cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coaching via Telehealth: Caregiver-Mediated Interventions for Young Children on the Waitlist for an Autism Diagnosis Using Single-Case Design.

Years can elapse between parental suspicion of a developmental delay and a diagnostic assessment, ultimately delaying access to medically necessary, autism-specific intervention. Using a single-case, concurrent multiple baseline design, autism spectrum disorder symptomology (i.e., higher-order restrictive and repetitive behaviors and interests; higher-order RRBIs) was targeted in toddlers (21–35 months) waiting for a diagnostic appointment. Caregivers were coached via telehealth to mediate early intervention to decrease interfering, inflexible higher-order RRBIs during play using four evidence-based applied behavior analytic strategies: modeling, prompting, differential reinforcement of appropriate behaviors, and response interruption and redirection. Six mother–child dyads were recruited from pediatrician offices and early intervention service districts in the United States. All families were considered under-served, under-resourced, or living in rural locations. A visual analysis of the data combined with Tau-U revealed a strong basic effect between the intervention package and parent strategy use and child flexible and inflexible behavior. Findings were consistent across participants with one exception demonstrating a moderate effect for flexible behaviors yet a strong effect for inflexible behaviors. Standardized mean difference was beyond zero for all participants. Implications for science and practice include support for early intervention of higher-order RRBIs for young children with and at risk for ASD.
Impact of COVID-19 on Screening Rates for Colorectal, Breast, and Cervical Cancer: Practice Feedback From a Quality Improvement Project in Primary Care.

Purpose Three New York State practice-based research networks provided quality improvement strategies to improve screening rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal (BCC) cancers in safety-net primary care, over 7 years. In the final year (Y7), the United States experienced the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BCC cancer screening rates was assessed qualitatively. Methods A total of 12 primary care practices participated in Y7 of the quality improvement project. BCC cancer screening rates at year beginning and end were assessed. Practice staff were asked about how COVID-19 impacted screening. Average pre/postintervention screening rates and qualitative thematic analysis regarding how COVID-19 impacted cancer screening were ascertained. Results In Y7, there was an increase in breast cancer and a decrease in colorectal and cervical cancer screening rates compared to the previous project year. Many practices were able to continue pre-COVID-19 cancer screening processes. Overall, practices reported loss of staff, changes in data entry, and a shift from preventive screening to care of sick patients. Telehealth was vital for practices to continue serving patients but had a less positive impact on patients with financial/technological disadvantages. BCC cancer screenings were impacted at various levels. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted primary care practice cancer screening; however, some practices were able to mitigate effects by shifting focus to processes supporting screening outside of in-person office visits.
CT-Guided Interstitial Low Dose-RATE Brachytherapy for Recurrent Colorectal Cancer.

Purpose/Objective(s) Patients with pelvic or retroperitoneal recurrences of colorectal cancer (CRC) have poor overall survival, with retrospective studies suggesting a possible survival benefit with local therapy. However, many patients present with disease that is either unresectable, or in which resection will result in significant morbidity or margin positivity. We sought to examine the local control, overall survival (OS), and toxicity of minimally invasive CT-guided low dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy in this setting, for which there is limited published data. Materials/Methods This study was a retrospective analysis of all patients at our institution who have undergone CT-guided LDR brachytherapy for recurrent CRC. Patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics were collected, along with physician-reported symptoms in the medical record. Patients underwent dose calculation based on pre-implantation CT imaging and contouring of gross tumor volume (GTV), followed by CT-guided percutaneous interstitial needle placement of either Iodine-125 or Palladium-103 permanent seed implants prescribed to the GTV. Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria were used to interpret treatment response, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate rates of overall survival (OS) and in-field control (IFC). IFC was defined as a lack of progression of disease within the pre-implantation defined target volume. Results Between December 2016 and August 2020, 13 patients underwent 18 CT-guided LDR seed implantations (6 I-125, 12 Pd-103) for pelvic or retroperitoneal recurrences of CRC at our institution, with a median follow-up of 17 months. 17 treatments were for pelvic recurrences, while one treatment was for a retrocaval nodal recurrence. The median prescribed dose to the target volume was 80 Gy (range 40-110 Gy), with a median target volume of 5.0 cc (range 0.6-25.5 cc). The 1-year estimated rates of OS and IFC were 94.4% (CI 84.4-100%) and 82.4% (CI 66.1-100%), respectively. All in-field failures occurred in targets above the median target volume of 5 cc. All patients previously received definitive treatment for either initially locally advanced (8 patients) or limited metastatic disease (5 patients). Of the 18 implantations, four were performed for isolated pelvic recurrences and 13 for either oligo-progressive or oligo-recurrent metastatic disease, with a median of two active sites of disease at the time of seed implantation. One patient received palliative brachytherapy after a poly-metastatic recurrence. No patients experienced grade 2 or higher toxicities. Three patients experienced a grade 1 toxicity (proctitis, pain, and fatigue), and one patient developed an asymptomatic recto-vaginal fistula detected on imaging, which was outside of the brachytherapy field. Conclusion CT-guided interstitial LDR brachytherapy achieved high rates of control and overall survival with minimal long-term toxicity in patients with pelvic and retroperitoneal recurrences of CRC.
AC losses in superconductors with a power-law constitutive relation

Abstract The observed constitutive relation between the electrical field and current density in cuprates high temperature superconductors is a power-law of the current. This functional dependence is presumably related to the giant flux-creep domain. It is shown that this constitutive relation reflects the statistical spread of the pinning potential associated with creep motion of vortex bundles. The AC losses emanating from a power-law constitutive relation are calculated in an approach focused on the superconductor’s electric field. For a slab geometry in the presence of a parallel AC magnetic field or transport current, the calculated AC-loss scaling laws are consistent with BSCCO data and the critical state model. Extensions of the approach are briefly discussed.
Affiliation, Acceptance, and Belonging: The Pursuit of Interpersonal Connection

1 Affiliation 2 Seeking Acceptance and Belonging 3 Monitoring Relational Value and Social Connections 4 Varieties of Rejection-Related Events 5 Reactions to Rejection 6 Dealing With Threats to Affiliation, Acceptance, and Belonging 7 Long-Term Consequences of Rejection 8 Summary
Incorporating the contrary

Every writer, Nietzsche once commented, has an intellectual idiosyncrasy that, once grasped, can be used as a key to interpret their work. In Chester Barnard’s classic text on management theory, The Functions of the Executive, the use of dichotomy is such a key. Barnard uses dichotomy in all his major conceptual frameworks. Analyses his three central sociological concepts: society, organization purpose, and organization authority. Shows that the purpose behind Barnard’s use of dichotomy is political: he is attempting to legitimate the dominance of formal organization in society. His main means to accomplish this is by defining dichotomies in such a way that they either assume the dominance or demonstrate the superiority of formal organization. The result is that Barnard’s use of dichotomy is misleading and contradictory. He tries to conceal the contradictions by the use of complex and ambiguous discussions. Ultimately, Barnard’s theoretical method is shown to rest on the erroneous dichotomy that assumes organization rationality is autonomous from and superior to culture and society.
The Subaltern Speaks: Ambiguity of Empire in Conrad's "Karain: A Memory"

This essay explores the nature of imperialism in Joseph Conrad's story "Karain: A Memory." Unlike many others of its kind in the late 19th century, "Karain" brings to its readers the sense of dual identities common among colonial and post-colonial people. Focusing on both Homi Bhabha's ideas of hybridity and Gayatri Spivak's notions regarding the voice of the Other, this essay is an in-depth textual analysis of how Conrad uses both representatives of the native and representatives of Empire to move us toward a firm understanding of identity. From this perspective, the essay delves into the very question of the native subject and his autonomy.
“WE ARE THE PLANET”: INCIPIENT SOLIDARITIES IN RUSSELL BANKS'S CONTINENTAL DRIFT

This essay explores the way writers address the formation and fate of the contemporary American working class in an age of neoliberal globalization. Specifically, the essay examines Russell Banks's 1985 novel Continental Drift, which interweaves the stories of two characters who pull up stakes and head to Florida in search of a better life: an oil furnace repair man from New Hampshire and a young, single mother from Haiti. In bringing together these two narratives, Banks's novel insists that the story of the White, U.S. working class in an increasingly post-industrial, globalized era is also a story of the hemispheric, migratory underclass, composed in large part by poor people of color. Following the fate of questing workers in an ultimately fruitless search for well-being and wealth, Continental Drift stresses the urgency of class consciousness in a neoliberal world, even as it finally insists that the historic legacies and still ongoing dynamics of slavery, colonialism, and the geographically and culturally uneven dimensions of capitalist development make such consciousness in and of itself insufficient to establish a sense of solidarity among laboring peoples from disparate racial and national contexts.
Innovation and the Market Value of Firms

Does innovation increase shareholder value? While many researchers and practitioners believe that it does, little consensus surrounds the magnitude of the economic rents to innovation and the determinants of these rents, primarily because they vary across industries and ways in which innovation is measured. This chapter has three main goals. First, I present a structured overview of prior research, summarizing what we currently know about the relation between innovation and shareholder value and the determinants of this relation. Second, I discuss several stock market-based metrics used in previous studies and the type of data necessary to appropriately utilize these metrics. Finally, I identify topics in need of future research and I propose a research agenda for the innovation domain.
The initial effects of Kinesio Tape on shoulder joint position sense at increasing elevations

Joint position sense (JPS) is a key factor for developing and maintaining motor pathways which manage neuromuscular control of joint. This neuromuscular control is important as it helps perform specialized tasks, especially at the shoulder where stability is sacrificed for mobility. Therefore, when there is damage to the joint or the surrounding tissues the mechanoreceptors are also impaired which alters a person’s proprioception. As a result of alteration in proprioception one’s sense of movement and JPS is also altered which in turn diminishes his/her ability to perform specialized tasks. In the present study, shoulder JPS was assessed at increasing elevations with and without the application of Kinesio Tape (KT). Thirty healthy non-overhead athletes, who had no previous shoulder pathologies, were recruited. Subjects attempted to actively replicate three target positions with and without the KT. The absolute and variable errors were analyzed for each position. The findings of this study indicate that at 90° elevation shoulder JPS is significantly affected by the application of KT.
Sickle Cell Disease: A Quality Improvement Initiative for Emergency Department Providers

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an incurable, chronic condition that results in a constellation of disorders, frequent emergency department (ED) visits, and repeated hospital admissions. Those affected often suffer from pain crisis, infection, acute chest syndrome, stroke, and multi-organ impairment and frequently do not receive adequate pain management during acute pain episodes because ED providers view them as drug seeking. The majority of patients with SCD are African-American and may be low income, uninsured, or on Medicaid. As a result, these demographics make ED under-treatment of pain in patients with SCD a health equity issue. This was a pre-experimental one group pre-test/post-test quality improvement project to evaluate the effectiveness of implementation of an evidence-based analgesic algorithm coupled with an intervention on practice change behavior towards patients with SCD. The intervention was an educational video and introduction of an evidence-based analgesic prescribing algorithm (ED-SCANS Decision 2). The outcome variables were provider perceptions (assessed by the Positive Provider Attitudes towards Sickle Cell Patients questionnaire) and levels of pain in SCD patients before and after the intervention. The results of this project indicated that there was a significant improvement in provider attitudes between the pre-test and post-test scores (p
Decreased expression of protooncogenes c-fos, c-myc, and c-jun following polyamine depletion in IEC-6 cells

Direct exposure of small intestinal mucosal cells to luminal polyamines stimulates proliferation. This study tests the hypothesis that the protooncogenes c-fos, c-myc, c-jun, and junB are involved ...
Low frequency noise consideration for MOSFET analog circuits

Progress in higher level integration in digital CMOS technology has led to the implementation of mixed mode analog/digital circuit functions on the same chip. In order to fully realize the potential of analog applications of MOS FETs processed with digital technology, the impact of digital fabrication technology on device analog performance has to be examined. One of the essential processing issues is the plasma etching induced gate oxide damage, which affects MOSFET threshold voltage and 1/f noise. The 1/f noise is known to affect broad band circuit design and its intensity poses a limit on input signal level, which will be further reduced in low power electronics. To alleviate the design constraints imposed by MOSFET noise, it is essential to examine the 1/f noise characteristics affected by the device design. In this paper, we report such an investigation, illustrating that the noise dependence on channel length, metal interconnect perimeter length, and gate bias needs to be taken into consideration for analog circuit design.
CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS DEFICIENCY MAPPING

Six schemes were used to identify 80 independent recessive lethal deficiencies of linkage group (LG) II following X-ray treatment of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Complementation tests between the deficiencies and ethyl methanesulfonate-induced recessive visible, lethal and sterile mutations and between different deficiencies were used to characterize the extents of the deficiencies. Deficiency endpoints thus helped to order 36 sites within a region representing about half of the loci on LG II and extending over about 5 map units. New mutations occurring in this region can be assigned to particular segments of the map by complementation tests against a small number of deficiencies; this facilitates the assignment of single-site mutations to particular genes, as we illustrate. Five sperm-defective and five oocyte-defective LG II sterile mutants were identified and mapped. Certain deficiency-by-deficiency complementation tests allowed us to suggest that the phenotypes of null mutations at two loci represented by visible alleles are wild type and that null mutations at a third locus confer a visible phenotype. A segment of LG II that is about 12 map units long and largely devoid of identified loci seems to be greatly favored for crossing over.
Apoptotic Effects of Novel Dithiocarbamate Analogs of Emetine in Prostate Cancer Cell Lines.

BACKGROUND/AIM Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of death in American males. Emetine, a naturally-derived alkaloid from the Ipecacuanha plant, has been shown to have potential for anti-tumorigenic effects for cancer treatments. The objective of this study was to characterize novel emetine dithiocarbamate (EMTDTC) analogs for potent anti-tumorigenic activity with minimal toxicity to normal prostate cells and identify targeted apoptotic regulatory genes. The leading key compounds, EMTDTC-55 and EMTDTC-56 were studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS Established methods of cell flow cytometry were used to analyze apoptotic potential in prostate cancer cell lines (DU145, PC3 and LNCaP) and real time-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for identifying key genes mediating apoptosis. RESULTS The effect of EMTDTC-55 on DU145, LNCaP and PC3 revealed significant anti-tumorigenic activities. Both compounds showed highly significant apoptotic potential on days 3 and 5 in the prostate cancer cells. Key apoptotic genes were differentially regulated suggestive of cell-cycle arrest and apoptotic induction in androgen-independent cell lines, DU145 and PC3, by both compounds. However, in the androgen-dependent cell line LNCaP, cells were marginally affected by EMTDTC-55, but significant apoptosis was observed by EMTDTC-56 leading to cell-cycle arrest. CONCLUSION Both dithiocarbamate compounds EMTDTC-55 and EMTDTC-56 have significant chemotherapeutic potential in moderately metastatic DU145 and highly metastatic PC3 cells.
Amygdala-mediated enhancement of memory for specific events depends on the hippocampus

Emotional events are often remembered better than neutral events, a type of memory prioritization by affective salience that depends on the amygdala. Studies with rats have indicated that direct activation of the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) can enhance memory for neutral events, and if the activation is brief and temporally targeted, can do so in a way that benefits memories for specific events. The essential targets of BLA activation in the case of event-specific memory enhancement were unknown, but the hippocampus was known to receive direct projections from the BLA and to support memory for events. In the present study, rats received counterbalanced infusions of either muscimol, a GABAA receptor agonist, or saline into the hippocampus prior to performing a novel object recognition memory task during which initial encounters with some of the objects were immediately followed by brief electrical stimulation to the BLA. When memory was tested 1day later in the saline condition, rats remembered these objects well but showed no memory for objects for which the initial encounter had not been followed by BLA stimulation. In contrast, no benefit to memory of BLA stimulation was observed in the muscimol condition. The results indicated that brief activation of the BLA can prioritize memories for events by enhancing memory for some object encounters but not others and that this benefit to memory depends on interactions between the amygdala and the hippocampus.
Designing and instructional design

What do we know about the process of designing instruction? We have a large body of literature and numerous prescriptive models, yet it is not clear that designers actually operate as the literature and models suggest. Other design fields, such as architecture and engineering, have similar concerns, but have acted upon those concerns by systematically investigating design processes. Considering the results of such studies may prove beneficial to instructional designers in terms of promoting critical analysis of processes and decisions and identifying questions and hypotheses for research. In this article, results from numerous studies of design are synthesized to provide a basis for considering instructional design as a type of designing rather than an isolated phenomenon.
Some thoughts on undergraduate teaching and the Ph.D.

As the hiring crisis in academic computer science worsens, many people ask whether faculty whose primary job is teaching need doctorates. In the past, the answer would have been "yes;" now people increasingly suggest that it could be "no." I have argued in my own department for hiring only faculty with doctorates, because, while the doctorate does not directly train people to teach, it does seem to correlate with many characteristics of a good educator. This paper explores the thinking underlying my view, in hopes that it may help others clarify the needs and reasoning behind their own faculty searches.
Decomposition-Based Control for a Powered Knee and Ankle Transfemoral Prosthesis

This paper describes an active passive torque decomposition procedure for use in controlling a fully powered transfemoral prosthesis. The active and passive parts of the joint torques are extracted by solving a constrained least squares optimization problem. Rather than utilize "echo control" as proposed by others, the proposed approach generates the torque reference of joints by combining the active part, which is a function of the force and moment vector of the interaction between user and prosthesis and the passive part, which has a nonlinear spring-dashpot behavior. The ability of the approach to reconstruct the required joint torques is demonstrated in simulation on measured biomechanics data.
National approaches to developing social indicators

The basis for selecting social indicators in ten national publications released to date are primarily measures of welfare and measures reflecting public policy and social concerns. The orientation of the volumes from the U.S., France, Canada, Norway, Philippines, Malaysia, Great Britain are discussed. The selection of time series that reflect social processes is proposed and an orientation presented around the concepts of the vital processes, socialization and participation, mobility and stratification, maintaining security, and control and coordination by which social order is attained. A bibliography identifies the national reports known to the author.
Effect of natural convection and thermal transparency of liquid encapsulant on thermal stresses during LEG growth of GaAs

Abstract The effects of natural convection and thermal transparency of the liquid encapsulant on the temperature and elastic stress distributions in GaAs crystals grown by the low pressure liquid-encapsulated Czochralski (LP-LEC) technique are numerically investigated. The results indicate that the stresses exceed CRSS appreciably during conventional LP-LEC growth and can be significantly reduced by total encapsulation of the growing solid.
Experimental evaluation of veno-arterial pumping, a proposed technique for circulation support.

1. A system for circulation support is described in which blood is pumped from the superior cava to the lower aorta without oxygenation. 2. The abscence of a blood-air interface and the atraumatic pump used make the system suitable for prolonged circulation support. 3. The oxygen saturation of blood in the bypass falls with increasing extracorporeal flow. When veno-arterial pumping contributes approximately half the total body perfusion, the unsaturated blood mixes with oxygenated blood from the heart in the abdominal aorta between the diaphragm and the renal arteries. 4. There is evidence of redistribution of blood flow during veno-arterial pumping, flow through the lower limbs increasing and flow through the head and upper limbs tending to decrease. 5. An increase in systemic perfusion and arterial pressure produced by veno-arterial pumping may be effective in relieving shock and increasing coronary blood flow in patients with myocardial infarction.
Dimensions of quality in infants' exploratory behavior: Relationships to problem-solving ability

Individual differences in the quality of exploratory behavior were assessed in forty 11 to 12-month-old infants. The study focused on the interrelationship of quality and quantity of exploratory behavior and the importance of breadth versus depth. Also, relationships between exploration and problem-solving ability were examined. Correlational and factor analyses suggest that individual differences can be characterized based on the overall pattern of exploratory behavior engaged in by 1-year-olds. Greater breadth in exploratory behavior was related to increased quantity of behavior. In general, breadth was found to be a more salient dimension of exploration than depth and also predicted more successful and sophisticated problem-solving ability.
On the decrease of entropy in a thermodynamic system by the intervention of intelligent beings.

In memory of Leo Szilard, who passed away on May 30,1964, we present an English translation of his classical paper ober die Enfropieuerminderung in einem thermodynamischen System bei Eingrifen intelligenter Wesen, which appeared in the Zeitschrift fur Physik, 1929,53,840-856. The publication in this journal of this translation was approved by Dr. Szilard before he died, but he never saw the copy. At Mrs. Szilard's request, Dr. Carl Eckart revised the translation. This is one of the earliest, if not the earliest paper, in which the relations of physical entropy to information (in the sense of modem mathematical theory of communication) were rigorously demonstrated and in which Maxwell's famous demon was successfully exorcised: a milestone in the integration of physical and cognitive concepts.
Identification of an essential cis-element near the transcription start site for transcriptional activation of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen gene

Interleukin 2 (IL-2) stimulates T lymphocyte proliferation and induces the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a processivity factor for DNA polymerase δ. Previously, deletion analysis suggested cis-element(s) in the proximal region of the PCNA promoter (−40 to +143) are required for IL-2 induction in cloned T lymphocytes. The sequence 5′-TTGCGGGC-3′ located at +10 to +17 is similar to the E2F consensus binding site and is required for optimal PCNA promoter activity. In IL-2-stimulated T cells, nuclear proteins are induced to bind to this sequence as demonstrated using electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), competition EMSA, and methylation interference analysis. A 180-kDa polypeptide was detected by UV cross-linking to bind specifically to the PCNA E2F-like sequence. Our data indicate that the protein bound to the PCNA E2F-like site is not one of the transcription factor E2F proteins. Our results demonstrate that the E2F-like sequence and the protein(s) binding to it are required for optimal PCNA promoter activity and IL-2 induction of PCNA expression.
Enhancement of flicker by lateral inhibition.

Sinusoidal modulation of illumination on the compound eye of the horseshoe crab, Limulus, produces a corresponding variation in the rate of discharge of optic nerve impulses. Increasing the area of illumination decreases the variation at low frequencies of modulation, but unexpectedly enhances—or "amplifies"—the variation at the intermediate frequencies to which the eye is most sensitive. Both effects must result from inhibition since it is the only significant lateral influence in this eye.
Effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens (2-79) culture age on the relationship between optical density and biomass

The effect of cell-cell adhesion (clump formation) on the relationship between optical density and dry biomass was investigated for Pseudomonas fluorescens (2–79). Calibration curves were generated at the beginning, middle and end of the arithmetic growth phase, as well as during the decay phase. The results show that use of a single biomass-turbidimetric equation for the entire arithmetic growth phase may yield erroneous results.
Continuous intravenous fucose therapy in rat mammary cancer. II.

Twenty-five Lewis-Wistar rats, weighing 500 to 525 gm each, received a transplantable mammary tumor which spontaneously arose in this strain; two days later, they were equipped with a silastic catheter inserted into the superior vena cava, the catheter protected by a specially designed harness allowing unrestricted movement of the animals. On the fifth day after tumor implantation, continuous intravenous infusions were begun, five rats serving as control and receiving only saline, twelve rats receiving glucose and eight rats receiving fucose. All 25 animals tolerated the procedure with no toxicity in any group as determined by animal inspection, measurement of blood urea nitrogen and of serum glutamic pyruvate transaminase. There was no significant weight change during the course of the experiment. On completion of infusion, tumors in rats receiving 20% fucose showed a statistically significant smaller mean diameter as compared to both controls and rats receiving intravenous glucose. After cessation of the ten-day infusion the tumors in the fucose-treated rats remained significantly smaller than those in their glucose counterparts or controls. Attendant on intravenous fucose therapy was a definite increase in total oral intake and urinary output. Twenty-one days after conclusion of intravenous therapy all animals were sacrificed, and the tissues of those who received fucose were found to have a statistically significantly increased level of serum protein-bound fucose.
Geography of European Life Satisfaction

The vast majority of studies analyze life satisfaction at individual and/or country level. This study contributes with analysis of life satisfaction at the (sub-national) province level across multiple countries. The purpose of this study is to call attention to spatial aspects of life satisfaction. Literature does not discuss the fact that life satisfaction in one province may be related to life satisfaction in other provinces. This study shows that there are well-defined happiness clusters in Europe, but also some outliers.
Coarctation of the lateral ventricles : an alternative explanation for subependymal pseudocysts

Three cases of sonographically demonstrated cystic areas adjacent to the superolateral margins of the lateral ventricles are described. The cystic areas are considered secondary to a coarctation of the lateral ventricle, a normal variant. The cystic areas are not considered post-hemorrhagic or ischemic sequelae.
Plasma Osmolality Predicts Extracellular Fluid Catechol Concentrations in the Lateral Hypothalamus

The lateral hypothalamus has an important role in regulating food and water intake. We have investigated the endogenous release of monoamines from the lateral hypothalamus during manipulations of plasma osmolality and circulating volume. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats implanted with carbon paste in vivo electrochemical (EC) electrodes in the lateral hypothalamus were placed on a 72-h water deprivation schedule. Although the carbon paste EC electrode has an intrinsically ambiguous signal in which changes in ascorbic acid may appear as changes in catechol concentrations, pharmacologic studies in lateral hypothalamus indicated that the electrode most likely measured norepinephrine and possibly epinephrine. On the test day, the EC electrodes were scanned with linear sweep voltammetry from -0.2 to +0.4 V at a rate of 5 mV/s. Semiderivative signal processing showed catechol and hydroxyindole peaks at +0.11 and +0.23 V, respectively. Baseline recordings were made prior to rats drinking distilled water, 10% sucrose, 5% dextrose, 0.30% NaCl, 0.90% NaCl, or 10% d-mannitol. To control for the act of drinking, other implanted dehydrated rats were intraperitoneally injected with 5% dextrose, 0.30% NaCl, or 0.90% NaCl. To dissociate the effects of osmolality and circulating volume on the EC response, hydrated rats implanted with EC electrodes were subcutaneously injected with 12% NaCl or intraperitoneally injected with 35% polyethylene glycol. Other rats subjected to water deprivation and osmotic challenges were decapitated and trunk blood was collected for measurements of plasma osmolality and hematocrit. Similar experiments were conducted using homozygous Brattleboro rats which lack arginine vasopressin (AVP) but which preserve normal plasma osmolality with prodigious drinking.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Evidence of intramolecular cross-linked A alpha.gamma chain heterodimers in plasma fibrinogen.

A peptide band of approximately 105 kDa migrating near the gamma dimer position of disulfide bond reduced human plasma fibrinogen prepared from fresh single donor or outdated plasma was identified by SDS-PAGE. The band, amounting to approximately 2% of the total A alpha/gamma chain population, was thrombin and plasmin sensitive and reacted with antibodies to A alpha or gamma chains but not with antibodies to B beta chains, plasminogen, or factor XIII. Amino acid sequencing revealed a double sequence corresponding to that of A alpha and gamma chains, indicating that the band consists of covalently cross-linked A alpha.gamma chain heterodimers. A alpha.gamma heterodimers were identified as a component of monomeric fibrinogen by two-dimensional SDS-PAGE and by SDS-PAGE analysis of the monomer fraction isolated by gel sieving chromatography, thus indicating that A alpha.gamma heterodimers arise by intramolecular A alpha/gamma chain cross-linking.
Privatizing Participation : Civic Change and the Organizational Dynamics of Grassroots Lobbying Firms

This article highlights the shifting boundaries between the public and private spheres in advanced capitalist societies through an examination of grassroots lobbying firms. These organizations, which became a fixture in U.S. politics in the 1970s and have grown in number and prominence since, subsidize public participation on behalf of corporations, industry groups, and associations using direct mail, telephoning, and by mobilizing members and stakeholders. I examine the dynamics of this organizational population—whose existence calls attention to broad transformations in civil society—with reference to dramatic growth in the organizational populations of civic and trade associations. Results, derived from a Generalized Estimating Equation panel regression of firm founding events across U.S. regions from 1972 to 2002, suggest that the increasing formal organization of civil society has supported the development of a field of organizations that subsidize participation. These organizations do so, however, i...
Acute pancreatitis in the postpartum period: a population-based case-control study

Objective To determine relationships among pregnancy (during and postpartum), acute pancreatitis, and gallstones. Patients and Methods In this retrospective population-based case-control study, we identified all 12- to 50-year-old Rochester, Minn, females diagnosed between 1976 and 1991 as having acute pancreatitis (cases). For each case, we matched 4 women of the same age (±6 years) with no history of acute pancreatitis (controls). Acute pancreatitis was defined as associated with pregnancy if it occurred from 10 months prior to delivery to delivery and with the postpartum period if it occurred within 10 months of the date of delivery. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between pregnancy-related acute pancreatitis, age, gallstone occurrence, and alcohol use. Results In a cohort of 61 women who developed acute pancreatitis and 244 controls, the relative risk for acute pancreatitis associated with pregnancy was 1.43 (95% confidence interval, 0.61–3.40). All 10 cases of acute pancreatitis associated with pregnancy occurred in the postpartum period. Gallstones were present in 6 of them compared with 13 of 51 women with non-pregnancy-related acute pancreatitis ( P P Conclusions Acute pancreatitis during the postpartum period is not directly related to pregnancy but is associated with gallstones and occurs in younger women.
The counter‐propaganda of radio RSA: The voice of South Africa

Some portion of the international broadcasting of many governments consists of responses to criticisms by political adversaries. The regime of the Republic of South Africa has long been the object of verbal attack, particularly since 1948 when the National party came to power, extending and formally institutionalizing the policies of apartheid. This study explored the rhetorical strategies recently employed by the South African government in its radio broadcasts responding to worldwide condemnation of its domestic and international policies.
The self in depression: Research trends and clinical implications

This article offers a brief selective review of basic research findings linking the self to clinical depression. Criteria used for identifying the most influential research trends included theoretical impact, extent of empirical support, and potential clinical utility. We discuss and summarize several of the most productive areas of research on the self: self-esteem, the self-schema, and self-inconsistency. Within each topic area, the most important findings and their applicability to psychotherapy for depression are presented. The article concludes with a discussion of issues raised by the review itself and a set of recommendations for applying basic research findings to treatment selection and psychotherapeutic intervention. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The Relation of Contractile Enhancement to Action Potential Change in Canine Myocardium

Simultaneous recordings of contractile tension and transmembrane potentials from canine ventricular tissue yielded a consistent correlation of action potential (AP) alteration with contractile change associated with abrupt rate change. The AP terminating a relative prolongation of the cycle-length manifested shortening of phase 2 with lengthening of phase 3 and was associated with potentiation of contractile force. Conversely, the AP terminating a relative abbreviation of cycle-length displayed a broader phase 2 with a more precipitous phase 3, while the associated contraction was less forceful than the control. In each circumstance, the relative magnitude of cycle-length change correlated with the extent of both AP change and contractile alteration. Changes in AP configuration may reflect changes in transmembrane flux of K + during repolarization consistent with the findings of prior workers who have related K + efflux to increased contractility. Mechanical alternans, in addition, was frequently observed in association with abrupt rate change and was consistently associated with an electrical alternans manifested by action potentials with alternately wide and narrow plateaus (phase 2). As above, the more forceful contractions were associated with action potentials which displayed a narrower phase 2. Mechanical alternans initiated by abrupt rate change may represent an adaptive phenomenon prior to the establishment of a stable contractile state, as reflected by a stable AP configuration.
Application of a Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography Method in the Determination of DNA Quality and Stability

The development of plasmid DNA as a pharmaceutical requires that integrity (i.e., supercoil content) be monitored as part of quality control. The standard method of determining supercoil content is gel electrophoresis followed by staining and imaging, which is complicated by a variety of factors. Previously described chromatographic methods used to quantify supercoil content have had difficulty obtaining reliable separation of the different isoforms. Using ultra performance liquid chromatography, we have optimized buffer conditions, and utilized increased column temperatures in developing a method that allows accurate quantification of each isoform by ultraviolet detection. We found that increasing the column temperature to 55°C improved separation of the isoform peaks as well as increased the resolution of each peak. We demonstrate the utility of this method by quantifying supercoil content of samples subjected to sonication, acidification or lyophilization, and storage. Our results demonstrate that this method allows for a precise quantification of individual DNA isoforms within a heterogeneous sample.
“Tip of the Spear”: The Formation and Expansion of the Bundeswehr, 1949–1963

Starting with the election of Germany's first postwar government in 1949, the Western Allies, most notably the United States and Great Britain, came to the conclusion that in order to strengthen the defenses of Western Europe against a possible Soviet invasion, a viable German Army, free of the militarism and influence from its World War II predecessor, would be necessary for the defense of not only Germany but of Western Europe itself. After surmounting serious French objections to the creation of standing German Army on its border, the government of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer set about to create a West German Army or “Bundeswehr” based on democratic principles and practices. This article, the first of four on the post-World War II German Armed Forces, is a history of the problems, organization, and fielding of what became the “tip” of NATO's sharp spear guarding against the Soviet Army from overrunning Western Europe – the West German Bundeswehr.
Formation of the rupture site in preovulatory hamster follicles: morphological and morphometric analysis of thinning of the granulosa and thecal layers

The wall of hamster ovarian follicles is composed of the following cell layers: granulosa, theca interna, theca externa, and the surface epithelium. To determine the morphological changes occurring in the follicle during formation of the rupture site, we measured: the thickness of each layer, the number of cells in each layer, and size of cells in each layer, at the apex and base of follicles at specific times during the final 13 hr before ovulation. Changes in the wall occur in 3 stages. During stage 1 (T0-T8), which includes the first 8 hr following the surge in luteinizing hormone, the apical and basal walls thin at the same rate and the antrum increases in size. During stage 2 (T9-T12), there is no change in the thickness of the apical and basal follicle wall nor in the size of the antrum. During the third stage (T12-T13), the size of the antrum decreases slightly and there is an increase in the thickness of the basal wall, which is correlated with its constriction caused by the contraction of smooth muscle cells. The apical wall rapidly thins to the point of rupture. The morphology of cells from each layer is described. Theca interna cells form the final tissue preventing escape of the oocyte-cumulus complex. The roles of cell migration, stretching, and death in thinning of the apical wall are described, and the mechanisms involved in follicle rupture are discussed.
Regulation of the expression of bacterial iron transport genes: possible role of an antisense RNA as a repressor

Abstract Expression of the iron transport genes, fatB and fatA , in the bacterium Vibrio anguillarum 775 is negatively regulated by the iron concentration in the medium. Here, we show that iron represses fatB and fatA mRNA levels and concomitantly induces the synthesis of an antisense RNA (RNAα). The presence of RNAα correlates with the inhibition of FatA protein synthesis and thus may play a role in the iron repression of fatA expression. Since the 5′ end of RNAα maps 125 nucleotides upstream from the start codon of fatA and this RNA also extends into the coding region of fatB , it may also be involved in the iron regulation of fatB expression. RNAα may thus constitute a novel component of the bacterial iron regulatory circuit.
A potential cause for kidney stone formation during space flights: Enhanced growth of nanobacteria in microgravity

A potential cause for kidney stone formation during space flights: Enhanced growth of nanobacteria in microgravity . Background Although some information is available regarding the cellular/molecular changes in immune system exposed to microgravity, little is known about the reasons of the increase in the kidney stone formation in astronauts during and/or after long duration missions at zero gravity (0 g ). In our earlier studies, we have assessed a unique agent, nanobacteria (NB), in kidney stones and hypothesized that NB have an active role in calcium phosphate-carbonate deposition in kidney. In this research we studied effect of microgravity on multiplication and calcification of NB in vitro. Methods We examined NB cultures in High Aspect Rotating Vessels (HARVs) designed at the NASA's Johnson Space Center, which are designed to stimulate some aspects of microgravity. Multiplication rate and calcium phosphate composition of those NB were compared with NB cultured on stationary and shaker flasks. Collected aliquots of the cultures from different incubation periods were analyzed using spectrophotometer, SEM, TEM, EDX, and x-ray diffraction techniques. Results The results showed that NB multiplied 4.6× faster in HARVs compared to stationary cultures, and 3.2× faster than shaker flask conditions. X-ray diffraction and EDX analysis showed that the degree of apatite crystal formation and the properties of the apatite depend on the specific culture conditions used. Conclusion We now report an increased multiplication rate of NB in microgravity-simulated conditions. Thus, NB infection may have a potential role in kidney stone formation in crew members during space flights. For further proof to this hypothesis, screening of the NB antigen and antibody level in flight crew before and after flight would be necessary.
Light and Other Stimuli in the Location of Feeding Sites by Lesser Peach Tree Borer Larvae

The reactions of larval lesser peach tree borers, Synanthedon pictipes Grote and Robinson (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), to light of varying wavelength and intensity were studied in the laboratory. Only newly hatched larvae were responsive. Red, blue, and green light evoked a positive response, whereas yellow and ultraviolet did not. Field studies of larval behavior while searching for suitable feeding sites (wounds) on sour cherry trees revealed that newly hatched individuals are extremely active. Thus, the responsiveness of newly hatched larvae to light probably contributes to the observed searching. Behavior during the location of wounds was characterized by distinct patterns of long-distance and local search. In addition to the observed responses to light, chemotaxes and thigmotaxes were conjectured as other components of such analyzed searches. Lenticels, fresh wounds exposing sapwood, and other roughened bark areas apparently are major sources of the stimuli involved in eliciting the latter responses.
Singularity Functions as New Tool for Integrated Project Management

Abstract Construction managers plan and control quantitative measures for successful projects. Current techniques for time, budget, and resources are compartmentalized, but should be integrated into a cohesive model. The methodology adapts singularity functions from structural engineering. They activate a dependent variable over a range of an independent variable. Yet their analytical capability had ignored interfaces between measures. Pairwise interactions link quantitative elements and enable a customizable approach that facilitates multi-objective optimization. This research contributes in that models of time, cost, and resources are aligned; interactions are formalized via the common variable time; and the possibility of higher order models is discussed.