cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Accounting for diverse missions: can classification systems contribute to meaningful assessments of institutional performance?

Although they have been developed for a variety of purposes, classification systems for tertiary or postsecondary education institutions offer a foundation for recognizing diverse institutional missions in policy, research, and practice. Diverse missions, in turn, are important to achieving broad societal goals of educating an increasingly diverse array of learners, contributing to scientific, technological and professional development, and addressing increasingly complex social issues in an increasingly interconnected global community. After reviewing the purposes and consequences, intended and unintended, of several popular classifications, this article addresses the potential for current or future classification systems to promote and support institutional differentiation. Specifically, we consider how appropriately designed classifications can properly recognize mission differentiation and assess the future prospects for contextualizing performance and accountability assessments through the lens of classification.
NEUROTOXIC ESTERASE: CHARACTERIZATION AND POTENTIAL FOR A PREDICTIVE SCREEN FOR EXPOSURE TO NEUROPATHIC ORGANOPHOSPHATES

Abstract Organophosphorylation and aging of neurotoxic esterase (NTE) in neural tissue leads to central-peripheral distal axonopathy in sensitive species, e.g., man and chicken. Assay of whole brain NTE activity after dosing organophosphorus (OP) compounds in hens can be used to assess neuropathic potential. The distribution of NTE is not limited to neural tissue in the hen, but includes lymphocytes. Brain and lymphocyte activities closely resemble each other on the basis of inhibitor, substrate, pH, and heat sensitivities in vitro. At 4 hr after dosing with either TOCP, leptophos, DFP, EPN, PMSF, di-n-butyl dichlorvos, or di-n-pentyl dichlorvos, brain and lymphocyte NTE inhibitors are highly correlated. Human lymphocytes and platelets also have NTE activity: this accessible source of human NTE could be useful in biomonitoring occupational exposures to axonopathic OPs.
Predicting contact-without-connection defects on printed circuit boards employing ball grid array package types: a data analytics case study in the smart manufacturing environment

This research presents an exploratory data analytics case study in defect prediction on printed circuit boards (PCB) employing ball grid array (BGA) package types during assembly. BGA package types are of interest because defects are difficult to identify and costly to rework. While much of the existing research is dedicated to techniques to identify and diagnose BGA defects, this research attempts to preempt them by using parametric data measured by solder paste inspection (SPI) machines as input data to applied machine learning models. Two modeling approaches are explored: one approach to analyze individual solder paste deposits and the other approach to holistically analyze all solder paste deposits on a single PCB location. The latter approach employs feature generation to extract a broad set of features from the arrays of SPI data and feature selection techniques for dimensionality reduction. Models trained on the reduced feature sets provide encouraging initial results, with precision, recall, and f1 score metrics exceeding 0.82, 0.50, and 0.62 respectively for each of two datasets analyzed.
Titanium implant surface properties enhance osseointegration in ovariectomy induced osteoporotic rats without pharmacologic intervention

Objectives This study determined whether implant surfaces that promote osseointegration in normal rats can promote osseointegration in osteoporotic rats without pharmacologic intervention. Materials and methods Virgin female 8-month-old CD Sprague Dawley rats (N = 25) were ovariectomized. At 6 weeks, microstructured/non-nanostructured/hydrophobic, microstructured/nanostructured/hydrophobic, or microstructured/nanostructured/hydrophilic Ti implants (O2.5 × 3.5 mm; Institut Straumann AG, Basel, Switzerland) were placed in the distal metaphysis of each femur. At 28 days, bone quality and implant osseointegration were assessed using microCT, histomorphometrics, and removal torque values (RTVs). Calvarial osteoblasts were isolated and cultured for 7 days on O15 mm Ti disks processed to exhibit similar surface characteristics as the implants used for the in vivo studies. The phenotype was assessed by measuring the production of osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin, osteopontin, BMP2, VEGF, and RANKL. Results Microstructured/nanostructured/hydrophilic implants promoted increased bone-to-implant contact and RTVs in vivo and increased osteoblastic marker production in vitro compared to microstructured/non-nanostructured/hydrophobic and microstructured/nanostructured/hydrophobic implants, suggesting that osseointegration occurs in osteoporotic animals, and implant surface properties improve its rate. Conclusions Although all modified implants were able to osseointegrate in rats with OVX-induced osteoporosis without pharmacologic intervention, the degree of osseointegration was greater around microstructured/nanostructured/hydrophilic implant surfaces. These results suggest that when appropriate microstructure is present, hydrophilicity has a greater influence on Ti implant osseointegration compared to nanostructures. Moreover, modified implant surfaces can exert their control over the altered bone turnover observed in osteoporotic patients to stimulate functional osseointegration. These results provide critical insight for developing implants with improved osseointegration in patients with metabolic disorders of bone remodeling.
Introduction to Part I: Normative Bioethics in Religious Traditions

The five chapters on religious bioethics show how Islam, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Hinduism and Buddhism have developed normative answers to bioethical issues. Throughout these chapters, the emphasis is not on the religious traditions’ concrete responses to particular bioethical issues. Whenever such responses are analyzed in the chapters, this is part of the analysis of that religious tradition’s approach to normative bioethics in general. The descriptions make clear that within each of the studied religious traditions, the adopted method towards normative bioethics, or, sometimes, a plurality of methods, has nurtured bioethical diversity within these traditions. Still, that diversity has not led the traditions to the conclusion that normative bioethics is impossible. In most instances, within religious traditions, diversity rather seems to have acted as a stimulation to further refine both concrete responses to particular bioethical issues as well as fundamental development of the basis or methods that sustain these arguments.
Charge transfer excitations, pair density waves, and superconductivity in moiré materials

Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) heterobilayers are a new class of tunable moire systems attracting interest as quantum simulators of strongly-interacting electrons in two dimensions. In particular, recent theory predicts that the correlated insulator observed in WSe₂/WS₂ at half filling is a charge-transfer insulator similar to cuprates, and upon further hole doping, exhibits a transfer of charge from anion-like to cation-like orbitals at different locations in the moire unit cell. In this work, we demonstrate that in this doped charge-transfer insulator, tightly-bound charge-2e excitations can form to lower the total electrostatic repulsion. This composite excitation, which we dub a trimer, consists of a pair of holes bound to a charge-transfer exciton. When the bandwidth of doped holes is small, trimers crystallize into insulating pair density waves at a sequence of commensurate doping levels. When the bandwidth becomes comparable to the pair binding energy, itinerant holes and charge-2e trimers interact resonantly, leading to unconventional superconductivity similar to superfluidity in an ultracold Fermi gas near Feshbach resonance.
Digital Humanities in Professional and Technical Communication: Results of a Pedagogical Pilot Study

This article examines pedagogical results from an IRB-approved study that used the Omeka platform in two sections of technical writing classes. The research question explored how a digital humaniti...
Gendered Innovations: integrating sex, gender, and intersectional analysis into science, health & medicine, engineering, and environment

This article explores the aims, strategies, developments, successes, and challenges of Gendered Innovations from its inception in 2005 to today. Gendered Innovations employs methods of sex, gender,...
Donor-derived Cell-free DNA Kinetics Post-kidney Transplant Biopsy.

Background Donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) has generated interest as a biomarker for kidney injury including transplant (KT) rejection. It is possible that the KT biopsy procedure can cause the release of dd-cfDNA, therefore affecting the reliability of this assay in the postbiopsy period. We evaluated the effect of KT biopsy on the kinetics of dd-cfDNA. Methods We conducted a single-arm prospective study. Samples were collected from 16 adult KT recipients undergoing KT biopsy. All participants had samples drawn within 8 h before the biopsy (prebiopsy), within 20 min (hour 0), 2 h (hour 2), and 24-48 h (hours 24-48) after the biopsy. We evaluated the change in dd-cfDNA from the prebiopsy time point to the following 3 time points after the biopsy. Results At hour 0 and hour 2, there was a significantly larger log dd-cfDNA mean score compared with the prebiopsy score (least square mean estimate 0.4 [0.17-0.63] and 0.39 [0.09-0.68], respectively). By 24-28 h postbiopsy, there was no significant difference in log dd-cfDNA mean score compared with the prebiopsy score (least square mean estimate -0.21 [-0.6 to 0.19]). Conclusions Mechanical injury from a KT biopsy can transiently increase circulating dd-cfDNA. The increase resolves by 24-48 h after the biopsy. Providers should wait 48 h postbiopsy to obtain dd-cfDNA levels to establish the correct baseline to be used for monitoring.
Relevant possibilities

There are a number of relevant alternatives accounts of knowledge in the literature, including those by contextualists (like Lewis and Cohen), and invariantists (like Dretske). Despite widespread discussion of such views, an explication of the notion of relevance is conspicuously absent from the literature. Without a careful explication of that notion, relevant alternatives accounts resist evaluation. This paper attempts to aid in the evaluation of those accounts, by providing an account of relevance. The account rejects two common presuppositions about the notion of relevance. The account holds that worlds, rather than alternatives, are relevant, and that distant worlds can be relevant. Relevant worlds turn out to be those worlds at which an alternative to one’s belief obtains, and is such that one’s epistemic position (with respect to what one believes at the actual world) is worse than it is at the actual world.
Life expectancy without a transplant for status 1A liver transplant candidates.

Status 1A liver transplant candidates are given the highest medical priority for the allocation of deceased donor livers. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) policy requires physicians to certify that a candidate has a life expectancy without a transplant of less than 7 days for that candidate to be given status 1A. Additionally, candidates receiving status 1A must have one of six medical conditions listed in policy. Using Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients data from all prevalent liver transplant candidates from 2010 to 2020, we used a bias-corrected Kaplan-Meier model to calculate the survival of status 1A candidates and to determine their life expectancy without a transplant. We found that status 1A candidates have a life expectancy without a transplant of 24 (95% CI 20-46) days-over three times longer than what policy requires for status 1A designation. We repeated the analysis for subgroups of status 1A candidates based on the medical conditions that grant status 1A. We found that none of these subgroups met the life expectancy requirement. Harmonizing OPTN policy with observed data would sustain the integrity of the allocation process.
Cofilin Regulates Filopodial Structure and Flexibility in Neuronal Growth Cones

Abstract Filopodia are actin-rich cytoskeletal protrusions at the leading edge of motile cells. In neuronal growth cones they function as antennae, guiding axonal growth toward the appropriate cellular targets. Proper brain development relies on robust axonal guidance mechanisms, so it is imperative to understand how the actin cytoskeleton functions in remodeling to meet the demands of growth cone exploration. Here we show by cryo-electron tomography and fluorescence imaging that filopodia in neuronal growth cones switch between fascin-linked and cofilin-decorated states, and that this transition regulates the exclusion of fascin from the cofilactin bundle at the filopodial base by hyper-twisting individual filaments and rearranging their packing. Additionally, we show that cofilactin bundles contribute to the flexibility of filopodial actin networks, thus, likely regulating the efficiency of targeted neurite outgrowth.
Conceptualizations and Issues related to Learning Progressions, Learning Trajectories, and Levels of Sophistication

In this paper the nature of learning progressions and related concepts are discussed. The notions of learning progressions and learning trajectories are conceptualized and their usage is illustrated with the help of examples. In particular the nuances of instructional interventions utilizing these concepts are also discussed with implications for the teaching and learning of mathematics.
Wireless Communications: Representation of Bandpass Signals and Channels

Many signals in communication systems are real bandpass signals with a frequency response that occupies a narrow bandwidth 2 B centered around a carrier frequency f c with 2 B « f c , as shown in Figure A.1. Since bandpass signals are real, their frequency response has conjugate symmetry: a bandpass signal s(t) has | S(f) | = | S (− f )| and ∠ S(f) = −∠ S (− f ). However, bandpass signals are not necessarily conjugate symmetric within the signal bandwidth about the carrier frequency f c ; that is, we may have | S ( f c + f )| ≠ | S ( f c − f )| or ∠ S ( f c + f ) ≠ −∠ S ( f c − f ) for some f : 0 f ≤ B . This asymmetry in | S(f) | about f c (i.e., | S ( f c + f )| ≠ | S ( f c − f )| for some f B ) is illustrated in the figure. Bandpass signals result from modulation of a baseband signal by a carrier, or from filtering a deterministic or random signal with a bandpass filter. The bandwidth 2 B of a bandpass signal is roughly equal to the range of frequencies around f c where the signal has nonnegligible amplitude. Bandpass signals are commonly used to model transmitted and received signals in communication systems. These are real signals because the transmitter circuitry can only generate real sinusoids (not complex exponentials), and the channel simply introduces an amplitude and phase change at each frequency of the real transmitted signal.
Hwang Byungki: Traditional Music and the Contemporary Composer in the Republic of Korea

Hwang Byungki (born 1936) is the foremost kayagŭm (Korean zither) player in South Korea today and ‘probably the best-known living Korean composer in any genre’ (4). His name is familiar to many per...
The reduction of multivariable system controller design to a single-input/single-output problem

Abstract : A method of observer-controller design for multiple-input, multiple-output linear systems is developed in which the design technique is simply that for a single-input, single-output system. The method is readily implemented on a digital computer. Numerical examples which illustrate the technique for the design of observer-controllers of the same order as the plant and also of reduced order are presented. (Author)
On the Stability Testing of Time Delay Systems

Some new results on stability theory for time delay systems of retarded type are described. Based on Schur's theorem and the bounded real Lemma, a new stability test is then given.
The Perfect Age

From the shore the boy watched his father go down. His homemade catama ran started to break apart a hundred yards out, then his father disappeared between the hulls. The boy wasn't afraid until he saw the looks of fear on everyone's faces, and then he was. His mother yelled, did something with her arms, and a lifeguard swam out with a red flotation jug and bobbed among the wreckage. Pieces of the boat began returning to shore, scraps of wood, a dented construction sign. Fifteen minutes later, the boy's father was still underwater.
9‐Phenylseleno‐9‐borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane

[94348-51-3] C14H19BSe (MW 277.10) InChI = 1S/C14H19BSe/c1-2-10-14(11-3-1)16-15-12-6-4-7-13(15)9-5-8-12/h1-3,10-13H,4-9H2/t12-,13+ InChIKey = OLGCSBMCVPFRST-BETUJISGSA-N (reagent for nucleophilic phenylselenylation of enones) Preparative Methods: stock solutions of this reagent can be prepared by heating equimolar amounts of Benzeneselenol and 9-Borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane Dimer in toluene at 60 °C for 5 h. Stock solutions are stable indefinitely when stored at −20 °C in the dark.1 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: use in a fume hood.
Textile Characteristics Affecting the Release of Soil during Laundering1: Part I: A Review and Theoretical Consideration of the Effects of Fiber Surface Energy and Fabric Construction on Soil Release

The efficiency of a given laundering process in effecting soil release from textiles is a complex function of the nature of the soil, the manner in which the soil was originally distributed in the ...
Local anesthetic reduces the pain of colposcopic biopsies: a randomized trial.

Objective: This study was undertaken to determine whether administration of local anesthetic reduces pain associated with colposcopically directed cervical biopsies. Study Design: Fifty-six patients undergoing colposcopically directed cervical biopsies were randomly selected prospectively to receive a 1% lidocaine injection or no injection before the biopsy procedure. Pain was assessed by using a 10-cm visual analog scale at various points during the procedure. Data were analyzed with the Student t test. Results: Injection of lidocaine resulted in a reduction in pain scores for cervical biopsies (4.004 to 1.166, P <.001), endocervical curettage (5.757 to 3.900, P =.0018), and overall procedure scores (4.911 to 3.145, P =.0013). Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates that injection of local anesthetic at the site of colposcopically direct cervical biopsies decreases the pain perceived by patients. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003;188:1164-5.)
Biochemical Support for the “Threshold” Theory of Creativity: A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study

A broadly accepted definition of creativity refers to the production of something both novel and useful within a given social context. Studies of patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders and neuroimaging studies of healthy controls have each drawn attention to frontal and temporal lobe contributions to creativity. Based on previous magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy studies demonstrating relationships between cognitive ability and concentrations of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), a common neurometabolite, we hypothesized that NAA assessed in gray and white matter (from a supraventricular slab) would relate to laboratory measures of creativity. MR imaging and divergent thinking measures were obtained in a cohort of 56 healthy controls. Independent judges ranked the creative products of each participant, from which a “Composite Creativity Index” (CCI) was created. Different patterns of correlations between NAA and CCI were found in higher verbal ability versus lower verbal ability participants, providing neurobiological support for a critical “threshold” regarding the relationship between intelligence and creativity. To our knowledge, this is the first report assessing the relationship between brain chemistry and creative cognition, as measured with divergent thinking, in a cohort comprised exclusively of normal, healthy participants.
The prevalence of abnormal results of conventional coagulation tests on admission to a trauma center.

BACKGROUND: Several groups have reported that a fraction of severely injured patients have abnormal coagulation tests at presentation to trauma centers, even in the absence of significant crystalloid resuscitation. These patients have high mortality, but their prevalence in trauma populations is not clear from the reports. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Records of all patients admitted to a large urban trauma center during 2000 through 2006 were searched for early measures of common coagulation tests and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Abnormal coagulation tests were increasingly frequent with increasing injury severity, ranging from 5 to 43 percent for the prothrombin time as the injury severity scores (ISSs) increased from 5 to more than 45 and 4 to 18 percent for platelet counts of less than 150 × 109 per L. Abnormal coagulation tests were associated with excess mortality even below conventional transfusion triggers and this was especially true for the partial thromboplastin time. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal coagulation tests are common in severely injured patients. Even in the moderately injured, they are associated with higher mortality.
The decomposition of CF3OCF3 to COF2 and CF4

Abstract The reaction coordinate for the decomposition of CF 3 OCF 3 to COF 2 and CF 4 is computed using Hartree-Fock, MP2, and density functional theories. A transition structure is computed that connects the reactant CF 3 OCF 3 to products COF 2 and CF 4 . The geometry of the transition structure is characterized, and the energetics for decomposition to COF 2 and CF 4 are compared with simple C-O bond scission. The most reliable results indicate a lower activation energy for decomposition via the transition structure.
Dynamics of Reproduction by Hatchery Lake Trout on a Man - Made Spawning Reef

Abstract Reproduction by hatchery lake trout, critical for rehabilitation of lake trout stocks in the Great Lakes, had not been previously described and measured. Reproduction by hatchery lake trout on a man-made spawning reef in Presque Isle Harbor, Lake Superior, in 1977-80 was qualitatively and quantitatively described using gill nets, egg traps, and fry traps. Scuba divers measured physical parameters of the reef. Lake trout spawned during a 15- to 28-day period between 12 October and 14 November mainly during 1800–2000 hours. The Petersen single census was a better method of estimating adults than either multiple-census or fecundity-egg deposition methods. The Petersen estimate of adults was nearly 4,000 males and 1,900 females in 1979. Egg deposition and swim-up fry production ranged from 122 to 518/m 2 and 20 to 46/m 2 , respectively. Substrate on the man-made reef was a 27- to 42-cm thick layer of granite and limestone cobbles 6 to 20 cm in diameter. Spawning behavior and quantitative aspects of reproduction by hatchery lake trout were similar to that previously reported for native lake trout in the Great lakes and elsewhere. Man-made reefs may be a valuable lake trout management tool.
Use of databases in the kinetic analysis of two competitive, consecutive second-order reactions

Abstract In order to obtain the rate constants, k 1 and k 2 , for two competitive, consecutive (series) second-order reactions (CCSR), previous workers have utilized approximate and graphical procedures. However, Frost and Schwemer (FS) were able to derive exact complex expressions, using a particular initial condition (to be described subsequently), which allowed tables of values pertinent to CCSR to be constructed. From such tables, values of k 1 and k 2 could be ascertained by the use of interpolation. The aim of the present paper is to simplify the attainment of accurate values of k 1 and k 2 for CCSR by the utilization of cubic and quartic polynomial correlations based on the tables of FS. In this manner, and employing a database script (Paradox ver. 3.5), the preceding k -values could be obtained rapidly without the use of special tables and interpolations therefrom, and which agreed well with corresponding reported values.
Two modifications of the least cost per period heuristic for dynamic lot-sizing

This paper proposes two constructive heuristics for the well-known single-level uncapacitated dynamic lot-sizing problem. The proposed heuristics, called net least period cost (nLPC) and nLPC(i), are developed by modifying the average period cost concept from Silver and Meal's heuristic, commonly known as least period cost (LPC). An improved tie-breaking stopping rule and a locally optimal decision rule are proposed in the second heuristic to enhance performance. We test the effectiveness of the proposed heuristics by using 20 benchmarking test problems frequently used in the literature. Furthermore, we perform a large-scale simulation study involving three factors, 50 experimental conditions, and 100 000 randomly generated problems to evaluate the proposed heuristics against LPC and six other well-known constructive heuristics in the literature. The simulation results show that both nLPC and nLPC(i) produce average holding and setup costs lower than or equal to those of LPC in every one of the 50 experimental conditions. The proposed heuristics also outperform each of the six other heuristics evaluated in all experimental conditions, without an increase in computational requirements. Lastly, considering that both nLPC and nLPC(i) are fairly simple for practitioners to understand and that lot-sizing heuristics have been commonly used in practice, there should be a very good chance for practical applications of the proposed heuristics.
IS50L as a non-self transposable vector used to integrate the Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin gene into the chromosome of root-colonizing pseudomonads.

Abstract Insertion sequence IS50L of transposon Tn5 was used as a non-self transposable vector to integrate the δ-endotoxin gene (tox) from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-1 into the chromosome of two corn-root colonizing strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens (112-12 and Ps3732-3-7). A DNA fragment containing the KmR gene from Tn5 and tox was inserted into an IS50L element (IS50L-tox) contained on a suicide plasmid. Transposition of IS50L-tox into the chromosome of P. fluorescens 112-12 and Ps3732-3-7 occurred by selecting for KmR transconjugants and supplying transposase in cis from a linked IS50R element. A frameshift mutation in the transposase gene of the IS50L-tox element was also constructed to decrease the likelihood that suppression or a spontaneous reversion at the UAA (ochre) termination codon of IS50L would create an active transposase. The inability of IS50L-tox to transpose further minimizes the potential for horizontal gene transfer of the tox gene to other bacterial species. Expression of the Tox protein in strains 112-12 and Ps3732-3-7 was demonstrated by an immunological assay (Western blot) and toxicity against larvae of the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta).
Gender differences in gang participation, delinquency, and substance use

The purpose of this paper is to respond to gaps in our knowledge about patterns of female gang participation and its causes and consequences. Data from the Rochester Youth Development Study, a panel study that overrepresents adolescents at high risk for delinquency, are used to compare gang participation and delinquent involvement of female and male adolescents. We then examine the role of theoretical variables associated with both female and male gang membership. The results lead us to conclude that, for females as well as males, involvement in gangs is associated with substantially increased levels of delinquency and substance use. There is also some similarity in the factors associated with gang membership for both sexes, although lack of school success emerges as a factor of particular salience for female adolescents. The results suggest that theory and intervention need to address the phenomenon of female gang membership as an important component of urban youth problems.
Iodine in field milk samples and effects on mastitis organisms.

Abstract Bulk tank milk samples collected from 175 dairy herds throughout Wisconsin averaged 466 μ g of iodine per liter with 11% of the samples containing greater than 1000μg per liter. From questionnaires on feeding and management, use of iodine supplements in feed was associated with increased iodine in milk. One gram of ethylenediamine dihydriodide was fed daily for 2 wk to dairy cows with a history of mastitis. Milk iodine increased from 210 to 6225μg per liter. There was no significant effect on somatic cells, mastitis organisms, or incidence of clinical mastitis.
The effects of dietary patterns on plasma renin activity: results from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension trial.

A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, and reduced in saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol (the ‘DASH’ diet) significantly lowers blood pressure (BP). Previous studies have documented that certain therapies that lower BP increase plasma renin activity (PRA). Using data from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial, we assessed the effects of dietary patterns on PRA and determined the relationship of change in PRA with change in BP on each diet. After eating a control diet for 3 weeks, participants were then randomized to receive for 8 weeks: the control diet, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (F/V), or the DASH diet. Baseline and follow-up levels of PRA were available in 381 participants. Compared with the control diet, the DASH diet increased PRA by 0.37 ng ml−1 h−1 (P=0.01). In multivariable linear regression analyses, there was an inverse association of PRA change with systolic BP change on the control diet (slope=−0.35, P=0.001), but PRA did not differ by BP change on the F/V diet (slope=−0.002, P=0.98) or DASH diet (slope=−0.08, P=0.32). These data suggest that a blunted counter-regulatory response of the renin–angiotensin system is associated with the BP-lowering effect of the F/V and DASH diets.
Three‐dimensional numerical simulation of injection molding filling of optical lens and multiscale geometry using finite element method

This article presents the development, verification, and validation of three-dimensional (3-D) numerical simulation for injection molding filling of 3-D parts and parts with microsurface features. For purpose of verification and comparison, two numerical models, the mixed model and the equal-order model, were used to solve the Stokes equations with three different tetrahedral elements (Taylor-Hood, MINI, and equal-order). The control volume scheme with tetrahedral finite element mesh was used for tracking advancing melt fronts and the operator splitting method was selected to solve the energy equation. A new, simple memory management procedure was introduced to deal with the large sparse matrix system without using a huge amount of storage space. The numerical simulation was validated for mold filling of a 3-D optical lens. The numerical simulation agreed very well with the experimental results and was useful in suggesting a better processing condition. As a new application area, a two-step macro–micro filling approach was adopted for the filling analysis of a part with a micro-surface feature to handle both macro and micro dimensions while avoiding an excessive number of elements. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 46:1263–1274, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers
Quantitative and temporal relationships of egg production and sound production by black drum Pogonias cromis.

The timing and levels of black drum Pogonias cromis sound production and egg production were compared in an estuarine canal basin of Cape Coral in south-west Florida. Surface plankton samples were collected hourly from 1800 to 0400 on two consecutive nights while continuous acoustic recordings were made simultaneously at five locations in the canal basin. Five pairs of nights were sampled during a part of the spawning season from late January to early April 2006. Pogonias cromis sound production and egg production occurred on all evenings that samples were collected; however, both the timing and levels of sound production were negatively associated with those of egg production. Egg production estimates ranged from a low of 4·8 eggs m(-3) in February to a high of 2889·2 eggs m(-3) in April. Conversely, maximum nightly sound pressure levels (SPL) ranged from a low of 89·5 dB in April to a high of 131·9 dB (re: 1 µPa) in February. The temporal centre of sound production was relatively stable among all nights sampled but spawning occurred earlier in the day as the season progressed and exhibited a strong, positive association with increased water temperature. The negative relationship between the levels of sound production and egg production was unexpected given the usefulness of sound production as a proxy for reproduction on a seasonal basis and may possibly be explained by differences in the spawning potential of the female population in the study area on nights sampled. Egg mortality rates increased throughout the season and were positively associated with densities of hydrozoans and ctenophores.
Words, deeds, and motivations: comment on Maestripieri and Carroll (1998)

A considerable proportion of Old World monkey mothers living in social groups under seemingly benign conditions maltreat their young. This interesting finding is the basis for the suggestion by D. Maestripieri and K. A. Carroll (1998) that monkeys might provide an animal model for investigating child abuse and neglect in the human population. This suggestion tacitly assumes that the phenomena of abuse and neglect in monkeys and humans are based on similar processes. This possibility is more plausible for neglect than for abuse. Child abuse shows such great diversity of forms and causes in human societies that it is unlikely to have a natural counterpart among nonhuman primates. The suggestion that it does may inadvertently lend support to attitudes that are unduly restrictive or actively opposed to animal research in psychology. Language: en
On two-dimensional magnetic reconnection with nonuniform resistivity

In this paper, two theoretical approaches for the calculation of the rate of quasi-stationary, two-dimensional magnetic reconnection with nonuniform anomalous resistivity are considered in the framework of incompressible magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). In the first, 'global' equations approach, the MHD equations are approximately solved for a whole reconnection layer, including the upstream and downstream regions and the layer center. In the second, 'local' equations approach, the equations are solved across the reconnection layer, including only the upstream region and the layer center. Both approaches give the same approximate answer for the reconnection rate. Our theoretical model is in agreement with the results of recent simulations of reconnection with spatially nonuniform resistivity.
The effects of framing ratio and oblique length on Ponzo illusion magnitude

The effects of the length of the oblique lines and the distance between the test line and the obliques (expressed as framing ratio) on Ponzo illusion magnitude were assessed. The purpose of the study was to test depth-processing (Gillam, 1973; Gregory, 1970) and pool-and-store (Girgus & Coren, 1982) models of the Ponzo illusion. The data indicated that both oblique length and framing ratio affected illusion magnitude. This result did not provide unequivocal support for either the depth-processing models or the pool-and-store model. A recent revision of assimilation theory (Pressey & Wilson, 1980) is proposed to describe the effects of both oblique length and framing ratio.
Regulation of Tcf7l1 DNA Binding and Protein Stability as Principal Mechanisms of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling

Wnt/β-catenin signal transduction requires direct binding of β-catenin to Tcf/Lef proteins, an event that is classically associated with stimulating transcription by recruiting coactivators. This molecular cascade plays critical roles throughout embryonic development and normal postnatal life by affecting stem cell characteristics and tumor formation. Here, we show that this pathway utilizes a fundamentally different mechanism to regulate Tcf7l1 (formerly named Tcf3) activity. β-catenin inactivates Tcf7l1 without a switch to a coactivator complex by removing it from DNA, which leads to Tcf7l1 protein degradation. Mouse genetic experiments demonstrate that Tcf7l1 inactivation is the only required effect of the Tcf7l1-β-catenin interaction. Given the expression of Tcf7l1 in pluripotent embryonic and adult stem cells, as well as in poorly differentiated breast cancer, these findings provide mechanistic insights into the regulation of pluripotency and the role of Wnt/β-catenin in breast cancer.
On determining the statistical parameters for pollution concentration from a truncated data set

Abstract Concentrations of atmospheric pollutants do occasionally reach levels below detection and it is common to deal with pollution concentration data sets which are truncated at the detection limit of the analytical instrument employed. The problem addressed in this paper is how to correct for detection limits in determining the mean and standard deviation of pollution concentration. Two methods are described and evaluated. A comprehensive comparison is made using an analytical approach that incorporates the assumption of an infinite number of noise free measurements. Additional comparisons are made using actual pollution concentration data sets, in order to estimate the magnitude of truncation errors relative to those due to finite sample size and to inaccuracies in measurement for concentrations above the detection limit. Results show that if all data points corresponding to concentration levels below the detection limit are set equal to half the detection limit an error is introduced that would probably be acceptable for most applications. If required, greater accuracy in the determination of the geometric mean and standard deviation can be obtained using a method based on maximum likelihood estimation theory.
Comparison of apical transportation between ProFile and ProTaper NiTi rotary instruments.

Aim To use a newly developed radiographic technique to compare apical transportation and loss of working length (WL) between .06 taper ProFile™ Series 29 and ProTaper™ nickel–titanium (NiTi) rotary instruments in vitro. Methodology Mesio-buccal canals of 40 extracted mandibular molars were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 was instrumented with ProFile™ and group 2 with ProTaper™ instruments according to the manufacturers' directions. A specially constructed radiographic jig with a Schick digital radiographic system (Schick Technologies Inc., Long Island City, NY, USA) was used to take pre- and postoperative radiographs of the samples at predetermined angulations. Using AutoCAD 2000 (Autodesk Inc., San Rafael, CA, USA), the central axes of initial and final instruments were radiographically superimposed to determine the loss of WL and degree of transportation at D0, D1, D2 and D4 from the WL. Data were analysed using repeated-measures anova. Results A statistically significant difference in apical transportation was found at the D4 level between the two groups (P = 0.05). There was no statistical significance regarding postinstrumentation change in WL between groups. Spearman's Bivariate Correlation analysis indicated no statistically significant relationship between the radius of curvature and transportation. Conclusion The results indicate that both ProTaper™ and ProFile™ instruments are comparable to each other in regards to their ability to optimally enlarge root canal with minimal transportation and loss of WL in vitro.
Error probabilities and threshold selection in networked nuclear detection

We consider the problem of computing analytical bounds on error probabilities in the setting of networked nuclear detection based on a likelihood ratio test. The detection scenario involves a mobile source of known trajectory passing within the sensing range of a spatially distributed sensor array, which has to decide on its nature (benign or radioactive) within a fixed time interval. Exploiting the particular modeling structure of remote nuclear measurement, and the form that the likelihood ratio takes in this setting, the paper presents analytical Chernoff bounds for the error probabilities, which in turn allow the selection of threshold constants for the likelihood ratio test in a computationally efficient manner compared to Monte Carlo simulations
The density of the inverse and pseudo-inverse of a random matrix

Abstract Given an absolutely continuous density of a random matrix X, we study the density of the inverse when X is a p × p symmetric, triangular and arbitrary matrix, and the pseudo-inverse when X is rectangular. In the latter case we provide alternative proofs to that of Zhang (1985), who first obtained this density.
Effect of feeding solanidine, solasodine and tomatidine to non-pregnant and pregnant mice.

Abstract The aglycone forms of three steroidal glycoalkaloids—solanidine (derived by hydrolytic removal of the carbohydrate side chain from the potato glycoalkaloids α-chaconine and α-solanine), solasodine (derived from solasonine in eggplants) and tomatidine (derived from α-tomatine in tomatoes)—were evaluated for their effects on liver weight increase (hepatomegaly) in non-pregnant and pregnant mice and on fecundity in pregnant mice fed for 14 days on a diet containing 2.4 mmol/kg of aglycone. In non-pregnant mice, observed ratios of % liver weights to body weights (%LW/BWs) were significantly greater than those of the control values as follows (all values in % vs matched controls±S.D.): solanidine, 25.5±13.2; solasodine 16.8±12.0; and tomatidine, 6.0±7.1. The corresponding increases in pregnant mice were: solanidine, 5.3±10.7; solasodine, 33.1±15.1; tomatidine, 8.4±9.1. For pregnant mice (a) body weight gains were less with the algycones than with controls: solanidine, −36.1±14.5; solasodine, −17.9±14.3; tomatidine, −11.9±18.1; (b) litter weights were less than controls: solanidine, −27.0±17.1; solasodine, −15.5±16.8; tomatidine, no difference; (c) the %LTW/BW ratio was less than that of the controls and was significant only for solasodine, −8.7±13.7; and (d) the average weight of the fetuses was less than the controls: solanidine, −11.2±15.2; solasodine, −11.4±9.4; tomatidine, no difference. Abortion of fetuses occurred in five of 24 pregnant mice on the solanidine and none on the other diets. To obtain evidence for possible mechanisms of the observed in vivo effects, the four glycoalkaloids (α-chaconine, α-solanine, solasonine and α-tomatine) mentioned above and the aglycones solanidine and tomatidine were also evaluated in in vitro assays for estrogenic activity. Only solanidine at 10 μ m concentration exhibited an increase in the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell proliferation assay. Generally, the biological effects of solanidine differ from those of the parent potato glycoalkaloids. Possible mechanisms of these effects and the implication of the results for food safety and plant physiology are discussed.
X-ray structural and n.m.r.-spectral studies of methyl α-l-evalopyranoside: Reassignment of anomeric configuration for the methanolysis product of methyl 6-deoxy-3-C-methyl-α-l-mannofuranoside

Abstract The methanolysis product of methyl 6-deoxy-3- C -methyl-α- l -mannofuranoside has been reassigned as methyl 6-deoxy-3- C -methyl-α- l -mannopyranoside by X-ray crystallographic and n.m.r.-spectral analyses. The crystals of methyl α- l -evalopyranoside are monoclinic, space group C 2, with cell dimensions: a = 12.913(2), b = 8.052(1), c = 9.766(2) A, B = 105.13(2)°. The pyranoside ring exists in the 1 C 4 conformation, with the methoxyl and 3- C -methyl groups axial. Nuclear Overhauser effects were measured for selected proton resonances in the 1 H-n.m.r. spectrum. Irradiation of the 3- C -methyl and 5- C -methyl group proton signals resulted in enhancements for H-2, H-4, H-5, and the methoxyl group hydrogen atoms, but not for H-1.
Seasonal variation in heart-rate-core temperature relationship in Rana pipiens: the role of the autonomic nervous system.

Abstract 1. 1. The heart-rate of normal and drug-treated, intact, unrestrained, and unanaesthetized adult male Rana pipiens was studied over a range of core temperatures (16–30° C.) during a 12-month period. 2. 2. During the summer, treatment with reserpine and dichloroisoproterenol (DCI) significantly reduced the normal increase in heart-rate due to increasing core temperature. 3. 3. Treatment with atropine during the summer did not change the basic physiological response of the heart-rate to increasing core temperature. 4. 4. During the winter, treatment with reserpine and DCI did not alter the normal heart-rate response to changing core temperature. 5. 5. Treatment with atropine during the winter caused the heart-rate response to change in core temperature to assume a linear response over the full range of core temperatures (16–30° C.). 6. 6. With regard to the heart-rate-core temperature relationship, sympathetic activity seemed greatest in the summer and minimal in the winter, while parasympathetic influence appeared greatest during the winter and nearly absent during the summer.
Pharmacologic treatment of hypersexuality and paraphilias in nursing home residents.

PURPOSE: To discuss the pharmacologic options for treatment of hypersexuality or paraphilias in nursing home residents. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search was conducted for English-language articles published over the past 20 years and was supplemented by a search of bibliographies of relevant articles. STUDY SELECTION: Case reports of pharmacologic treatment of hypersexual or paraphilic behavior were selected only if the patient receiving treatment was an older person and/or cognitively impaired. DATA EXTRACTION: Case reports were grouped according to the class of the pharmacologic agent used (antiandrogens, estrogens, GnRH analogues, or serotonergic drugs). Each case report was evaluated for pharmacologic agent administered, route of administration, duration of therapy, therapeutic response, and incidence of side effects. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing home residents who display hypersexual or paraphilic behavior are extremely difficult to manage. Before initiating pharmacotherapy to control unwanted sexual behaviors, the current drug regimen should be evaluated carefully for drugs that may be causing or exacerbating the behavior. Case reports suggest that antiandrogens, estrogens, GnRH analogues, and serotonergic medications may be useful when other methods have failed. Controlled comparative trials of these agents are needed to establish their efficacy clearly. J Am Geriatr Soc 47:231–234, 1999.
Premorbid social competence and the effectiveness of early neuroleptic treatment

The relationship of premorbid social competence to early psychotic symptom resolution was examined in 84 (44 male, 40 female) acutely psychotic inpatients given fixed-dose neuroleptic treatment. Patients with a substantial reduction in psychotic symptomatology at 10 days had higher overall social competence scores and higher scores on the indices of occupation, marital status, age, and employment history than did patients with little symptom resolution. Sex and diagnosis were not related to degree of psychotic symptom resolution. The results suggest that early symptom resolution with neuroleptic treatment represents yet another instance of outcome being related to premorbid social competence. The findings likewise accord with the view that social competence reflects underlying developmental differences.