cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Before You Search the Literature: How to Prepare and Get the Most Out of Citation Databases

Abstract As evidence-based practice becomes more integrated into routine care, systematically searching of the literature is essential to making informed clinical decisions. To uncover all the evidence and get the most unbiased sense of what is known about a particular phenomenon or caregiving practice, a clear method of searching that is systematic is needed. This article provides a discussion of six steps in a systematic search: (1) constructing the question, (2) choose the appropriate database(s), (3) formulate a search strategy, (4) perform the search, (5) evaluate the results, (6) good results (answer the question) = use the search information, (7) bad results = start over (refine the search strategies). Tips for working with a librarian are also provided. Lastly, a checklist developed to facilitate the steps of the searching process is discussed and provided for use by readers. Nurses are not trained to systematically search the literature, yet evidence-based practice demands that nurses and all health professionals be familiar with the searching process, especially when making evidence-based caregiving decisions.
HLA IN A PEDIGREE WITH IMMUNOLOGIC AND ENDOCRINE DISEASE

A pedigree with a variety of rare immunologic and endocrine abnormalities was studied for immunogenetic associations. HLA genotyping, plus the presence of an HLA B/D recombinant reveal that all affected share an HLA region of a single sixth chromosome, including the A and B, but not the D region. Suppressor cell assays of the proband indicate that one manifestation of the genetic defect is suppression of B-lymphocytc immunoglobulin production. (Supported by ACS grant IN-13)
Economic benefits of a corridor highway investment

With strong emphasis on economic development at the local and state levels in the United States, considerable interest exists in upgrading highways to help make an area more attractive to businesses. This article examines the nature and level of economic benefits that result from highway investments. Previous research on this relationship is examined. Economics principles are applied in positing a conceptual framework with which to assess the benefits of a highway investment. Two basic types of benefits are defined: reductions in transportation costs and increases in economic activity. We argue that road user benefits should form the basis for a decision of whether or not to invest public funds to upgrade a highway. From a national perspective, increases in local economic activity near the route are transfers from other locations and are not actually economic development. The conceptual framework is used to evaluate four alternative routes in a 500 mile corridor connecting two large metropolitan areas in the Midwest region of the U.S.
High-temperature thermoelectric energy conversion. II - Materials survey

The current status of materials research for high-temperature thermoelectric energy conversion is reviewed. Two general classes of materials show promise for high temperature figure of merit (Z) values, viz, the rare-earth chalcogenides and the boron-rich borides. The electronic transport properties of the rare-earth chalcogenides are explicable on the basis of degenerate or partially degenerate n-type semiconductors. Boron and boron-rich borides exhibit p-type hopping conductivity, with detailed explanations proposed for the transport differing from compound to compound. Some discussion is presented on the reasons for the low thermal conductivities in these materials. Also, ZTs greater than one appear to have been realized at high temperature in many of these compounds.
An Evaluation of NiCd Battery and Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell DC Systems Output Characteristics

The paper presents an analysis of direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC-mesh, and DEFC-foam), and Nickel-Cadmium battery (NiCd) systems interfaced to DC-DC converters. The output voltage characteristics of the three systems are compared. Experimental results show that NiCd batteries present variable, nonlinear impedances as a function of frequency. Similar to NiCd batteries, DEFCs exhibit impedance variations, with lesser degree of predictability. It is shown, through experimental results, that the output voltage of NiCd powered systems is proportional to the duty cycle, for a given switching frequency. By contrast, DEFC systems do not exhibit predictable output as a function of duty cycle alone. Consequently, output voltage control through pulse width modulation (PWM) techniques applicable to NiCd systems cannot be employed for DEFC systems of similar power output.
Qualitative changes in urinary gonadotrophins in human pregnancy during the period of rapid increase in hormone titer.

The gonadotrophic action of the urine of pregnant women was first shown in normal immature mice and rats in which it caused enlargement of follicles and corpus luteum formation. Later, when pregnancy urine was concentrated and detoxified, it was possible to inject it into hypophysectomized immature female rats. Its only effect on the ovary of such animals was on the interstitial cells; no follicular growth or corpus luteum formation occurred. As many as 8000 units (judged by the ability to stimulate corpus luteum formation in immature normal rats) have been injected by Evans and Simpson into hypophysectomized female rats with no other gonadotrophic action than interstitial tissue stimulation. Comparable results were obtained by Claesson et al., 1948, with 6000 i.u. of highly purified HCG injected over a 4 day period and as many as 24,000 i.u. over a 16-day period. The complete gonadotrophic response to pregnancy urine observed in the normal immature animal must,
Lymphocytes from one side of the bovine mammary gland migrate to the contra lateral gland and lymph node tissue

The four quarters of bovine mammary glands are completely separated and two quarters on each side (right or left) are connected to ipsi lateral supra mammary lymph nodes. It is not clear whether cells infused into the cistern of the mammary gland are capable of migrating to lymph nodes or the general circulation. To examine cell migration, a prescapular lymph node was removed from each of two lactating and three non-lactating dairy cows, and isolated lymphocytes were stained with Hoechst 33342. Autologous stained cells were infused into the mammary gland and then activated by intramammary infusion of zymosan-stimulated serum (source of C5a). After 17 h, Escherichia coli J5 bacterin was infused into the contra lateral mammary gland to mimic infection. After 43 h cows were euthanized and tissue samples (mammary quarters, right and left supra mammary, mesenteric, ileocecal and prescapular lymph nodes, liver and spleen) were collected for microscopic examination as well as flow cytometric analysis. Hoechst stained cells were detected not only in infused quarters, but also in contra lateral quarters as well as in both supra mammary lymph nodes. This indicates that cells infused into the mammary gland migrate to contra lateral tissues and supra mammary lymph nodes.
Physician leadership: essential in creating a culture of safety.

Advances in patient safety require a receptive culture that values transparency, communication, and mutual respect. The Safety Attitude Questionnaire is an effective tool that can be used to assess the safety culture in a variety of clinical settings. Transformational leadership is essential in prom
VIP induces PKA-mediated rapid and sustained phosphorylation of HSP20

Abstract The small molecular weight heat shock protein HSP20 has been proposed to regulate smooth muscle relaxation in a manner dependent on its phosphorylated state. We present the first evidence of HSP20 phosphorylation in response to a naturally occurring neurotransmitter. HSP20 was rapidly phosphorylated in colonic circular smooth muscle cells exposed to the physiologically relevant relaxant neuropeptide, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP). HSP20 phosphorylation was significantly and substantially increased by 30 s following VIP treatment and remained elevated for 30 min. VIP-induced HSP20 phosphorylation was dose dependent. Both basal and VIP-induced HSP20 phosphorylations were solely mediated by Protein Kinase A. Maximal phosphorylation of HSP20 was induced by the same VIP concentration range which induces maximal relaxation. Increased phosphorylation of HSP20 occurred in both cytosolic and particulate cell fractions. Our findings represent evidence for neurogenic modulation of the cyclic molecular regulation of relaxation required for peristalsis via a VIP-PKA-HSP20 pathway.
Aristotle and the Finitude of Natural Kinds

In the April 1986 issue of Philosophy, James Franklin argues in 'Aristotle on Species Variation' that Aristotle holds that natural kinds form a continuous series, which Franklin takes to be a dense series, and thus one composed of an infinite number of natural kinds. Franklin's interpretation conflicts with the interpretation, commonly offered of Aristotle's natural kinds, which maintains that they form a finite series of contiguous and discrete kinds.1 I have also defended the more common interpretation in a recent examination of Aristotle's views on the continuity of natural kinds.2 Franklin's defence of his interpretation divides up fundamentally into two parts. Aristotle simply holds that natural kinds form a continuous series in two passages in his biology, Historia Animalium VIII.1.588b4-14 and De Partibus Animalium IV.5.681aI0-15, and there is no evidence from elsewhere in the corpus that explicitly rules out or conflicts with these two passages. If considered in isolation, the HA and PA passages make a reasonable case for Franklin's interpretation. Furthermore, Aristotle does employ a sense of 'continuous' (suneches), which, if applied to kinds, would yield a dense series of kinds. In Physica VI .2.232b24-25 he defines the 'continuous' as that which is 'divisible into items always divisible', which is the sort of continuity formed by magnitudes, motions and times. If Aristotle extends this sense of continuity to kinds, then kinds as infinitely divisible would certainly seem to form a series in which any two given kinds would always have another kind between them, no matter how close they may seem to be in the series. Thus an infinite series of kinds would ensue. A basic feature of Aristotle's metaphysics provides, however, a serious obstacle to Franklin's interpretation, in the form of Aristotle's doctrine of infinity. All the relevant evidence from elsewhere in the corpus supports the traditional view that Aristotle denies the existence of any actual infinity. Since Franklin's view
Epidermal Notch1 Loss Promotes Skin Tumorigenesis by Impacting the Stromal Microenvironment

Notch1 is a proto-oncogene in several organs. In the skin, however, Notch1 deletion leads to tumor formation, suggesting that Notch1 is a "tumor suppressor" within this context. Here we demonstrate that, unlike classical tumor suppressors, Notch1 loss in epidermal keratinocytes promotes tumorigenesis non-cell autonomously by impairing skin-barrier integrity and creating a wound-like microenvironment in the skin. Using mice with a chimeric pattern of Notch1 deletion, we determined that Notch1-expressing keratinocytes in this microenvironment readily formed papillomas, showing that Notch1 was insufficient to suppress this tumor-promoting effect. Accordingly, loss of other Notch paralogues that impaired the skin barrier also predisposed Notch1-expressing skin to tumorigenesis, demonstrating that the tumor-promoting effect of Notch1 loss involves a crosstalk between barrier-defective epidermis and its stroma.
Interactions of Ionic Liquids and Water

Experimental excess enthalpies of ionic liquid and water mixtures in combination with calculated CHELPG atomic charges were used to investigate the interactions between the species in solution. The excess enthalpies of ionic liquids in water were obtained by calorimetry, using a Setaram C80 calorimeter, including temperatures from (313.15 to 348.15) K and the entire range of composition. The ionic liquids investigated all contain the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium cation except one, which has an added hydroxyl group on the cation (1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium cation). The anions investigated are ethylsulfate, methylsulfate, hydrogensulfate, trifluoromethanesulfonate, methanesulfonate, and trifluoroacetate, and these will demonstrate the effect of systematically varying the substituents on the anion. The CHELPG atomic charges on the cations and anions were calculated using the Gaussian 03 program. The CHELPG atomic charges are consistent with the observed trends in excess enthalpy and provide insight into cation/water, anion/water, and cation/anion interactions.
Determination of penumbral widths from ion chamber measurements.

We have investigated methods of reconstructing beam profiles in the penumbral region using a set of axially symmetric chambers, differing only in the detector radius. In principal, the transfer functions, or kernels, of such chambers should be functions of radius only. Three chambers of radii 0.297, 0.556, and 0.714 cm have been used. The transfer functions of the chambers can be determined by deconvolving the profiles measured with each detector with the PPMC profile. The results indicate that the transfer functions can be parametrized accurately as a Gaussian cutoff at 1.75 , with the average radius of the chamber. Deconvolution of the measured profiles with the transfer functions yields a profile that agrees with the PPMC profile to {+-}0.5 mm over the 20-80% penumbra.
Scaling the response of microscale compression molding of elemental Cu in the presence of dynamic recrystallization

Abstract Replication of metallic high-aspect-ratio microscale structures by direct compression molding is a promising microfabrication technique. In this paper, the micromolding response of elemental Cu is measured as a function of molding temperature. Companion tensile testing of macroscale Cu specimens was carried out at the corresponding molding temperatures. Microstructures of tensile tested macroscale Cu specimens and molded Cu specimens were characterized by combining focused ion beam (FIB) sectioning and imaging with ion-induced secondary electrons (ISEs). At all temperatures tested, measured tensile stress–strain curves for Cu show clear evidence for the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) within macroscale tensile specimens. Additional FIB sectioning and imaging with ISEs of molded Cu specimens provide microstructural evidence for the occurrence of DRX during molding. The present results show that, even in the presence of DRX, an appropriate one-parameter scaling continues to reduce the molding response to a universal function independent of the molding temperature.
Sandbathing as a territorial scent-mark in the bannertail kangaroo rat, Dipodomys spectabilis

Sandbathing by the bannertail kangaroo rat, Dipodomys spectabilis, was studied in the laboratory and field to determine its possible function as a territorial scent-mark. Rats were tested for their responses to body oil and dorsal gland scents from familiar and unfamiliar rats and to the sandbathing sites of rats in different hormonal conditions. Field evidence showed that adult and juvenile rats of both sexes sandbathed at similar rates in their territories. Rats recognized scents of different conspecifics from body oils and dorsal gland secretions. The sandbathing marks of intact males, castrated males, oestrous females and non-oestrous females were equally attractive to rats in reproductive and non-reproductive conditions. Sandbathing scents apparently do not communicate information on reproductive status in this species. Rats sandbathe to scent-mark their territories and may use the scents to distinguish familiar neighbours from unfamiliar conspecifics. Neighbour recognition is probably important in maintaining the territorial social organization of D. spectabilis.
F-actin and Myosin II Binding Domains in Supervillin

Detergent-resistant membranes contain signaling and integral membrane proteins that organize cholesterol-rich domains called lipid rafts. A subset of these detergent-resistant membranes (DRM-H) exhibits a higher buoyant density (∼1.16 g/ml) because of association with membrane skeleton proteins, including actin, myosin II, myosin 1G, fodrin, and an actin- and membrane-binding protein called supervillin (Nebl, T., Pestonjamasp, K. N., Leszyk, J. D., Crowley, J. L., Oh, S. W., and Luna, E. J. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 43399-43409). To characterize interactions among DRM-H cytoskeletal proteins, we investigated the binding partners of the novel supervillin N terminus, specifically amino acids 1-830. We find that the supervillin N terminus binds directly to myosin II, as well as to F-actin. Three F-actin-binding sites were mapped to sequences within amino acids ∼280-342, ∼344-422, and ∼700-830. Sequences with combinations of these sites promote F-actin cross-linking and/or bundling. Supervillin amino acids 1-174 specifically interact with the S2 domain in chicken gizzard myosin and nonmuscle myosin IIA (MYH-9) but exhibit little binding to skeletal muscle myosin II. Direct or indirect binding to filamin also was observed. Overexpression of supervillin amino acids 1-174 in COS7 cells disrupted the localization of myosin IIB without obviously affecting actin filaments. Taken together, these results suggest that supervillin may mediate actin and myosin II filament organization at cholesterol-rich membrane domains.
Simulation of neutron radiograph images at the Neutron Radiography Reactor

Abstract The ability to accurately simulate potential radiographic images produced by a radiographic facility can improve the facility’s ability to design experiments and evaluate images. The image simulation methods detailed in this paper predict the radiographic image of an object based on the foil reaction rate data obtained by placing a model of the object in front of the image plane in a Monte Carlo beamline model. The image simulation method utilizes a characteristic curve relating foil activity to optical density for the film and foil combination in use at the Neutron Radiography Reactor. The simulation validation compared a radiograph of a polyethylene step block to a simulated radiograph of the same step block. The simulation accurately predicts the optical density in each region of a radiograph of the step block. The simulated radiograph predicts the average optical density of the actual radiograph more accurately for the thinner steps, resulting in step averaged optical density differences between the actual and simulated images of −11.6% for the thinnest step versus a difference of −34.7% for the thickest step, possibly due to the greater accuracy of the higher optical density region of the characteristic curve. Applying the scanner calibration curve to the calculated optical density values decreases the difference between the actual radiograph pixel values and the simulated pixel values for each step except the thinnest step. The step averaged differences between the corrected and actual images increase from −11.6% to −17.0% for the thinnest step and decrease from −34.7% to +7.7% for the thickest step after the calibration curve is applied.
beta-Lactamase production and susceptibility of US and European anaerobic gram-negative bacilli to beta-lactams and other agents.

The susceptibility of 1,476 US and European strains of anaerobic gram-negative bacilli to amoxicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, ticarcillin, ticarcillin/clavulanate, cefoxitin, imipenem and metronidazole was determined. All of theBacteroides fragilis group and 51 % of the non-Bacteroides fragilis group were β-lactamase positive. Amongst the non-Bacteroides fragilis group, β-lactamase positivity rates were higher for US strains (58 %) than for European strains (39 %). All strains were susceptible to imipenem and metronidazole. MIC90s of amoxicillin and ticarcillin for all β-lactamase negative strains were 0.5 and 2 µg/ml, respectively. The addition of clavulanate reduced the MIC90s of amoxicillin (≥ 256 µg/ml) and ticarcillin (≥ 64 µg/ml) to 16 and 8 µg/ml, respectively, for theBacteroides fragilis group, and to 4 µg/ml for both agents for the non-Bacteroides fragilis β-lactamase producing group. Twenty-nine cefoxitin-resistant strains were found, mainly in theBacteroides fragilis group, while 95 β-lactamase producing strains (predominantlyBacteroides fragilis group and fusobacteria) did not show synergy between β-lactams and clavulanate. Of the newer agents tested, meropenem and piperacillin-tazobactam were the most active (100 % of strains susceptible), followed by amoxicillin-BRL 42715 (99 % of strains susceptible); 94 to 98 % of the strains were susceptible to cefoperazone-sulbactam, tosufloxacin, tempafloxacin and clindamycin. Only 73 % of the strains were susceptible to cefotetan, compared to 91 % to cefoxitin; 88 % of the strains were susceptible to trospectomycin. Overall, all of the β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations, imipenem, meropenem, cefoxitin, tosufloxacin, temafloxacin and clindamycin had good activity against β-lactamase producing strains, while all agents tested had good activity against β-lactamase negative strains.
Shouldering the Load: An Analysis of Gender-Based Differences in the Undergraduate PR Writing Classes and Advising Undergraduate PRSSA Chapters

This study contributes to public relations (PR) literature and research because it finds and highlights discrepancies between male and female PR faculty concerning their involvement or lack thereof...
Monozygotic Twins Discordant for External Hydrocephalus

External hydrocephalus (EH) is a transient, developmental condition in infancy characterized by macrocephaly and prominence of the subarachnoid spaces. The cause is unknown, but many patients have a f
Co-treatment with conjugated linoleic acid and nitrite protects against myocardial infarction

According to the CDC, the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease, which commonly leads to myocardial infarction (MI). Therapeutic approaches to lessen the resulting cardiovascular injury associated with MI are limited. Recently, MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to act as negative regulators of gene expression by inhibiting mRNA translation and/or stimulating mRNA degradation. A single miRNA can modulate physiological or disease phenotypes by regulating whole functional systems. Importantly, miRNAs can regulate cardiac function, thereby modulating heart muscle contraction, heart growth and morphogenesis. MicroRNA-499 (miRNA-499) is a cardiac-specific miRNA that when elevated causes cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, in turn preventing cardiac dysfunction during MI. Previous studies revealed that combination treatment with conjugated linoleic acid (cLA) and nitrite preserved cardiovascular function in mice. Therefore, it was hypothesized that cLA and nitrite may regulate miRNA-499, thus providing cardiac protection during MI. To test this hypothesis, 12-week old mice were treated with cLA (10 mg/kg/d-via osmotic mini-pump) or cLA and nitrite (50 ppm-drinking water) 3 days prior to MI (ligation of the left anterior descending artery). Echocardiography and pressure–volume (PV)-loop analysis revealed that cLA and nitrite-treated MI mice had improved heart function (10 days following MI) compared to untreated MI mice. Treatment with cLA and nitrite significantly induced levels of miRNA-499 compared to untreated MI mice. In addition, treatment with cLA and nitrite abolished MI-induced protein expression of p53 and dynamin-related protein-1 (DRP-1). Moreover, the antioxidant enzyme expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was elevated in MI mice treated with cLA and nitrite compared to untreated MI mice. Confocal imaging on heart tissue confirmed expression the levels of HO-1 and p53. Taken together, these results suggest that therapeutic treatment with cLA and nitrite may provide significant protection during MI through regulation of both cardiac specific miRNA-499 and upregulation of phase 2 antioxidant enzyme expression.
Guinea pig Ia antigens are not derivatised on trinitrophenyl-modified cells.

THE proliferative response of hapten-reactive guinea pig T lymphocytes to trinitrophenyl (TNP)-modified macrophages is regulated by the I-region of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the priming macrophage1. Recent studies2,3 have suggested that the immunogen recognised by the T cell contains both TNP determinants and Ia antigens, as proliferation can be specifically blocked by anti-TNP serum as well as by anti-Ia sera directed against the stimulator macrophage. However, the precise nature of the association between the TNP determinant and the Ia antigens forming this immunogen remains unclear. In an effort to clarify the nature of the TNP-specific immunogen recognised by the T cell, we have analysed, by chemical methods, the membrane proteins of TNP-modified guinea pig macrophages. We report here experiments which demonstrate that macrophage Ia antigens are not directly trinitrophenyl-derivatised on TNP-modified macrophages.
Akt–GSK-3 pathway as a target in genistein-induced inhibition of TRAMP prostate cancer progression toward a poorly differentiated phenotype

Anti-proliferative properties of genistein in prostate and other cancers have been studied extensively. However, the identification of genistein targets that may mediate its chemopreventive effects in vivo requires further elucidation. In this study, we have demonstrated that the incorporation of genistein in the diet of transgenic adenocarcinoma mouse prostate model (TRAMP/FVB) mice resulted in a reduction in prostate size and the incidence of poorly differentiated (PD) cancer ensuing in an accumulation of prostates at the prostatic intra-epithelial neoplasia (PIN) stage. TRAMP/FVB prostate cancer progression and the onset of PD cancer were characterized by the activation of acutely transforming retrovirus AKT8 in rodent T cell lymphoma (Akt), phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta (GSK-3beta), post-transcriptional up-regulation of cyclin D1 and repression of cadherin-1 via snail-1 up-regulation. Incorporation of genistein in the diet significantly inhibited the activation of Akt, restored the activation of GSK-3beta, reduced cyclin D1 levels post-transcriptionally and maintained the expression of the cadherin-1 complex via down-regulation of snail-1. By identifying the Akt-GSK-3 pathway and subsequently its downstream effectors, as targets for genistein chemopreventive action, we have elucidated one possible mechanism by which genistein decreases the proliferative potential, retards cancer progression and maintains the integrity of the prostatic epithelial cells in vivo.
Marine algal toxin azaspiracid is an open-state blocker of hERG potassium channels.

Azaspiracids (AZA) are polyether marine dinoflagellate toxins that accumulate in shellfish and represent an emerging human health risk. Although human exposure is primarily manifested by severe and protracted diarrhea, this toxin class has been shown to be highly cytotoxic, a teratogen to developing fish, and a possible carcinogen in mice. Until now, AZA's molecular target has not yet been determined. Using three independent methods (voltage clamp, channel binding assay, and thallium flux assay), we have for the first time demonstrated that AZA1, AZA2, and AZA3 each bind to and block the hERG (human ether-a-go-go related gene) potassium channel heterologously expressed in HEK-293 mammalian cells. Inhibition of K(+) current for each AZA analogue was concentration-dependent (IC(50) value range: 0.64-0.84 μM). The mechanism of hERG channel inhibition by AZA1 was investigated further in Xenopus oocytes where it was shown to be an open-state-dependent blocker and, using mutant channels, to interact with F656 but not with Y652 within the S6 transmembrane domain that forms the channel's central pore. AZA1, AZA2, and AZA3 were each shown to inhibit [(3)H]dofetilide binding to the hERG channel and thallium ion flux through the channel (IC(50) value range: 2.1-6.6 μM). AZA1 did not block the K(+) current of the closely related EAG1 channel. Collectively, these data suggest that the AZAs physically block the K(+) conductance pathway of hERG1 channels by occluding the cytoplasmic mouth of the open pore. Although the concentrations necessary to block hERG channels are relatively high, AZA-induced blockage may prove to contribute to the toxicological properties of the AZAs.
Strategic competitive and firm analyses with computer graphics in a simulation environment

The author modified the Business Management Laboratory (BML) business game simulation to update a data base in dBASE III Plus and Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet formats. Computer graphics compressed the volume of data for analysis and displayed the primary decision-making data relationships. Student assignments included a competitive analysis (28 graphs) and a firm analysis (18 graphs). A graphics-data base interface imported Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet data directly into Harvard Graphics chart files. Each graph was displayed on a color monitor. Experience using color graphics interfaced with a business game simulation was discussed.
Effects of an Entertainment-education Radio Soap Opera on Family Planning Behavior in Tanzania

An entertainment-education radio soap opera introduced in Tanzania in 1993 was evaluated by means of a field experimental design in which the radio program was broadcast by seven mainland stations of Radio Tanzania. An eighth station broadcast alternative programming from 1993 to 1995, its listenership serving as a comparison area in which contemporaneous changes in family planning adoption were measured. The soap opera was subsequently broadcast nationwide from 1995 to 1997. Data about the effects of the radio soap opera were gathered in five annual surveys of about 2,750 households in the comparison and the treatment areas and from a sample of new family planning adopters in 79 health clinics. The soap opera had strong behavioral effects on family planning adoption; it increased listeners' self-efficacy regarding family planning adoption and influenced listeners to talk with their spouses and peers about contraception.
Intermittent Episodes of Sweating, Palpitations, and Hypertension

A 34-year-old woman presents with a chief complaint of what she calls “rushes,” intermittent episodes of sweating, headaches, and palpitations lasting for a few minutes and occurring sporadically every few days. These episodes can occur at any time of day and have sometimes awakened her from sleep. She notes that exercise may provoke her symptoms. She has no significant past medical history. Her physical exam is remarkable only for newly discovered hypertension, with a blood pressure of 165/100. Her biochemical workup reveals an elevated 24-h urine metanephrine (1,163 mcg/day; normal <400). A dedicated adrenal-protocol CT scan shows a 4-cm mass in the right adrenal gland with central cystic change.
Resurrecting the Red: Pete Seeger and the Purification of Difficult Reputations

Reputational change can occur both posthumously and within a person's lifetime. Championed by reputational entrepreneurs, reputations emergefrom competitivefields of interpretive possibilities. The purification of Pete Seeger's image, from vilified Communist to national hero, lets us study both reputational change and the relationship between art and politics. An objectivist model suggests that reputations simply reflect truth. An ideological model claims that Seeger's redemption is shaped by a biased media. Neither sufficiently explains the competitive nature of reputational politics. Our constructionist model takes into account both the role of reputational entrepreneurs and the structural constraints theyface. We chart Seeger's reputation through four historical periods: recognition among his peers on the Left (1940s), ruin in the McCarthy pe
On neurobiological, neuro-fuzzy, machine learning, and statistical pattern recognition techniques

In this paper, we propose two new neuro-fuzzy schemes, one for classification and one for clustering problems. The classification scheme is based on Simpson's fuzzy min-max method (1992, 1993) and relaxes some assumptions he makes. This enables our scheme to handle mutually nonexclusive classes. The neuro-fuzzy clustering scheme is a multiresolution algorithm that is modeled after the mechanics of human pattern recognition. We also present data from an exhaustive comparison of these techniques with neural, statistical, machine learning, and other traditional approaches to pattern recognition applications. The data sets used for comparisons include those from the machine learning repository at the University of California, Irvine. We find that our proposed schemes compare quite well with the existing techniques, and in addition offer the advantages of one-pass learning and online adaptation.
Propulsion and levitation forces in a single-sided linear induction motor for high-speed ground transportation

A realistic mathematical model of the single-sided linear induction motor (SLIM) is presented. Using this model, propulsion and levitation forces are computed for a SLIM with back iron. The validity of the analysis is verified by tests on a laboratory model. Some associated problems are outlined, and the feasibility of SLIM's for high-speed ground transportation (HSGT) is discussed. With regard to HSGT, SLIM is compared with the double-sided linear induction motor.
Discriminants of Casson-Gordon invariants

Casson–Gordon invariants were first used to prove that certain algebraically slice knots in S 3 are not slice knots [2, 3]. Since then they have been applied to a wide range of problems, including embedding problems and questions relating to boundary links [2, 10, 21, 25]. The most general Casson–Gordon invariant takes its value in L 0 (ℚ(ζ d )( t )) ⊗ ℚ; here ζ d denotes a primitive d th root of unity. Litherland [20] observed that one could usually tensor with ℤ (2) instead of ℚ, and in this way preserve the 2-torsion in the Witt group. He then constructed new examples of non-slice genus two knots which were detected with torsion classes in L 0 (ℚ(ζ d )) ⊗ ℤ (2) modulo the image of L 0 (ℚ(ζ d )) ⊗ ℤ (2) .
Effect of coronary stenosis on adjacent bed flow reserve: assessment of microvascular mechanisms using myocardial contrast echocardiography.

Background— During coronary stenosis, flow reserve in the adjacent nonstenotic bed decreases, but the microvascular mechanisms are unknown. Because myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) assesses microvascular physiology, we used it to relate flow reserve to intramyocardial blood volume in the adjacent bed. Methods and Results— A noncritical left anterior descending (LAD) stenosis was created in 10 dogs. MCE was performed and myocardial blood flow was measured with neutron-activated microspheres and flow probes. Data were collected at baseline, hyperemia, and hyperemia and stenosis. Hyperemia was induced with an A2A receptor agonist. MCE acoustic intensity in the LAD and left circumflex (LCx) regions were fit to the following: y=A(1-e−βt), where A, β, and A×β reflect intramyocardial blood volume, red cell velocity, and flow, respectively. During hyperemia alone, LCx probe and microsphere flows and MCE-derived red cell velocity increased from baseline (30±14 versus 125±62 mL/min, P<0.0005; 1.5±0.5 vers...
Jews and Cathari in Medieval France

The flourishing of Catharism in southern France was accompanied by marked prosperity among southern French Jews. While the Cathari were openly professing their heresy and winning converts in the courts of influential nobles, the position of the Jews was noticeably ameliorating. The Jews of Languedoc, for example, held land in franc alleu , collected tolls, and occasionally even worked as bailiffs. Indeed, their social and political status compared favorably with that of their co-religionists in any part of Europe.
Management of winter weeds affects Frankliniella fusca (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) dispersal.

ABSTRACT Frankliniella fusca (Hinds) naturally disperses from winter weeds to crops in spring, causing direct and indirect damage. Field preparation before planting includes use of herbicides or cultivation to kill unwanted vegetation, which adversely affects F. fusca host plants and potentially influences F. fusca dispersal. Common chickweed, Stellaria media (L.), infested with F. fusca, was used as a model to study effects of timing and type of vegetation management on adult dispersal. Infested weeds were caged and F. fusca weekly dispersal was monitored using sticky traps. Weed management treatments performed at an early (14 April–11 May) or late (2 wk after early treatment) date consisted of glyphosate, paraquat, disking, hoeing, or untreated control. Late glyphosate and hoeing treatments resulted in cumulative dispersal statistically similar to or greater than from control plots. Compared with the control, significantly more F. fusca dispersed from the glyphosate and hoeing plots during the 3 wk afte...
Tin oxide (SnOx) alcohol sensor from metal organic decomposed (MOD) thick film

Since the invention of the Taguchi tin oxide gas sensor [l], numerous papers [2-4] have been published regarding the compositions, fabrications, catalysts, additives, mechanisms and selectivity of semiconductortype solid-state gas sensors, which can be classified according to the methods of fabrication into the following types: sintered bulk type [l], thick-film type [5], and thin-film type [6,7]. Commercial products nowadays are mostly the sintered bulk and thick-film types. The ditliculties in making the sintered bulk-type sensors arise from the contradictory effects of treatments between achieving strong mechanical strength and retaining a sufficient surface area. Thick-film-type sensors have more or less the same problems, except that the availability of IC techniques helps in mass production. Thin-tilm techniques provide many possibilities for future generations of sensor development; however, at present thin&t sensors are not fully commercialized. The metallo-organic decomposition (MOD) method [8, 91 for the deposition of metal oxide thick tihn is easy to apply and inexpensive. In this paper investigations of a sensor fabricated by the MOD and thick-film methods are reported. Further application-related testing results were reported elsewhere [lo]. /
RF Concurrency Performance Study for Integrated WiFi Radio

We investigate issues associated with integrated radio design. Multiple constraints (e.g., due to interference or component sharing) may prohibit integrated radios from operating at the same time instance. We examine constraints defined by integrated radio RF concurrency capability, and study WiFi performance under different radio RF concurrency levels. We performed detailed simulation study for WiFi/WiMAX integrated radios. The insight obtained from our study can help evaluate the tradeoff between integrated radio design and performance of associated networks.
Global variable compact multipoint methods for accurate upscaling with full-tensor effects

New transmissibility upscaling procedures designed to accurately capture full-tensor effects are developed and applied. These techniques are based on variable compact multipoint (VCMP) flux approx- imations. VCMP is extended to irregular grids. Two approaches for including global flow information within the VCMP upscaling procedure are considered—one in which the upscaled model is determined directly and one in which iteration of the coarse-scale model is used to minimize the mismatch between coarse- scale fluxes and integrated fine-scale fluxes. To guar- antee monotonicity, the VCMP stencils are adapted to assure the coefficient matrix is an M-matrix when- ever nonmonotone solutions are encountered. The new VCMP procedures are applied to multiple realiza- tions of two-dimensional fine-scale permeability de- scriptions for coarse models defined on both Cartesian and irregular quadrilateral grids. Both log-normally distributed permeability fields with oriented layers and channelized models are considered. Six different up- scaling techniques (extended local, direct global, and iterated global, each using both two-point and VCMP flux approximations) are assessed for four different sets of global boundary conditions. The global VCMP tech- niques consistently display high degrees of accuracy for total flow rate, L2 flux error, and L2 pressure error. For the oriented-layer cases, where full-tensor effects are important, the global VCMP methods are shown to provide clearly better overall accuracy than analogous methods based on two-point flux approximations. For channelized cases in which full-tensor effects are not significant, both types of methods provide high levels of accuracy. The selective M-fix procedure is also shown to lead to improved accuracy, which can be significant in some cases. In total, for the systems considered here, the new global VCMP upscaling techniques are observed to provide the best overall accuracy of any of the upscaling methods investigated.
Taxation and the Growth of Nonwage Compensation

Until recently, there have been no attempts to measure the influence of the income tax system on fringe benefits. A model is specified that links the tax system to fringe benefits. In addition, other determinants of the demand for and supply of fringe benefits are discussed. Using a time-series cross-section of establishment data, the influence of income taxes and other determinants on employer contributions to "voluntary" nonwage compensation is estimated. Using Tobit analysis, we find that higher marginal tax rates increase employer contributions to pensions and to life, accident, and health insurance. We also link our results to losses in federal tax revenues due to fringe benefits.
A risk sensitivity-based approach to hardening power systems against catastrophic failures

This paper introduces a method based on risk sensitivity analysis to determine strategies to harden power systems against catastrophic failures. The proposed method utilizes sensitivity analysis of the risk index with respect to the control variables to identify vulnerabilities that can be corrected by strategic or tactical measures. For any initiating event, the sensitivity of the risk of load curtailments with respect to the power quality constraints such as voltage and reactive power is derived, and thereby preventive/correction actions are determined. In this paper, in addition to the insertion of compensation equipments, rescheduling of generation is considered to increase the reactive power reserve. In order to evaluate the sensitivity of the risk index with respect to the power quality constraints, voltage and reactive power constraints are incorporated with a non-linear programming optimization problem with an objective of minimum load curtailments. The model is applied on a modified version of the IEEE Reliability Test System (IEEEMRTS). Results are reported, discussed, and thoroughly analyzed. Keywords—Catastrophic failures, preventive/correction actions, sensitivity, state space reduction, directed PSO.
Analysis of ten criteria of student performance.

Student performance is traditionally reported in terms of a grade-point average, with grade generally derived from some type of achievement testing plus other considerations such as class participation, outside reading of reports. Recently Locke ( 1963) identified two distinct performance dimensions, Structured Achievement and Unstrucnired Achievement, which were differentiated on the basis of the part the individual himself played in initiating and completing activities. As additional criterior~ dimensions of students' performance are needed, data from a larger study described in detail elsewhere (Prien & Culler, 1963) were reexamined. Ss (N = 48 males) were interviewed at the end of their freshman year in college to obtain a description of their activities during the past year. Ten studenr performance or activizy dimensions were identified and scaled for analysis. These were: (1) high school graduating class rank, percentile rank based on all academic work; (2) numbzr of advanced placement courses, the number of college-level courses taken in high school; (3) high-school size, a control variable or situational variable; (4 1 the quality of college selected (the colleges being attended by the participants in the assessment program were ranked by researchers as to the level of cornpctition which would be experienced); (5) the freshman grade-point average; and (6) the correlation berween the parent's appraisal and the self appraisal on psychological dimensions. Each S and his parents independently completed a (A-scale rating booklet describing intellectual, social and personality characteristics of the son. The ratings were intercorrelated in such a way that each correlation reflected the degree of agreement berween the parents and their son. This correlation was converted ro a Z score for analysis. Also incl~~ded were (7 ) extra-curricular activities ( total), the total number of formal and informal extra-cxricular activities. This does not include the normal social activities engaged in by most college students. Three components were added: (8) extra-curricular activities (physical), number of activities which are primarily physical in nature; (9) extra-curricular activities (social), those which are primarily characrerized by social contact and social interaction; and ( 10) extra-curricular activities (constructive), number of activities which are constructive in nature, or which contribute to the welfare, well-being, or happiness, and/or satisfaction of other individuals, e.g., entertainment activities,
Daughter Zion Speaks in Auschwitz: A Post-Holocaust Reading of Lamentations:

Ancient texts present the reader with an insurmountable challenge—namely, distance. Concerning the book of Lamentations, which was a response to the destruction of the Temple in 586 bce, readers ar...
Influence of Local Applications of Turpentine on Mammary Gland Growth and Involution.

SummaryThe application of spirits of turpentine for 7 days to the nipples and adjoining skin of lactating mice weaned on the 4th day after parturition was shown to retard the rate of involution of the mammary lobule-alveolar systems. Similar applications of turpentine to castrate and normal females failed to stimulate the growth of alveoli. Pseudo-pregnancy was not stimulated in the normal female. It is suggested that the retardation in the involution process is due to the great subcutaneous hyperemia produced by the turpentine applications.
Survey Satisficing Inflates Reliability and Validity Measures: An Experimental Comparison of College and Amazon Mechanical Turk Samples.

This study examined the predictors and psychometric outcomes of survey satisficing, wherein respondents provide quick, “good enough” answers (satisficing) rather than carefully considered answers (...