. Currently, the Astronaut Office does not have a validated tool to predict robotics ability as part of its astronaut selection or training process. Commonly used tests of human spatial ability may provide such a tool to predict robotics ability. We tested the spatial ability of 50 active astronauts who had completed at least one robotics training course, then used logistic regression models to analyze the correlation between spatial ability test scores and the astronauts' performance in their evaluation test at the end of the training course. The fit of the logistic function to our data is statistically significant for several spatial tests. However, the prediction performance of the logistic model depends on the criterion threshold assumed. To clarify the critical selection issues, we show how the probability of correct classification vs. misclassification varies as a function of the mental rotation test criterion level. Since the costs of misclassification are low, the logistic models of spatial ability and robotic performance are reliable enough only to be used to customize regular and remedial training. We suggest several changes in tracking performance throughout robotics training that could improve the range and reliability of predictive models.
Sustainability assessments of bio-based polymers

Bio-based polymers have become feasible alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics. However, the factors that influence the sustainability of bio-based polymers are often unclear. This paper reviews published life cycle assessments (LCAs) and commonly used LCA databases that quantify the environmental sustainability of bio-based polymers and summarizes the range of findings reported within the literature. LCA is discussed as a means for quantifying environmental impacts for a product from its cradle, or raw materials extraction, to the grave, or end of life. The results of LCAs from existing databases as well as peer-reviewed literature allow for the comparison of environmental impacts. This review compares standard database results for three bio-based polymers, polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), and thermoplastic starch (TPS) with five common petroleum derived polymers. The literature showed that biopolymers, coming out of a relatively new industry, exhibit similar impacts compared to petroleum-based plastics. The studies reviewed herein focused mainly on global warming potential (GWP) and fossil resource depletion while largely ignoring other environmental impacts, some of which result in environmental tradeoffs. The studies reviewed also varied greatly in the scope of their assessment. Studies that included the end of life (EOL) reported much higher GWP results than those that limited the scope to resin or granule production. Including EOL in the LCA provides more comprehensive results for biopolymers, but simultaneously introduces greater amounts of uncertainty and variability. Little life-cycle data is available on the impacts of different manners of disposal, thus it will be critical for future sustainability assessments of biopolymers to include accurate end of life impacts.
Dermatoglyphic analysis of total finger ridge count in female monozygotic twins discordant for sexual orientation

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that prenatal environment contributes to the development of sexual orientation in females. The research involved a dermatoglyphic analysis of finger ridge count in two groups of female monozygotic twins: a study group which was discordant for sexual orientation, and a control group which was concordant for sexual orientation. The trait, total finger ridge count, was analyzed using the Wilcoxon matched pair statistic. In the female control group ridge counts were not significantly different. However, for the female twins discordant for sexual orientation, the null hypothesis was rejected (T = 0; p ≤ .01), with the lesbian twins showing a consistent trend for lower total finger ridge counts than their heterosexual cotwins. It is concluded that in females, prenatal environmental differences are correlated with differences in sexual orientation, and that second trimester prenatal environment is likely to be a contributing factor in the etiology of this trait.
Gender and Verbal Communication in Professional Settings A Review of Research

Women in professional settings often practice affiliative/depowering communication strategies, whereas men tend to practice instrumental/empowering communication strategies. These differing strategies are evident in conversational objectives, tag questions and hedges, and verbal turn taking. Lack of opportunity, tokenism, and gender role spillover contribute to differences in both communication acts and communication expectations. Conclusions from empirical research suggest that women can choose and may even be encouraged to practice empowering strategies with the public, subordinates, and supervisors; however, they are forced into using affiliative strategies when interacting with colleagues.
CAD in new areas of the package and interconnect design space

Passive interconnection networks are important for three reasons. First they represent an increasing percentage of the cycle time as the active devices are " scaled" . Second they contribute to di/dt coupled and reflected noise. Third higher clock frequencies are making the interconnection medium a more effective radiator especially in the 30 MHz to 1 GHz range where limits have been established by regulatory agencies such as the FCC. Approaches to understanding these phenomena will be highlighted.
Redox Pathways for HCOOH Decomposition over CeO2 Surfaces

The reaction of HCOOH, the simplest C-1 carboxylic acid, has been studied on oxidized (CeO2) and reduced cerium oxide (CeOX) thin films. HCOOH has been proposed as an important C1 precursor to the formation of CO2 and H2 in the water-gas-shift (WGS) reaction, in which ceria is also used as a stable support rich in oxygen. The HCOOH is observed to adsorb by way of a formate intermediate species (HCOO−) through the dissociation of the acidic H over both CeO2 (Ce4+) and CeOX (Ce4+/Ce3+) surfaces. On the fully oxidized CeO2 surface, this H species reacts with surface O and desorbs as H2O when the temperature is <300 K. In addition to water, temperature programmed desorption spectra indicate the evolution of CO2 and H2 between 350 and 400 K followed by CO desorption in two regimes at 450 and 525 K. On reduced ceria, only CO and H2 were produced between 450 and 600 K. The reaction of HCOOH with ceria therefore leads to both the reduction of the oxide, through the formation of H2O and CO2, and oxidation of the o...
Decrease of river runoff in the upper waters of the Eurasian Basin, Arctic Ocean, between 1991 and 1996: Evidence from δ18O data

[1] Measurements of the H218O/H216O ratio of water from two sections crossing the Eurasian Basin in 1991 and 1996 show that the observed decrease in the freshwater contained in the upper waters of the Eurasian Basin during the 1990s is due to decrease in meteoric water (mainly river runoff). The decrease in meteoric water inventories between 1991 and 1996 calculated from balances of mass, salinity, δ18O, and PO4* is about 3 meters and accounts for basically the entire freshwater change inferred from salinity budgets. Climatological data are used to ensure that the two sections can be considered to belong to the same hydrographic regime. The data also suggest that in 96 the formation of sea ice from the upper waters in the Amundsen Basin was lower by about 1 meter (3 m in 1996 compared to 4 m in 1991).
A direction-finding algorithm based on a reversed antenna array

A direction-finding algorithm for a uniform linear array using a reversed beamformer and pilot signal training is presented in this paper. The direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimate for a signal of interest is derived using the phase difference between the output of a conventional beamformer and that obtained by reversing the antenna signals and conjugating the weights of a second beamformer. The proposed DOA estimation algorithm has a low computational complexity and improved performance in high cochannel interference environments compared to a recent subarray approach. Properties of the estimator are evaluated via a least-squares analysis, and the results are verified with a computer simulation example using wideband code-division multiple-access signals.
The existence and uniqueness of node voltages in a non-linear resistive transfinite electrical network

Transfinite resistive electrical networks have unique voltage-current regimes under very broad conditions on their resistances and source values; this has been established previously. However, as is shown by example in this paper, such networks need not have unique node voltages with respect to a chosen ground node either because the voltages along every path from ground to another chosen node may not be summable or because the voltages along two such paths to the same node may be summable but with different sums. A second result of this work is the establishment of a sufficient set of conditions for the existence and uniqueness of node voltages in a non-linear transfinite network. The theory of modular sequence spaces is used for this purpose.
Novel wrinkled periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles for hydrophobic anticancer drug delivery

Novel wrinkled structured periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) nanoparticles have been developed for the hydrophobic anticancer drug delivery. The PMO materials were characterized by TEM, Raman, TGA, zetapotential and PXRD. These novel wrinkled PMOs have tunable surface area, hydrophobicity and pore sizes which are suitable for hydrophobic drug delivery. The hydrophobic anticancer drug paclitaxel was used as a model drug and the PMO shows a higher paclitaxel drug loading efficiency compared to pure mesoporous silica (MS) nanoaparticles. In vitro paclitaxel drug release studies show slow and sustained release of paclitaxel drugs from the PMO nanoparticles compared to the paclitaxel release from MS nanoparticles.
The unsteady force on a body at low Reynolds number; the axisymmetric motion of a spheroid

In a recent paper by Lawrence & Weinbaum (1986) an unexpected new behaviour was discovered for a nearly spherical body executing harmonic oscillations in unsteady Stokes flow. The force was not a simple quadratic function in half-integer powers of the frequency parameter λ2 = −ia2ω/ν, as in the classical solution of Stokes (1851) for a sphere, and the force for an arbitrary velocity U(t) contained a new memory integral whose kernel differed from the classical t−½ behaviour derived by Basset (1888) for a sphere. A more general analysis of the unsteady Stokes equations is presented herein for the axisymmetric flow past a spheroidal body to elucidate the behaviour of the force at arbitrary aspect ratio. Perturbation solutions in the frequency parameter λ are first obtained for a spheroid in the limit of low- and high-frequency oscillations. These solutions show that in contrast to a sphere the first order corrections for the component of the drag force that is proportional to the first power of λ exhibit a different behaviour in the extreme cases of the steady Stokes flow and inviscid limits. Exact solutions are presented for the middle frequency range in terms of spheroidal wave functions and these results are interpreted in terms of the analytic solutions for the asymptotic behaviour. It is shown that the force on a body can be represented in terms of four contributions; the classical Stokes and virtual mass forces; a newly defined generalized Basset force proportional to λ whose coefficient is a function of body geometry derived from the perturbation solution for high frequency; and a fourth term which combines frequency and geometry in a more general way. In view of the complexity of this fourth term, a relatively simple correlation is proposed which provides good accuracy for all aspect ratios in the range 0.1 < b/a < 10 where exact solutions were calculated and for all values of λ. Furthermore, the correlation has a simple inverse Laplace transform, so that the force may be found for an arbitrary velocity U(t) of the spheroid. The new fourth term transforms to a memory integral whose kernel is either bounded or has a weaker singularity than the t−½ behaviour of the Basset memory integral. These results are used to propose an approximate functional form for the force on an arbitrary body in unsteady motion at low Reynolds number.
Calcium-, calcium/calmodulin-, and calcium/phospholipid-stimulated protein phosphorylation in the rat anterior pituitary.

Calcium-dependent protein phosphorylation may be a critical step in the stimulated secretion of anterior pituitary hormones. We have noted the existence of a number of calcium-calcium/calmodulin-, and calcium/phospholipid-dependent phosphoproteins in the normal rat anterior pituitary. Cell extracts were prepared from anterior pituitary glands of male rats and phosphorylated with [γ32P]ATP in the presence or absence of calcium, calmodulin, and phosphatidylserine. The samples were electrophoresed on SDS-PAGE gels, autoradiographs prepared, and phosphate incorporation into specific proteins quantitated with microdensitometry. Calcium alone significantly stimulated the phosphorylation of proteins with molecular weights of 80.0-, 62.0-, 51.0,- 30.5-, and 25.0-kDa. The phosphorylation of 21.5-, 51.0-, and 80.0-kDa MW phosphoproteins was found to be phospholipid dependent. The phosphorylation of 62.0-, 51.0-, 33.0-, 30.5-, and 25.0-kDa MW phosphoproteins was found to be calcium/calmodulin kinase dependent. Calcium/calmodulin also inhibited phosphorylation of the 80.0-kDa phosphoprotein. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Production of serotonin syndrome by 8-OH DPAT in cryptotis parva

We have previously shown that the 5-HT2A/C agonist, DOI, potently and in a dose-dependent manner produces the head-twitch response in the least shrew (Cryptotis parva) via the activation of serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether activation of 5-HT1A receptors by its selective agonist, 8-OH DPAT, can induce the serotonin syndrome (SS) in this species. In the rat, the symptoms of SS include: forepaw splaying, hindleg abduction, forepaw treading, flat body posture, tremor, and straub tail. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of 8-OH DPAT produced four classic symptoms (forepaw splaying, hindleg abduction, forepaw treading, and straub tail) of SS in the least shrew in a dose-dependent manner in the 30-min observation period. The mean total cumulative score for all components of SS also significantly increased in intensity in a dose-dependent fashion. Administration of selective 5-HT1A antagonists [S(-)UH 301 or NAN-190] potently blocked the 8-OH DPAT-induced mean total SS score in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, these antagonists had similar potencies as indicated by their identical ID50 values (0.5 and 0.52 mg/kg respectively). However, unexpectedly and unlike the published findings in the rat, the nonselective 5-HT1A antagonist with b-blocking activity, propranolol, failed to attenuate the induced response in this species. As was expected, the selective 5-HT2A/C antagonist, SR 46349B, did not affect the intensity 8-OH DPAT-induced symptoms. Overall, these data suggest that the SS produced by 8-OH DPAT in the least shrew is mediated via the activation of serotonergic 5-HT1A receptors. In addition, propranolol is not a useful 5-HT1A antagonist in this species.
Roles of myosin phosphatase during Drosophila development

Myosins are a superfamily of actin-dependent molecular motor proteins, among which the bipolar filament forming myosins II have been the most studied. The activity of smooth muscle/non-muscle myosin II is regulated by phosphorylation of the regulatory light chains, that in turn is modulated by the antagonistic activity of myosin light chain kinase and myosin light chain phosphatase. The phosphatase activity is mainly regulated through phosphorylation of its myosin binding subunit MYPT. To identify the function of these phosphorylation events, we have molecularly characterized the Drosophila homologue of MYPT, and analyzed its mutant phenotypes. We find that Drosophila MYPT is required for cell sheet movement during dorsal closure, morphogenesis of the eye, and ring canal growth during oogenesis. Our results indicate that the regulation of the phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chains, or dynamic activation and inactivation of myosin II, is essential for its various functions during many developmental processes.
P 170. Characterization of brain plasticity in Diabetes Type II and Alzheimer’s disease supports link between both diseases

Introduction Increased incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in individuals with Diabetes Type II (DM2) suggests a possible pathophysiologic link. Support for such a link comes from several experimental animal models. Insulin deficiency and resistance are major factors in the pathogenesis of DM2 and appear to be involved in the neurodegenerative processes of AD by altering synaptic brain plasticity. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can be used to examine mechanisms of plasticity, and may thus reveal abnormalities in patients with DM2 that might resemble those in patients with AD. Objectives Evaluate cortical plasticity mechanisms in subjects with DM2 and compare them with those in patients with AD as assessed by TMS measures. Explore possible similarities in abnormal brain plasticity in order to investigate the link between DM2 and AD. Materials and methods To evaluate cortical brain plasticity we applied intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) at 80% of active motor threshold (aMT) over the left primary motor cortex (M1) in patients with mild to moderate AD, DM2 and in healthy individuals. iTBS consisted of a total of 600 pulses divided into 20 trains, each including bursts of 3 pulses at 50 Hz repeated at 5 Hz for 2 s and with an 8 s interval between trains. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) of the right first dorsal interosseus muscle (FDI) were triggered by neuronavigated single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (spTMS) over left M1 at 120% of resting motor threshold (rMT) before and after iTBS. Changes in MEP amplitudes after iTBS were examined as measures of long term potentiation (LTP) like plasticity. Results Within the first 20 min following iTBS baseline corrected MEPs were significantly larger for healthy subjects (1.32 ± 0.21 mV) compared to patients with AD (0.92 ± 0.08 mV; p = 0.023) and DM2 (0.69 ± 0.15 mV; p = 0.007) (Fig. 1). There was no significant difference between AD and DM2 (p = 0.63). Interestingly, while iTBS had almost no effect on AD patients it tended to have a paradoxically inhibitory effect in patients with DM2. Conclusion The iTBS-induced modulation of corticospinal excitability is impaired in both AD and DM2. This finding supports the notion of aberrant LTP-like mechanisms of plasticity in DM2 and AD, and suggests a pathophysiologic link between the two diseases. This link may account for the epidemiologically increased risk for patients with DM2 to develop AD. Further studies and longitudinal assessments are needed to explore such a link further, but in this context, TMS-methods appear promising and may become a valuable early biomarker for AD and individuals at risk. Acknowledgements The study was sponsored and supported by the Harvard Catalyst, Nexstim, Neuronix Ltd., the National Institutes of Health, and the Berenson-Allen Foundation. Download : Download high-res image (60KB) Download : Download full-size image
The RNA polymerase II molecule at the 5′ end of the uninduced hsp70 gene of D. melanogaster is transcriptionally engaged

Protein-DNA cross-linking of cultured Drosophila cells has shown that, in vivo, prior to the induction of heat shock, there is approximately one molecule of RNA polymerase II associated with the promoter region of the major heat shock gene, hsp70. Here, we show that this promoter-associated RNA polymerase II molecule is transcriptionally engaged and has formed a nascent RNA chain of approximately 25 nucleotides in length, but is apparently arrested at that point and unable to penetrate further into the hsp70 gene without heat induction. The detection of a post-initiation RNA polymerase complex on the promoter region of the inactive gene suggests that there is a transcriptional control mechanism that acts at a step early in transcript elongation.