cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fluoxetine treatment induces dose dependent alterations in depression associated behavior and neural plasticity in female mice

Antidepressant-induced increases in neurogenesis and neurotrophin mobilization in rodents and primates are proposed to be necessary for behavioral efficacy. The current study examines the relationship between the effects of fluoxetine treatment on behavior, cell proliferation and the neurotrophin BDNF in females. Female MRL/MpJ mice were treated acutely (5 and 10mg/kg) or chronically (2.5, 5 and 10mg/kg b.i.d.) with fluoxetine and tested in the tail suspension test (TST) and or novelty-induced hypophagia test (NIH), respectively. Mice treated chronically with fluoxetine received 4 (100mg/kg) injections of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) on the last 4 days of treatment to measure DNA synthesis. The other half of the hippocampus and the frontal cortex was removed and examined for BDNF levels. Fluoxetine treatment decreased immobility in the TST and latency to eat in the NIH test, but only the highest dose of fluoxetine significantly altered behavior in both tests. Chronic treatment with 5 and 10mg/kg of fluoxetine significantly increased cell proliferation and BDNF levels in the hippocampus. Only chronic treatment with the highest of fluoxetine increased BDNF levels in the frontal cortex. Behavioral measures in the NIH test correlated with BDNF levels in the frontal cortex but not in the hippocampus or with cell proliferation in the hippocampus. These data suggest that females require high doses of fluoxetine for behavioral efficacy regardless of elevations of neurogenesis and BDNF mobilization in the hippocampus. Elevations in BDNF levels in the frontal cortex are related to the behavioral efficacy of fluoxetine.
Cyborg Agonistes Economics Meets Operations Research in Mid-Century

The importance of the rise of Operations Research (OR) for the postwar development of economics is a theme entirely absent from both the history of science and the history of economics. This paper explores a number of theses which will help to rectify that situation: (1) the existing history of OR, including the landmark paper by Fortun and Schweber (1993), stands in need of revision; (2) the neoclassical tradition in America had encountered some daunting obstacles in the 1930s; (3) the recruitment of a generation of economists into OR during World War II created a possible way out of this impasse; and (4) differences in analytical content of various schools of OR can be mapped on to postwar differences between schools of American neoclassical economics and, in particular, the Chicago School and the Cowles Commission. This narrative constitutes the outline of a thesis that World War II marked the second large-scale incursion of physicists into neoclassical economics.
Effect of recombinant human c-kit receptor ligand on mediator release from human skin mast cells

We studied the activity of recombinant human stem cell factor (rhSCF) on the release of mediators from human skin mast cells. High concentrations of rhSCF (1 ng/ml–1 μg/ml) induced a rapid and sustain
Spatial and temporal variability of PM2.5 and PM10 over the North China Plain and the Yangtze River Delta, China

The North China Plain (NCP) and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in China have been experiencing severe particulate matter (PM) pollution problems associated with the rapid economic growth and the accelerated urbanization. In this study, hourly mass concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 during June 1st–August 31st, 2013 were collected in 13 cities located in or adjacent to the NCP region and 20 cities located in the YRD region. The overall average PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were 77.0 μg/m3 and 136.2 μg/m3 in the NCP region, respectively, and 42.8 μg/m3 and 74.9 μg/m3 in the YRD region, respectively. The frequencies of occurrence of concentrations exceeding the China's Ambient Air Quality Standard (AAQS) (BG3095-12) Grade I standards were 83% for PM2.5 and 93% for PM10 in the NCP region, and 51% for PM2.5 and 66% for PM10 in the YRD region. Strong temporal correlation for both PM2.5 and PM10 between cities within 250 km was frequently observed. PM2.5 was found to be negatively associated with wind speed. On the PM2.5 episode days (when the 24 h PM2.5 concentration is greater than 75 μg/m3), average PM2.5 concentrations were 2–4 times greater compared to the non-episode days. The PM2.5 to PM10 ratio increased from 0.50 (0.57) on the non-episode days to 0.64 (0.64) on the episode days in the NCP (YRD) region. No distinct weekday/weekend difference was observed for PM2.5, PM10, and other gaseous pollutants (CO, SO2, NO2, and O3) in all cities. The results presented in this paper will serve as an important basis for future regional air quality modeling and source apportionment studies.
Solution of nonlinear boundary value problems coupled to a system of algebraic equations using quasilinearization

On presente une methode qui permet de resoudre un probleme a 2 points limites non lineaire quand il est couple a un systeme associe d'equations algebriques non lineaires
Pharmaceutical patents and price controls

Abstract Background: Since 1995, every member-country of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has agreed to honor a 20-year patent-life, from the date of a pharmaceutical company's application for the patent, in the country of application. Patent protection retards competitive imitation of an invented product. This kind of protection is particularly important for pharmaceuticals, because pharmaceuticals that are not derived from biotechnology can be imitated easily and inexpensively. The economic function of a patent is to allow a period of above-normal profits for a technically and commercially successful product; these profits stimulate further investment and invention. However, direct price controls, or permutations of direct price controls on pharmaceutical compounds, can fully or partially circumvent the economic intent of patent agreements. Objective: This paper formulates an economic model that takes into account demand and cost/supply dimensions of the output and pricing of a hypothetical pharmaceutical, extrapolating about the respective effects of direct price controls and lack of price controls, and describing permutations of direct price controls in different countries. Results: The pharmaceutical industry depends on patents to fund the development and introduction of new products. A country can indirectly circumvent the economic logic of a patent by using price controls, but it cannot shift the economic costs of such a policy to another country that does not use price controls. Instead, less money is available for research and development (R&D). Conclusions: Pharmaceutical price controls allow some countries to avoid the constraints of patent agreements without breaking those agreements outright. This, in turn, reduces the amount of profit available for further R&D, which is a detriment to consumers worldwide.
Initial Development of Reduced-Order Models for Feedback Control of Axisymmetric Jets

Active control of high-speed and high Reynolds number axisymmetric jets for noise attenuation and bulk mixing enhancement is a topic of great current interest. An essential initial step in the implementation of feedback control to achieve the above goals is the development of a reduced-order model of the unforced jet. A number of modeling strategies are formulated hereby, and they are evaluated using an existing direct numerical simulation database of an unforced jet similar to our experimental configuration. A combination of proper orthogonal decomposition, spectral stochastic estimation, and Galerkin projection is used to derive the model from empirical data. Simulations of the reduced-order model are demonstrated to be sufficiently faithful to the full-order original simulation results to warrant its use for future control design.
Group scheduling jobs on a single machine: A multi-objective approach with preemptive priority structure

Abstract We characterize the properties of optimal schedules, for a single machine group scheduling problem, to obtain all optimal scheduling alternatives efficiently. The optimality criterion considered is the minimization of mean completion time. Further, in the group scheduling context, we introduce a new concept of holding time and cost and consider a multi-objective scenario with preemptive priority structure. We present an efficient scheme to determine an optimal schedule with minimization of mean completion time, makespan, and holding time (or cost) being primary, secondary, and tertiary criteria respectively.
The use of Campath-1H as induction therapy in renal transplantation: preliminary results.

Background In an attempt to reduce both initial and long-term (nephrotoxic) calcineurin inhibitor maintenance dosage and totally eliminate maintenance corticosteroids, alemtuzumab (Campath-1H) was used as induction therapy in first cadaver and non-HLA-identical living donor renal transplantation. Methods Forty-four de novo renal allograft recipients were treated with Campath-1H (0.3 mg/kg) on days 0 and 4 postoperatively, preceded by methylprednisolone boluses. Maintenance target 12-hr tacrolimus trough levels of 5 to 7 ng/mL were operational from the outset as well as (reduced) mycophenolate mofetil dosage of 500 mg twice daily. No corticosteroids were planned to be given after the first week postoperatively. Results With a median follow-up of 9 (range, 1-19) months, patient and graft survival rates are each at 100%. Biopsy-proven acute rejection was diagnosed in four patients. Infections requiring hospitalization developed in four patients. Thirty-eight recipients remain without the need for long-term corticosteroid therapy. Conclusions In an early assessment, the combination of Campath-1H, low dosing of tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil, and avoidance of maintenance corticosteroid use seems to be safe and effective for kidney transplant recipients. Long-term outcomes will be reported in the future.
Experimental Mikulicz-Like Disease of the Lacrimal Gland, Induced by Repeated Subcutaneous Injections of 5-Hydroxytryptamine

A Mikulicz-like disease of the lacrimal glands occurred after six weekly subcutaneous injections of 10 mg of 5-hydroxytryptamine. The lacrimal glands of all experimental rats developed a dense lymphocytic infiltration that caused destruction of acinar cells.
Computer-controlled spot-scan imaging of crotoxin complex crystals with 400 keV electrons at near-atomic resolution.

Abstract 400 keV electrons yield a better relative image contrast than 100 keV electrons for a beam-sensitive organic crystal when spot-scan imaging is used [J. Brink and W. Chiu, J. Microscopy 161 (1991) 279]. A FORTRAN 77 program has been written to operate the spot-scan imaging system on a computer workstation under the VMS operating system which is interfaced serially to the JEOL4000 electron microscope. We demonstrate the application of this implementation by imaging crotoxin complex crystals embedded in either vitreous ice or glucose to 2.5 A resolution. The intensity strength of the structure factors of this protein crystal are different at low ( > 10 A) resolution but similar at high resolution (
Immune Response to Fungal Infection

In general, fungi are saprophytes that are well adapted to grow in nature supported by diverse nutritional substrates. For fungi, in contrast to many other microorganisms that infect humans, parasitism is an accidental phenomenon rather than an obligatory requirement for survival. Thus, with progressive improvement in our capabilities to prolong survival of patients with global defects in host defense mechanisms, clinical experience suggests that human tissues may support growth of numerous species of saprophytic fungi that share the capacity to grow at 37 degrees C. Normally, however, a broad array of natural and acquired host defense mechanisms make the occurrence of progressive, systemic, life-threatening mycoses extremely rare events. When one or another of these host defense mechanisms is compromised, one of a variety of significant fungal infections may then progress. Mycoses may be broadly categorized into those controlled largely by natural cellular defenses vs. acquired cell-mediated immunity. Notwithstanding data that permit such general classification of host factors controlling one or another invasive mycosis, the diverse structural and antigenic properties of individual fungi create unique patterns of infections in individual, characteristic host settings. Thus, while some broad generalizations are possible, definition of predisposing factors for specific individual mycoses (and, ultimately, prospects for corrective immunotherapy) requires careful characterization of diverse features of fungal forms mediating divergent immune responses.
Quantitative high-pressure liquid chromatographic analysis of methylated purines in DNA of rats treated with chemical carcinogens

Abstract A rapid, sensitive method for the quantitative measurement of certain major and modified purines in DNA of carcinogen-treated animals is presented. DNA hydrolysates are analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography combined with fluorescence detection and electronic integration of peaks. Limits of detection are approximately 7 ng for 7-methylguanine and 150 pg for O 6 -methylguanine. Between 100 and 250 μg target organ DNA from animals treated with several carcinogens was shown to contain readily detectable amounts of these methylated bases. The method provides results comparable to those obtained with conventional methods using radioactively labeled carcinogens.
Is intraocular pressure a risk factor in contact lens wear

Adherence of a rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lens to the cornea is an unsolved clinical problem in extended wear. This communication proposes that intraocular pressure (IOP) is a cofactor of this phenomenon. Intradiem fluctuations in the IOP can additionally stress the corneal epithelium and affect its biomechanical properties. The corneal surface is then susceptible to lens imprinting and eventual lens immobilization. The prevalence of lens adherence in the morning correlates with the early morning peak in IOP that is known to occur in many normotensive patients. The possibility arises that lens immobilization during sleep is causally related to the peak in IOP.
Rethinking the genetic basis for comorbidity of schizophrenia and type 2 diabetes

The co-occurrence of schizophrenia (SCZ) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) has been well documented. This review article focuses on the hypothesis that the co-occurrence of SCZ and T2D may be, at least in part, driven by shared genetic factors. Previous genetic studies of T2D and SCZ evidence have disclosed a number of overlapped risk loci. However, the putative common genetic factors for SCZ and T2D remain inconclusive due to inconsistent findings. A systemic review of methods of identifying genetic loci contributing to the comorbidity link between SCZ and T2D is hence needed. In the current review article, we have discussed several different approaches to localizing the shared susceptibility genes for these two diseases. To begin with, one could start with probing the gene involved in both glucose and dopamine metabolisms. Additionally, hypothesis-free genome-wide association studies (GWAS) may provide more clues to the common genetic basis for these two diseases. Genetic similarities inferred from GWAS may shed some light on the genetic mechanism underlying the comorbidity link between SCZ and T2D. Meanwhile, endophenotypes (e.g., adiponectin level in T2D and working memory in SCZ) may serve as alternative phenotypes that are more directly influenced by genes than target diseases. Hence, endophenotypes of these diseases may be more tractable to identification. To summarize, novel approaches are needed to dissect the complex genetic basis of the comorbidity of SCZ and T2D.
Preliminary performance measurements for a streak camera with a large-format direct-coupled charge-coupled device readout

The University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (Rochester, New York) is leading an effort to develop a modern, fully automated streak camera. Characterization of a prototype camera shows spatial resolution better than 20 lp/mm, temporal resolution of 12 ps, line-spread function of 40 μm (full width at half maximum) contrast transfer ratio of 60% at 10 lp/mm, system gain of 101 charge-coupled device electrons per photoelectron, and a dynamic range of 500 for a 2 ns window.
Toll-like receptor 4 mutation impairs the macrophage TNFα response to peptidoglycan

Macrophages produce TNFalpha when infected by bacteria, a response that follows recognition of microbial components by members of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family. Cells that lack functional TLR4 are known to have markedly diminished responses to Gram-negative lipopolysaccharide. We demonstrate in the present work that peritoneal macrophages derived from strains of mice that carry a spontaneous, inactivating mutation in TLR4 also have impaired production of TNFalpha in response to peptidoglycan, a ligand for TLR2. This impairment is at a step of biosynthesis subsequent to the generation of mRNA. TLR4-activated signals act at this step to enhance peptidoglycan-induced TNFalpha production in wild-type mice. Based on these observations, we conclude that macrophages from wild-type mice are primed by chronically acting TLR4 signals, probably resulting from exposure to environmental lipopolysaccharide. These signals are required for optimal production of TNFalpha in response to TLR2 stimulation, and are absent in macrophages from TLR4 mutant animals.
Twistor - Like Transform in Ten-Dimensions

A twistor-like transform of ten-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory is described. It generalizes previous work on N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions. Partial results are obtained concerning a twistorial transform of N = 1 supergravity in ten dimensions. The motivation for this work is the possibility that the twistor transform of ten-dimensional supersymmetric field theory is the proper starting point for understanding the geometrical meaning of superstring theory. Developing the twistor transform requires developing the needed tools for coupling a superstring to a background supergravity field; this coupling is described in the last section.
Salesperson empathy, ethical behaviors, and sales performance: the moderating role of trust in one's manager

Within the domain of sales ethics, researchers are increasingly challenged to adopt a focus on the emotional elements of sales and ethics. However, previous research has primarily examined the more rational, deterministic element of sales, and ethics-based relationships. The current research addresses this issue. We develop a model based on the person–situation interaction viewpoint of ethics. Specifically, we explore the effects of a key social emotion, empathy, as well as an important situational aspect, trust in one's sales manager, on ethical behaviors. Further, we examine the moderating role of the salesperson's trust in his/her manager on the link between empathy and ethical behaviors. In addition, we examine the impact of the salesperson's ethical behaviors on his/her performance. Using dyadic data collected from salespeople and their respective managers, we test the model through SEM analysis. Results support the direct effects of empathy on ethical behaviors and also highlight the interactive eff...
Massive perigraft aortic aneurysm late after composite graft replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic valve in the Marfan syndrome.

Abstract A major complication of the Marfan syndrome is the development of a fusiform aneurysm of the ascending aorta involving both its sinus and tubular portions. The fusiform aneurysm generally leads to aortic regurgitation, which may become severe, or to aortic rupture, which nearly always is fatal. Treatment of the aneurysm and aortic regurgitation consists of insertion of a composite graft, which involves a substitute aortic valve being sewn into the proximal end of a tube graft. The composite graft is then anastomosed proximally at the aortic valve position and distally to the ascending aorta beyond the aneurysm, and the wall of the aneurysm of the native aorta is wrapped around the composite graft. The coronary arteries are directly anastomosed to small orifices in the tube graft (Bentall operation1). This report describes a patient who developed a massive perigraft aortic aneurysm late after operation.
American Cinema of the 1940s: themes and variations

American Cinema of the 1940s: themes and variations WHEELER WINSTON DIXON (Ed.) New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University Press, 2006 272 pp., illus., bibliography, index, $24.95 (paper) The 1940s brou...
The natural history of atherosclerosis: an ecologic perspective

Virologic findings reported in recent atherosclerosis literature may have profound implications. To assess them, we have viewed atherosclerosis in a broad biologic context and against a background of environmental, behavioral, and social change. Reasonable grounds exist, we believe, for regarding atherosclerosis as a chronic, low-grade infectious macroangiopathy which is aggravated by hypercholesterolemia and other recognized risk factors. There are probably multiple infective pathogens and transmission routes. The putative agents that initiate atherosclerosis might include ubiquitous viruses that produce clinically unapparent infections in many animal species. Pathways for their transmission to humans may include the food chain and contaminated water. Food-chain transmission may have been largely responsible for the parallel increases of meat consumption and mortality from coronary heart disease in the United States during the middle third of the century. It provides a hypothetical basis for considering thermal intervention as a heretofore unrecognized factor that may actually best account for the surprising reversal of climbing heart disease mortality rates. Improved sanitation and food hygiene as well as improvements in diet, lifestyle, and medical care may have shaped the downward mortality curve. The virus hypothesis may reconcile apparent epidemiologic conflicts and elucidate the natural history of atherosclerosis.
Idealism, Relativism, and the Ethic of Caring

Abstract In this study, we investigated Gilligan's (1982) theory of moral thought. Two hundred sixteen American college students (73% women and 20.5% black) completed two questionnaires designed to measure individual differences in personal moral philosophies. Analyses indicated that individuals who endorsed an ethic of caring also tended to have higher scores on the idealism scale of the Ethics Position Questionnaire, r = .53. Caring was also slightly correlated with the rejection of moral relativism, r = - .13. Individuals who espoused highly idealistic but nonrelativistic personal moral philosophies most strongly endorsed an ethic of caring. Sex differences among these students were conspicuously absent.
Differential Response of Soybean Yield Components to the Timing of Light Enrichment

Solar radiation is an important environmental factor influencing seed yield in soybean [Glycine max (L). Merr.]. Our objective was to analyze the response of soybean seed yield components to light enrichment initiated at different growth stages. Light enrichment was imposed on the indeterminate soybean cultivars Altona and Evans by installing wire mesh fencing on either side of the center row to push the adjacent rows aside at different growth stages. Fences prevented plants in the neighboring rows from encroaching on the growing space of the center row plants. Pod number per plant and to a lesser extent seed size accounted for variation in seed yield. Light enrichment initiated at late vegetative or early flowering stages increased seed yield 144 to 252%, mainly by increasing pod number, while light enrichment beginning at early pod formation increased seed size 8 to 23%, resulting in a 32 to 115% increase in seed yield. Responses to light enrichment occurred proportionately across all node positions despite the differences in the time (15-20 d) of development of yield components at the different node positions. Although maximum seed size may be under genetic control in soybean plants, our results suggested seed size can still be modified by the environment with some internal control moderating the final size of most seeds in all pods. It indicates that plants are able to redistribute the available resources to components not yet determined, in an attempt to maintain or improve yield.
Saccamminid foraminifers from anoxic sediments: implications for Proterozoic ecosystem dynamics

Eukaryote origin and earliest diversification occurred in the Proterozoic when Earth's atmosphere was undoubtedly different from that of today. Atmospheric oxygen levels were increasing from the primordial anoxic atmosphere due, for example, to cyanobacterial oxygenic photosynthesis. Late Proterozoic (∼0.6–0.9 Gya) deep-ocean oxygen concentrations are less certain, but geochemical evidence suggests anoxia and hydrogen-sulfide enrichment. It can, therefore, be postulated that initial eukaryotic diversification occurred in oxygen-depleted, sulfide-enriched environments. Foraminifera are aerobes and, thus, not expected in anoxic settings. Recently, however, we found a saccamminid allogromian in a deep-water anoxic, sulfidic setting. Samples were collected from Santa Barbara Basin (California) when bottom-water oxygen was undetectable and sediments smelled strongly of hydrogen sulfide. Foraminiferal SSU rDNA sequences recovered from sediments included one from a previously uncharacterized saccamminid. Ultrastructural analysis indicated the presence of intact Golgi, mitochondria, and prokaryotic endobionts. Saccamminid occurrence in environmental conditions known to exist during the Proterozoic supports the possibility of their origin early in eukaryotic evolution. Extant saccamminids could have competed well in the prokaryote-dominated Proterozoic benthic ecosystem given their diet includes bacteria, bacterial biofilms and unicellular algae. Thus, Proterozoic foraminifers may have been top carnivores. Funded by NASA NRA-01-01-EXB-057, the Geological Society of America's W. Storrs Cole Memorial Research Award, and NSF OPP0003639.
The response of mycorrhizal colonization to elevated CO2 and climate change in Pascopyrum smithii and Bouteloua gracilis

Large intact soil cores of nearly pure stands of Pascopyrum smithii (western wheatgrass, C3) and Bouteloua gracilis (blue grama, C4) were extracted from the Central Plains Experimental Range in northeastern Colorado, USA and transferred to controlled environment chambers. Cores were exposed to a variety of water, temperature and CO2 regimes for a total of four annual growth cycles. Root subsamples were harvested after the completion of the second and fourth growth cycles at a time corresponding to late winter, and were examined microscopically for the presence of mycorrhizae. After two growth cycles in the growth chambers, 54% of the root length was colonized in P. smithii, compared to 35% in blue grama. Field control plants had significantly lower colonization. Elevation of CO2 increased mycorrhizal colonization in B. gracilis by 46% but had no effect in P. smithii. Temperatures 4° C higher than normal decreased colonization in P. smithii by 15%. Increased annual precipitation decreased colonization in both species. Simulated climate change conditions of elevated CO2, elevated temperature and lowered precipitation decreased colonization in P. smithii but had less effect on B. gracilis. After four growth cycles in P. smithii, trends of treatments remained similar, but overall colonization rate decreased.
Linear Decentralized Estimation of Correlated Data for Power-Constrained Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we consider distributed estimation of an unknown random vector by using wireless sensors and a fusion center (FC). We adopt a linear model for distributed estimation of a vector source where both observation models and sensor operations are linear and the multiple access channel (MAC) is coherent. Two cases are considered: Noiseless fusion center and Noisy fusion center. In the case of a Noiseless fusion center (where there is no noise at the fusion center), the sensor precoders are designed to minimize the mean square error (MSE) at the fusion center. A closed form solution is found and it is shown that the system performance approaches the benchmark as long as the number of messages transmitted by each sensor is equal to the length of the vector source. Subsequently, if there is noise at the fusion center and one is interested in a closed form solution, a filter is designed to cancel out the effect of noise at the fusion center. This separate design will come at the expense of losing performance. An alternative iterative solution can be found when considering noise at the fusion center where sensor precoders are designed to minimize the MSE at the fusion center subject to transmit power constraints at each sensor. It is shown that the proposed scheme always converges. Finally, simulations are provided to verify the analysis and present the performance of the proposed schemes.
Simplified and scalable numerical solution for describing multi-pool chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI contrast

Abstract Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging is sensitive to dilute labile proton and microenvironment properties such as pH and temperature, and provides vital information complementary to the conventional MRI methods. Whereas the Bloch equations coupled by exchange terms (i.e., Bloch–McConnell equations) have been utilized to quantify 2-pool CEST contrast, it is tedious to extend the Bloch–McConnell equations to describe CEST contrast beyond four saturation transfer sites. Hence, it is necessary to develop a scalable yet reasonably accurate numerical solution to describe the complex multi-pool CEST contrast. It is postulated here that the multi-pool CEST contrast can be quantified by modifying the classic 2-pool model. Although the direct exchange among labile proton groups is often negligible, labile protons may be coupled indirectly through their interaction with bulk water protons, which has to be quantified. The coupling term was solved empirically, and the proposed simplified solution was shown in good agreement with the conventional simulation. Moreover, the proposed solution is scalable, and can be easily extended to describe multi-pool CEST contrast. In sum, our study established a simplified and scalable, yet reasonably accurate numerical solution, suitable for quantitatively describing multi-pool CEST contrast.
Power spectra of strange attractors near homoclinic orbits

Assuming that the chaotic time history of a single variable in a differential equation possessing a strange attractor can be represented as a random superposition of deterministic ``structures,'' we predict the power spectral density. We justify the assumption for perturbations of nonlinear Hamiltonian oscillators ans compare our predictions with computations on versions of Duffing's equation.
Goals and Progress Feedback: Effects on Self-Efficacy and Writing Achievement

Two experiments investigated how goal setting and progress feedback affect self-efficacy and writing achievement. Children received writing strategy instruction and were given a process goal of learning the strategy, a product goal of writing paragraphs, or a general goal of working productively. Half of the process goal children periodically received feedback on their progress in learning the strategy. In Experiment 2 we also explored transfer (maintenance and generalization) of achievement outcomes. The process goal with progress feedback treatment had the greatest impact on achievement outcomes to include maintenance and generalization; the process goal without feedback condition resulted in some benefits compared with the product and general goal conditions. Self-efficacy was highly predictive of writing skill and strategy use. Suggestions for future research and implications for classroom practice are discussed.
Uptake of exogenous protein by the preimplantation rabbit.

A study of the uptake of exogenous proteins, peroxidase, ferritin, and myoglobin by rabbit blastomeres of different developmental stages was undertaken to determine some of the means by which these stages ingest protein. Exposure of embryos in preimplantation stages, ranging from fertilized ovum to late blastocyst, was carried out in vitro with selected in vivo controls. Blastomeres of early cleavage stages up to the morula show little uptake of peroxidase. However, the endocytosis of peroxidase greatly increases with the morula stages and continues at an elevated level through the blastocyst stages. The uptake of the tracer is initially accomplished via micropinocytotic vesicles and tubules and can have several subsequent fates. The tracer can pass into larger vacuoles and be transported into the cavity of the blastocyst, or can pass into multivesicular bodies where it is presumably degraded by the lysosomal system for cellular use. The use of myoglobin at selected blastocyst stages yielded results similar to those obtained with peroxidase. However, the response by the blastomeres to ferritin is different. Endocytosis of ferritin is scant at all preimplantation stages, even though the ferritin has no difficulty reaching the surface of the blastomeres. The experiment with mechanically denuded blastocysts indicated that ferritin did not adsorb to the cell surface.
Progressive renal shrinkage after simple pyelonephritis

Nonobstructive, nonrefluxing pyelonephritis (or "simple" pyelonephritis) is not commonly associated with progressive renal scarring and global shrinkage. Although children are believed to be particularly susceptible to renal parenchymal scarring after simple pyelonephritis, progressive and global renal shrinkage remains an elusive clinical entity. We present such a case with close radiologic documentation.
Price, A. W., Contextuality in Practical Reason, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008, xxxiv + 208, US$70 (cloth)

Price, A. W., Contextuality in Practical Reason, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008, xxxiv + 208, US$70 (cloth). The thread that runs through this book—as the title, introduction and conclusion ...
Analysis of an anxiety model and the process of change during exposure plus response prevention treatment of bulimia nervosa

An experimental analysis of an anxiety model of bulimia nervosa was conducted in five patients by examining the effects on various response systems of an exposure plus response prevention treatment paradigm. The major findings were: (a) During treatment sessions self-reported anxiety and the urge to vomit increased while subjects ate but declined after they stopped eating even though they were not allowed to vomit; (b) Except for one subject, heart rate did not show a parallel rise and fall during and after eating; (c) While eating, some subjects reported an increase in anxiety prior to an increase in the urge to vomit, while others reported that these two measures increased in tandem; (d) Across treatment sessions and phases, the amount of food consumed tended to increase, and the mean levels of anxiety and the urge to vomit tended to decrease. However, there was no evidence that increased eating was predicated on a prior reduction in anxiety, or vice-versa; (e) At the end of treatment four of the five subjects had either substantially reduced or completely stopped vomiting and binge-eating. Improvement on self-report measures of eating attitudes, depression, and self-esteem was also observed.
Anatomic brain disease in hemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study.

Background Although dialysis patients are at high risk of stroke and have a high burden of cognitive impairment, there are few reports of anatomic brain findings in the hemodialysis population. Using magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, we compared the prevalence of brain abnormalities in hemodialysis patients with that in a control population without known kidney disease. Study Design Cross-sectional cohort. Setting & Participants 45 maintenance hemodialysis patients and 67 controls without reported kidney disease, both without history of known stroke. Predictor The primary predictor was dialysis status. Covariates included demographics (age, race, and sex), vascular risk factors (diabetes and hypertension), and cardiovascular disease (coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure). Outcomes Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain features, including severity of white matter disease and cerebral atrophy (sulcal prominence and ventricular atrophy), hippocampal size, and small-/large-vessel infarcts. Measurements Semiquantitative scale (0-9 for white matter disease and cerebral atrophy, 0-3 for hippocampal size) and infarct prevalence. Results Mean ages of hemodialysis patients and controls were 55 ± 17 (SD) and 53 ± 13 years, respectively. In comparison to controls, hemodialysis patients had more severe white matter disease (1.6 vs 0.7) and cerebral atrophy (sulcal prominence, 2.3 vs 0.6; ventricular enlargement, 2.3 vs 0.9; hippocampal size, 1.3 vs 1.0), with all P P Limitations The dialysis cohort likely is healthier than the overall US hemodialysis population, partly limiting generalizability. Conclusions Hemodialysis patients have more white matter disease and cerebral atrophy compared with controls without known kidney disease. Hemodialysis patients also have a high prevalence of unrecognized infarcts.
Stable Response of Non-Classically Damped Mechanical Systems - II

This review, like its 1987 predecessor, addresses response of a discrete, time-invariant, linear, multiple degree-of-freedom system which exhibits nonclassical damping, including active damping. Unlike a classically damped system, the modes are coupled (or complex). In the intervening decade, stability issues involving nonclassical damping have received attention in applications such as high speed mechanisms, active structural control, vehicle dynamics, and seismic isolation of ground structures. Much of the recent literature has concerned approximate modal decoupling. There have also been contributions to the accurate calculation of the coupled modes, to general stability issues such as gyroscopic stabilization, and to eigenvalue/response bounds. The present article is intended both as a survey of recent literature and as a brief exposition of selected contributions of a general nature.
Fundamental basis of incremental reactivities of organics in ozone formation in VOC/NOx mixtures

Abstract The incremental reactivity of a particular organic species refers to the change in the ozone generated upon addition of a small amount of the organic to a complex organic/NOx, mixture undergoing photooxidation. It is known that the values of the incremental reactivities of organic species depend on the composition of the particular organic/NOx, mixture, the hydrocarbon-to-NOx, ratio, and other environmental conditions. Using a method that enables the assignment of the ozone produced in the photo-oxidation of a complex organic/NOx, mixture to each of the individual organics present, we show how the incremental ozone reactivity of any one organic species results from changes in the ozone generated by each of the organics present. Thus, we demonstrate explicitly the dependence of the incremental reactivity of each organic present on the nature of the organic/NOx, mixture. Calculations are presented using the SAPRC 90 chemical mechanism to explain the origin of the variation of incremental reactivities with initial hydrocarbon-to-NOx ratio.
Effect of 188-day treatment with somatotropin on health and reproductive performance of lactating dairy cows.

Abstract Health and reproductive performance were observed in a lactational study involving 188 d of treatment with bovine somatotropin. Treatments commenced 84±10 d postpartum and consisted of 27 mg/d of pituitary somatotropin and 0, 13.5, 27, and 40.5 mg/d of recombinantly derived somatotropin (six cows per treatment group). Cows were high yielding (>9600 kg/305 d), and somatotropin increased milk yield by 16 to 41% depending on source and dose. Somatotropin had no discernible effect on mammary health based on somatic cell count and incidence of clinical mastitis. Cows receiving somatotropin averaged 96% conception rate, 2.0 services per conception, and 116 d open, which were comparable to controls. No subclinical or clinical evidence of ketosis or milk fever was observed. Thirty-two blood chemistry and physical examination variables were examined at several intervals during the study and no adverse treatment effects of physiologic importance for any of the variables were observed. Somatotropin treatment had no discernible effect on gestation length or birth weight and growth rate (first 28 d) of calves. Milk yields for the first 60 d postpartum were compared for the period just prior to start of treatment and the lactation subsequent to treatment; no treatment effects were observed. Overall, our results for a well-managed herd demonstrate somatotropin treatment did not cause any serious health effects. However, examination of subtle health effects will require large numbers of animals treated under a range of environmental and management conditions.
Probabilistic Predictions for Piping Fatigue Including the Effects of Ultrasonic Examinations

This paper presents a methodology for estimating failure probabilities of piping welds that experience cyclic stresses and that are subject to ultrasonic examinations designed to detect growing fatigue cracks. Fatigue cracks can start as either preexisting fabrication flaws or as cracks initiated after an accumulation of stress cycles. Low levels of cyclic stresses and/or small numbers of cycles produce low failure probabilities, with the failures caused mainly by fabrication flaws. More severe cyclic stress conditions produce higher failure probabilities, with the failures caused mainly by fatigue cracks that initiate during the life of the component. Numerical results are presented to address both crack initiation and crack growth. The calculations cover both stainless and ferritic steels, inservice inspections with different inspection intervals, and stress states with and without high levels of through-wall stress gradients. It is shown that effective inspection programs can significantly reduce failure probabilities, and that such programs require suitable NDE sensitivities and adequate inspection frequencies.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Market dynamics of community pharmacies in Minnesota.

Abstract Background From a pharmacist workforce perspective, an understanding of pharmacy location is important for monitoring access points for pharmacist services such as medication dispensing, medication counseling, medication therapy management, and disease management. Objective To understand access to community pharmacies, our goal was to describe changes in pharmacy mix (independent vs chain) between 1992 and 2002 for 87 counties in Minnesota. Study objectives were to describe the association of (1) change in population density, (2) metropolitan designation, change in (3) proportion of nonwhite population, (4) proportion of elderly population, and (5) household income with change in (a) number of community pharmacies overall, (b) number of chain pharmacies, (c) number of independent pharmacies, and (d) the independent-to-total community pharmacy ratio. Methods Records from the State of Minnesota Board of Pharmacy were used to examine changes in the community pharmacy mix from 1992 to 2002. Data on county level demographics in 1990 and 2000 were obtained from the US Census Bureau and Datanet. Chi-square analysis was used to test the relationships between the independent and dependent variables. Results As of 2002, every county in Minnesota had at least one pharmacy as was the case in 1992. The ratio of independent to chain pharmacies changed from approximately 2:1 in 1992 to approximately 1:1 in 2002. Chi-square results revealed that change in population density was significantly associated with change in the number of community pharmacies overall ( P P =0.03). The findings revealed an interesting u-shaped pattern for the association between population density and change in independent pharmacies. Conclusions It appears that chain pharmacies follow changes in population density for making decisions about market entry and exit. The results suggest that some independent pharmacies might be closing due to chain competition in high population density growth areas. However, there was also evidence to suggest that population density decline may be an important determinant of independent pharmacy closures. In such environments, chain pharmacies are not likely to open new pharmacies to replace the independent pharmacy. Such a market dynamic may lead to access problems for citizens of these counties in the future.
High pressure shear moduli—A many body model for oxides

We have constructed a parametric many-body potential that gives accurate predictions of high pressure properties of alkali-earth oxides. The model incorporates ionic deformational energy and a repulsive potential that are sensitive to the crystal environment. This feature is accomplished by an explicit dependence of the size of oxygen on the crystal potential. The parameters of the model are constrained by equation of state and zero pressure elastic constants of the B1 (NaCl) phases. The model predicts accurate B1-B2 transition pressures and densities of the B2 (CsCl) phases. Elastic moduli are reproduced exactly, and accurate pressure derivatives are predicted.
Why did the League of Nations fail

Why did the League of Nations ultimately fail to achieve widespread disarmament, its most fundamental goal? This article shows that the failure of the League of Nations had two important dimensions: (1) the failure to provide adequate security guarantees for its members (like an alliance); (2) the failure of this organization to achieve the disarmament goals it set out in the 1920s and 1930s. Thus, it was doomed from the outset to fail, due to built-in institutional contradictions. It can also be modeled and analyzed as a potential military alliance. The results are fairly conclusive: The League of Nations did not function as a pure public-good alliance, which encouraged an arms race in the 1930s.
BASS: a benchmark suite for evaluating architectural security systems

As software vulnerabilities continue to be exposed on a daily basis and the motivation of cunning adversaries to compromise valuable computer assets grows, novel methods must be developed to ensure security. Recently there has been a growing interest within the computer architecture research community in designing architectural and hardware mechanisms to improve security. Unfortunately, there is currently not a representative set of benchmarks for evaluating the security features of proposed hardware modifications. The frequent result is that great effort is often spent searching for vulnerable programs, and/or evaluations suffer from a lack of diversity. To address this problem, we developed BASS, a benchmark suite to evaluate the security features of proposed architectural solutions under various malicious attack scenarios. BASS v 1.0 currently consists of seven benchmarks chosen to cover a diverse range of architectural attack characteristics. To facilitate the use of these benchmarks in architectural security research, we have developed both vulnerable programs and scripts to automatically generate exploits targeting those vulnerable programs across both 32-bit x86 and 64-bit Alpha Linux platforms. The entire BASS framework including documentation, source code, input data sets, and precompiled binaries for the M5 full system simulator is released under the Gnu GPL and can be freely downloaded at http://www.ideal.ece.ufl.edu/bass.