cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 15764: Aortic Valve Intervention for Severe Aortic Stenosis Improves Outcomes Following Non-cardiac Surgery

Background: Non-cardiac surgery (NCS) in patients with severe aortic stenosis has traditionally been associated with high perioperative mortality. Aortic valve replacement is recommended prior to elective NCS, but the impact of this strategy has not been systematically assessed. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of all patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing major NCS at Mayo Clinic between 2000 and 2013. Patients undergoing aortic valve intervention (AVI) prior to NCS were compared to those undergoing surgery without prior AVI (control). Patients undergoing emergency surgery were excluded. Primary endpoint was occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE; combination of death, stroke, myocardial infarction, new/worsening heart failure, ventricular arrhythmia) within 30 days of NCS; secondary endpoints were mortality at 30 days and 1 year after NCS. Results: 180 patients (age 74.5 ± 10.5 years, 64% male) who underwent NCS within 12 months after AVI, were compared to 232 patients (age 76.6 ± 10.7 years, 56% male) in the control group. Patients undergoing AVI were more often symptomatic than controls (41% vs 26%, p = 0.002). MACE was significantly higher in the control group (21.6% vs 5.6%, p Conclusions: Pre-operative AVI for severe aortic stenosis results in reduced heart failure and improved 1 year survival. However, other MACE and 30 day mortality appears unchanged. Pre-operative AVI should be considered in symptomatic patients, where the benefit of AVI is demonstrated to be greatest.
A guide to taking a sexual history.

Abstract Anxiety about discussing sexual issues often leads to an avoidance of the topic. This article encourages and assists clinicians in the task of taking a thorough sexual history. The barriers to accomplishing this task are explored, and a conceptual framework for inquiring about the components of sexual life is provided.
Regulation of relaxin secretion and its role in pregnancy.

Relaxin plays a critical role in suppressing uterine motility during pregnancy and in remodeling connective tissue in preparation for imminent parturition. Its biological actions in softening the cervix and symphysis pubis in the guinea pig were first described by Hisaw (1926). Numerous biological studies were conducted with partially purified preparations of relaxin which led to a consensus of its importance in reproductive processes. Following the purification and characterization of porcine relaxin by Sherwood and O’Byrne (1974), there has been intensive research on the chemistry of relaxin and its physiology. Although relaxin is produced primarily during pregnancy in several mammalian species, it also is found in the male reproductive tract and can maintain sperm motility but little is known of its physiological significance (Loumaye et al., 1980; Essig et al., 1982). Recent reviews on relaxin include those by Bryant-Greenwood (1982; 1985), Porter (1984) and Kemp and Niall (1984). This review will briefly describe the current status of the species sources of relaxin, cellular localization of the hormone, and the biological actions of relaxin particularly during pregnancy. Major emphasis will be placed on the regulation of relaxin secretion during pregnancy in the rat and farm animals.
EFFECTS OF DEHYDRATION THROUGH THE INTERMEDIATE MOISTURE RANGE ON WATER ACTIVITY, MICROBIAL GROWTH, AND TEXTURE OF SELECTED FOODS

Various food systems were inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and vacuum-dried to different moisture contents in the intermediate moisture range. Water activity (aw) values were determined instrumentally with a hygrometer indicator equipped with appropriate hygrosensors. Sorption isotherms and bacterial growth curves at the various water activities were plotted and correlated with food texture, Growth of P. aeruginosa was inhibited at aw test values below 0.98, 0.98, and 0.96 in custard, pea, and beef products, respectively, and growth of S. aureus did not occur below aw test values of 0.94 and 0.96 in custard and ham products, respectively. These results generally agree with earlier work done on model systems. With none of the foods studied could microbiologically stable intermediate moisture products of acceptable texture be produced by drying alone.
Silk-based materials for technology at the micro-and nanoscale

Biomaterials offer opportunities for devices that operate at the interface of the biological and technological worlds. Devices such as silk-based photonic crystals, lasers, wireless antennas and resorbable electronics will be described as examples of the possibilities that this water-processed, biocompatible material offers.
A Magnificent Faith: Art and Identity in Lutheran Germany: Bridget Heal. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. 305 pp. Hardcover. US$105. ISBN 978-0-198737-57-5.

In A Magnificent Faith, Bridget Heal explores the changing use of art in post-reformation Lutheran Germany (mostly Saxony and Brandenburg). She chronicles the creation, placement, or disappearance ...
Implications of Overload Distribution Behavior on Load Rating Practices in Steel Stringer Bridges

With the ever-increasing demands for transporting goods and services, transportation officials are facing a growing challenge with the safety of in-service bridges under the passage of oversized and overweight vehicles. Current load rating practices provide the basis for evaluating the operational safety of in-service structures by using engineering judgments and simplifying assumptions. However, a true measure of the system performance under the impact of irregular loading scenarios requires knowledge of different aspects of the system-level characteristics, including the lateral load distribution behavior. In this study, nonlinear finite element analysis has been implemented to evaluate the evolution of load-distributing mechanisms in two representative in-service structures subjected to overloads in the state of Michigan. In addition, rating factors were defined for the selected structures on the basis of the load and resistance factor rating methodology. Results from this study demonstrated that curre...
Human Ecology Theory

Human ecology theory is unique in its focus on humans as both biological organisms and social beings in interaction with their environment.1 In this theory the family is considered to be an energy transformation system that is interdependent with its natural physical-biological, human-built, and social-cultural milieu. Emphasis is given to the creation, use, and management of resources for creative adaptation, human development, and sustainability of environments.
THE RETZIUS CELL OF THE LEECH HIRUDO MEDICINALIS

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the Retzius cell of the leech hirudo medicinalis. The central nervous system of the leech consists of a chain of very similar ganglia along a ventral nerve cord. There is one ganglion per body segment has been observed, with several ganglia being fused together in the anterior and posterior ends of the animal. Two lateral roots run to the body wall from both sides of each ganglion. The ganglia are divided into six compartments or packets. The Retzius cells are the two largest cells on the ventral surface of the anterior packet. The Retzius cells in each ganglion are electrically coupled such that firing of one cell induces activity in the other. The major Retzius cell processes go to the body wall. They appear to control the secretion of mucus from the skin of the leech. Thereafter, electrophysiological responses of the Retzius cells to exogenous 5-HT and dopamine are inhibitory, while acetylcholine is excitatory to the Retzius cells. However, known inhibitory neurons of the leech muscle do not contain 5-HT.
De Novo Molecular Design using a Graph-Based Genetic Algorithm Approach

Abstract The area of computer-aided molecular design has greatly influenced the rate and cost at which novel chemicals with desired attributes have XDbeen identified. As such, great effort has been invested in new methodologies which allow for the solution of larger and more complex problems of this nature. The application of genetic algorithms (GAs) is one such technique which has shown promise in the solution of large combinatorial, and highly non-linear molecular design problems. In addition, it has been shown that many molecular properties or attributes are often best characterized by a combination of descriptors with varying dimensionality. The inverse solution to property models of this nature, which entails identifying candidate molecular structures with the desired properties as defined by the given model, is often highly non-linear in nature. In addition, the use of molecular fragments, as often practiced in the de novo design of novel structures, can lead to a combinatorially large search space which becomes intractable for exhaustive solution techniques. The application of GAs provides a powerful method for the solution of these types of molecular design problems in which there are often multiple objective constraints with high computational complexity and a large search space. This approach utilizes a fragment based descriptor known as the signature descriptor, which is represented as a molecular graph, as building blocks to generate candidate solutions. The graph-based genetic operators necessary for such an approach will be outlined as well as exemplified through a case study which will highlight the advantages of this algorithm.
Challenges of Drive-By IoT Sensing for Smart Cities: City Scanner Case Study

Fixed sensor stations are the primary means to collect environmental data in cities. Yet, their high cost of deployment and maintenance often result in an accurate but geographically-sparse monitoring. We advocate for a drive-by approach to urban sensing in which vehicles are used as sensors to scan the city with a high spatiotemporal resolution. We present City Scanner, a highly-customizable, self-sufficient platform that allows for cost-efficient drive-by sensing. City Scanner modules can be deployed on existing vehicles (e.g. busses and taxis) without interfering with their operations. We describe our first prototype that includes sensing modules for air quality, temperature, humidity, and thermal imaging. We discuss the challenges we encountered during an 8-months deployment of the platform on trash trucks in order to derive implications for the design of future drive-by sensing systems.
Roles of mucus adhesion and cohesion in cough clearance

Clearance of intrapulmonary mucus by the high-velocity airflow generated by cough is the major rescue clearance mechanism in subjects with mucoobstructive diseases and failed cilial-dependent mucus clearance, e.g., subjects with cystic fibrosis (CF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Previous studies have investigated the mechanical forces generated at airway surfaces by cough but have not considered the effects of mucus biophysical properties on cough efficacy. Theoretically, mucus can be cleared by cough from the lung by an adhesive failure, i.e., breaking mucus-cell surface adhesive bonds and/or by cohesive failure, i.e., directly fracturing mucus. Utilizing peel-testing technologies, mucus-epithelial surface adhesive and mucus cohesive strengths were measured. Because both mucus concentration and pH have been reported to alter mucus biophysical properties in disease, the effects of mucus concentration and pH on adhesion and cohesion were compared. Both adhesive and cohesive strengths depended on mucus concentration, but neither on physiologically relevant changes in pH nor bicarbonate concentration. Mucus from bronchial epithelial cultures and patient sputum samples exhibited similar adhesive and cohesive properties. Notably, the magnitudes of both adhesive and cohesive strength exhibited similar velocity and concentration dependencies, suggesting that viscous dissipation of energy within mucus during cough determines the efficiency of cough clearance of diseased, hyperconcentrated, mucus. Calculations of airflow-induced shear forces on airway mucus related to mucus concentration predicted substantially reduced cough clearance in small versus large airways. Studies designed to improve cough clearance in subjects with mucoobstructive diseases identified reductions of mucus concentration and viscous dissipation as key therapeutic strategies.
A Hospital-Based Falls Prevention Program in the Community: Opportunities for Frail Older Adults to Participate in Ongoing Physical Activity

A hospital-based falls prevention program offered in the community enabled older adults to sustain participation in physical activity beyond completion of the six-week program. The participants sustained gains with the support of an interdisciplinary comprehensive falls risk assessment, individualized goal setting, group exercise and education, home visits by health professionals when needed and partnership with community agencies for follow-up exercises. Participants (n = 162) demonstrated improvement at three months in comparison with their baseline Berg Balance Scale and Falls Efficacy Scale - International confidence scores and a 55% reduction in the average number of falls. Participants' self-report validated these findings.
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”: Want, Need, and Donald Trump

The strangest appropriation of the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” came in 2016, when Donald Trump adopted it as his campaign anthem. Before offering some suggestions about Tru...
Current trends and advancements in spine surgery

In this focused issue of Annals of Translational Medicine , world-renowned leaders, academics, and physicians contribute their expertise and knowledge regarding the latest cutting-edge developments in the field of spine surgery.
A Lazy User Perspective to Patient Adoption and Use of Personal Health Records

Personal health records (PHRs) are seen as the bedrock of patient engagement. They have the potential to improve health outcomes for individual healthcare consumers, providers, and the broader healthcare system. With Meaningful Use Stage 2 now mandating the implementation of tethered PHRs (as patient portals), will healthcare consumers actually use PHRs and realize the contributions to patient safety, quality care, efficiencies, and reduced health disparities through engagement? Or will PHR actual use remain low? In this interpretive qualitative study, using grounded theory, we asked healthcare consumers users they currently manage their personal health information (PHI) and why. Evidence from our study iterates to the lazy user theory, we found that letting physicians manage healthcare consumers PHI is the least effort-based solution and thus the predominant and preferred solution by healthcare consumers. Providers as guardians of patient PHI suggest that the low use rates may yet persist. The implicit equating of personal health information as provider-generated health information by both healthcare consumers and the designers of PHR tools they use blurs the value proposition for consumers.
‘She Who Has Ears to Hear, Let Her Hear’: The Legacy of Emma J. Justes

ABSTRACTThe life and scholarship of Dr Emma J. Justes left a lasting legacy in the field of practical theology. Her work embraced issues of personal care and social justice. As a scholar, she advoc...
A thin film efficient pn-junction thermoelectric device fabricated by self-align shadow mask

Large area highly crystalline MoS2 and WS2 thin films were successfully grown on different substrates using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering technique. Structural, morphological and thermoelectric transport properties of MoS2, and WS2 thin films have been investigated systematically to fabricate high-efficient thermal energy harvesting devices. X-ray diffraction data revealed that crystallites of MoS2 and WS2 films are highly oriented in 002 plane with uniform grain size distribution confirmed through atomic force microscopy study. Surface roughness increases with substrate temperature and it plays a big role in electron and phonon scattering. Interestingly, MoS2 films also display low thermal conductivity at room temperature and strongly favors achievement of higher thermoelectric figure of merit value of up to 1.98. Raman spectroscopy data shows two distinct MoS2 vibrational modes at 380 cm−1 for E12g and 410 cm−1 for A1g. Thermoelectric transport studies further demonstrated that MoS2 films show p-type thermoelectric characteristics, while WS2 is an n-type material. We demonstrated high efficient pn-junction thermoelectric generator device for waste heat recovery and cooling applications.
Urban Issues in Rapidly Growing Cities: Planning for Development in Addis Ababa

This book critically assesses the complex urban issues, planning challenges and development opportunities of rapidly growing cities, using Addis Ababa as a case study. Just like other developing cities, Addis Ababa is undergoing numerous natural and policy-driven changes. This book analyses the effect of these changes on urban management to allow better understanding of the conceptual frameworks that define the everyday functions of rapidly growing cities. It demonstrates that rapid urban growth has simultaneously created opportunities for economic development in the developing world as well as social, environmental and cultural challenges causing a mismatch between demand and the supply of services. The author argues that, by combining indigenous knowledge and practices and contemporary planning principles, developing countries can overcome challenges concerning environmental and public health, transport congestion, rising rents and house prices and lack of open space. Foregrounding the experience of everyday citizens of the city, this book aids our understanding of the nature of rapidly growing cities and outlines what needs to be done so that the city meets the needs of the people. A unique contribution to the literature on cities of the developing world, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Urban Studies, Planning, Development Studies and African Studies.
Research progress of Kawasaki disease and arthritis in children

Kawasaki disease(KD) or incomplete KD(IKD) is a systemic vasculitis predominantly affecting young children.Clinical manifestations include fever with no obvious origin, skin damage, abnormalities of mucous membrane and lymph nodes.The disease is often accompanied by serious cardiovascular complications such as coronary artery aneurysm, therefore it attracts more and more attention.But arthritis or arthralgia complicates over one-third of KD or IKD patients.So early-onset arthritis is often indistinguishable from early juvenile idiopathic arthritis, especially systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis(SoJIA). KD and SoJIA are considered to be different diagnoses for children with long-term fever, rash, swollen lymph nodes, and more importantly, the treatment procedures are very different, but it is difficult to completely distinguish the two diseases, especially the IKD and early SoJIA.So in this paper, we will summarize the relationship between KD and arthritis in children, which aims to remind clinicians to pay attention for the diagnosis of KD and IKD.We suggest that physicians should be alert of the fact that they must individualize every patient′s management, rather than merely care by the guidelines, which will delay the treatment. Key words: Kawasaki disease; Arthritis; Systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis; Children
Designing a Journal Club for Nutrition and Dietetics Undergraduate Students

This paper examines the development of a voluntary nutrition journal club to introduce undergraduate students to key concepts regarding critical reading of research articles in the nutrition profes...
22 K superconductivity in Ba Fe 2 As 2 exposed to F 2

Several previous reports on undoped $AE\mathrm{}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ ($AE=$ alkaline earth metal) point to drops in resistivity indicative of possible superconductivity and some degree of Meissner effect in the magnetic susceptibility. Also, based on both resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements, controlled exposure to water vapor has been shown to induce superconductivity in $AE{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$. In our study, $\mathrm{Ba}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ single crystals grown using the self-flux method showed a full resistive drop around 22 K and magnetic shielding, when exposed to fluorine gas postgrowth. Our measurements indicate electron (donor) doping via atomic substitution of F for As is concurrent with the observed superconductivity, which sheds light on the likely effect of exposure to water vapor in previous work. Like doping experiments (such as substitution of Co for Fe, P for As, or K for Ba) in $AE{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ to date, the present work is consistent with suppression of the spin density wave transition coincident with the appearance of ${T}_{c}$. In addition to answering the puzzle of superconductivity in undoped or water vapor exposed $AE{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$, our results also represent a fast (20 min exposure to 5% F in He) and reliable method suitable for inducing superconductivity in thin films of $AE{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$. Some supportive work on $\mathrm{Ba}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ exposed to ${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$ is also presented.
The Clinical Use of Antipsychotic Plasma Levels: Stahl's Handbooks

Clinicians recognize that monitoring psychotropic levels provides invaluable information to optimize therapy and track treatment adherence, but they lack formal training specifically focused on the use of plasma antipsychotic levels for these purposes. As new technologies emerge to rapidly provide these results, the opportunity to integrate this information into clinical care will grow. This practical handbook clarifies confusing concepts in the literature on use of antipsychotic levels, providing clear explanations for the logic underlying clinically relevant concepts such as the therapeutic threshold and the point of futility, and how these apply to individual antipsychotics. It offers accessible information on the expected correlation between dosages and trough levels, and also provides a clear explanation of how to use antipsychotic levels for monitoring oral antipsychotic adherence, and methods to help clinicians differentiate between poor adherence and variations in drug metabolism. An essential resource for psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and mental health professionals worldwide.
It doesn't take longer to keep good health records on dairies

For those attempting to understand risks for disease and how to make genetic improvement in the health of dairy cattle, on-farm health records are generally perceived to be of poor quality and limited utility. However, a survey of WA and ID dairies found that 83% of 237 respondents were satisfied with the quality and usefulness of their health records, which were used primarily for making individual cow culling and treatment decisions. Additionally, treatment records are viewed as an important tool to avoid drug residues in meat and milk. In a study of 50 herds, only 56%, 30%, and 30% of the dairies entered treatments given when recording mastitis, metritis, and lameness events, respectively. Taken together; these facts indicate that 'Good Health Records' must address three important functions: individual cow health management decision making, drug residue avoidance and regulatory compliance, and herd health management decision making. Current user-defined dairy health records often lack the necessary accuracy and consistency required of 'Good Health Records'. Until common dairy management software define health data entry in a similar manner as that for reproduction data entry, dairies will need to implement standard health data entry protocols to achieve 'Good Health Records'. Many dairy producers are concerned that implementation of standard health data entry protocols will take too much time. The objective of this study was to determine the change in time required to capture and enter health data following implementation of standard health data entry protocols and determine the amount of feedback required to achieve protocol compliance.
Development and Validation of a Brief Version of the Research Engagement Survey Tool.

The Research Engagement Survey Tool (REST) examines the level of partner engagement in research studies. This study used mixed methods, including web-based surveys (N = 336), a modified Delphi process (N = 18), and cognitive response interviews (N = 16), with convenience sampling to develop and validate a short version of the REST. We conducted factor analysis and calculated internal consistency for the condensed REST. We validated the condensed REST against the comprehensive REST. All analyses were carried out on two scales (quality and quantity) based on Likert-type response options. We examined convergent validity with other measures theoretically associated with the REST (e.g., the Community Engagement Research Index and the Partnership Self-Assessment Tool). This study produced a 9-item condensed version of the REST. The condensed REST loads on 1 factor, has high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.92 for the quantity scale; 0.94 for the quality scale), is significantly correlated (ρ = 0.97; p < 0.001 for both scales) with the comprehensive (32-item) REST, and has negligible, low, and moderate correlation with other measures (e.g., the Partnership Assessment In community-based Research, trust in medical researchers, and the Coalition Self-Assessment Survey). Use of the condensed REST will reduce participant burden and time to complete. This standardized and validated quantitative measure is useful to compare engagement across projects or within a project over time.
Computed Tomographic Findings and Mortality in Patients With Pneumomediastinum From Blunt Trauma.

RESULTS During the study period, 3327 patients with blunt trauma underwent chest CT. Of these, 72 patients (2.2%) had PNM. Patients with PNM had higher Injury Severity Scores (P < .001) and chest Abbreviated Injury Scale scores (P < .001) compared with those without PNM. Pneumomediastinum was associated with higher mortality (9 [12.5%] vs 118 [3.6%] patients; P < .001) and longer mean (SD) hospital stays (11.3 [14.6] vs 5.1 [8.8] days; P < .001), intensive care unit stays (5.4 [10.2] vs 1.8 [5.7] days; P < .001), and ventilator days (1.7 [4.2] vs 0.6 [4.0] days; P < .03). We evaluated several chest CT findings that may have predictive value. Pneumomediastinum size was not associated with in-hospital mortality (P = .22). However, location of air in the posterior mediastinum was associated with increased mortality of 25% (7 of 28 patients; P = .007). Air in all mediastinal compartments was also associated with increased mortality of 40.0% (4 of 10 patients; P = .01). Presence of hemothorax along with PNM was associated with mortality of 22.2% (8 of 36 patients; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Pneumomediastinum is uncommon in patients with injury from blunt trauma; however, CT findings of posterior PNM, air in all mediastinal compartments, and concurrent hemothorax are associated with increased mortality. These CT findings could be used as a triage tool to alert the trauma surgeon to a potentially lethal injury.
Amino Acids, Related Compounds, and Peptides

Many investigations have been made of the infrared spectra of amino acids (Hathway and Flett, 1949; Lenormant, 1946; Wright, 1937, 1939; Sutherland, 1950; Koegel et al., 1955; Brockmann and Musso, 1956; Ehrhart and Hennig, 1956; Freymann and Freymann, 1938; Randall et al., 1949; Fuson et al., 1952; Thompson et al., 1950; Klotz and Gruen, 1948; Clarke et al., 1949; Kuratani, 1949; Larsson, 1950; Ellenbogen, 1956; and Leifer and Lippincott, 1957). Almost twenty years ago Sutherland (1952) reviewed the subject of infrared analysis of the structure of amino acids, polypeptides, and proteins. Gore (1954), Jones and Sandorfy (1956), Bellamy (1958), and Rao (1963) have more recently reviewed work on amino acids and related substances. Bentley et al. (1968) have discussed the spectra of amino acids, and many types of compounds related to them, in the region between 700 and 300 cm−1. Most of the above-mentioned studies were conducted on amino acids in the solid state. Gore et al. (1949) recorded the absorption spectra and state of ionization of several acids and amino acids as a function of pH and examined hydrogen-deuterium exchange in deuterium oxide solution. Blout and Lenormant showed that infrared spectrophotometry can be used in aqueous solutions to study the structure and ionic state of amino acids, peptides, and proteins (Lenormant, 1952a,b; Lenormant and Chouteau, 1952; Lenormant and Blout, 1953; Blout and Lenormant, 1953; Doty et al., 1957). Lenormant (1952b) discussed the methodology of the combined use of H2O and D2O as solvents.
High-rate lithium–sulfur batteries enabled by hierarchical porous carbons synthesized via ice templation

Abstract We report the performance of a series of hierarchical porous carbons (HPCs) with extremely high surface areas of up to 2340 m 2 g −1 with total pore volume of up to 3.8 cm 3 g −1 as supports for sulfur for Li–S batteries. The hierarchical structure of the carbon originating from interconnected large mesopores (10–50 nm), small mesopores (2–10 nm) and micropores ( −1 and 503 mA h g −1 , respectively, were obtained after 200 cycles. In addition, we also systematically show that the cyclic stability is independent of the size of the pores sulfur is initially confined in, when LiNO 3 is used as the electrolyte additive, indicating that capacity fade due to polysulfide shuttle is effectively eliminated and that it is not related to pore size anymore.
HIGH-FREQUENCY TUNING PROPERTIES OF BULLFROG LAGENAR VESTIBULAR AFFERENT FIBERS

A common property of vertebrate acoustic sensors, including otoconial acoustic sensors in lower vertebrates, is steep slopes on the high- and low-frequency band edges of the amplitude tuning curves. Bullfrog otoconial acoustic fibers are responsive to sound and exquisitely responsive to substrate vibrations in the frequency range from 20 Hz to 300 Hz. The sum of the absolute values of the two band-edge slopes of the amplitude tuning curve of such a fiber typically ranges from 100 dB/decade to 160 dB/decade (sometimes as high as 220 dB/decade), implying typical dynamic order of at least five to eight. We wondered if such steep slopes and the high dynamic order implied by them reflect special adaptations in acoustic sensors or if they are inherent in all lower-vertebrate otoconial sensors excited in this frequency range. To address this question, we examined the amplitude tuning characteristics of afferent nerve fibers from a bullfrog otoconial vestibular sensor in the same frequency range. In this paper, we report observations of tuning for bullfrog lagenar vestibular fibers in the frequency range from 10 Hz to approximately 500 Hz. To make these observations, we stimulated the frog with random dorsoventral motion that exhibited Gaussian amplitude distribution and that was flat in velocity from 10 Hz to 1.0 kHz. For each afferent fiber studied, we used discrete cross-correlation (between stimulus waveform and axon spike train) and discrete Fourier transformation to compute an amplitude tuning curve. In contrast with the amplitude tuning curve. In contrast with the amplitude tuning curves from saccular and lagenar acoustic fibers, those from the lagenar vestibular fibers typically had band-edge slopes whose absolute values summed to approximately 20 dB/decade, implying typical dynamic order of one. We conclude that steep band-edge slopes and high dynamic order are indeed special features of acoustic sensors, not shared by vestibular sensors.
Hashing in E‐Commerce

This chapter contains sections titled: The Varied Applications of Cryptography Authentication The Need for Certificates Cryptographic Hash Functions X.509 Certificates and CCIT Standardization The Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Trust on the Web … Trust No One Over 40! MD5 Criticism of MD5 The Wang‐Yu Collision Attack Steven's Improvement to the Wang‐Yu Collision Attack The Chosen‐Prefix Attack on MD5 The Rogue CA Attack Scenario The Secure Hash Algorithms Criticism of SHA‐1 SHA‐2 What Now? Appendix 18: Sketch of the Steven's Chosen Prefix Attack
Design of nanometer scale CMOS circuits

Summary form only given. The tremendous growth of the semiconductor industry is fueled by scaling of technology following Moore's law. However, as we enter the nanometer regime, leakage current is becoming one of the main concerns for designers. The circuit designers have to work hand in hand with device designers to deliver high-performance yet low-power and noise-tolerant systems. This talk considers different leakage mechanisms in nanometer scale devices and propose device architecture and circuit/CAD solutions for leakage-tolerant logic and memories for scaled technologies.
A Comparison of Experimental Designs for Assessment and Research in Higher Education

Assessment continues to rise in importance along with the scholarship of teaching and learning. Educators must, therefore, choose among a range of experimental designs to make these quantitative measurements of student learning. We compared three different study designs for a an assessment of embedding sustainability across the campus: comparing results to a pre-determined goal, pre-semester vs. post-semester without control group, and pre-semester vs. post-semester with control group. Patterns in student success varied among the study designs, with pre-post with control being the most reliable results, but comparing student knowledge and appreciation of sustainability to the pre-set goals was also valuable. We recommend that educators employ both the pre-post with control along with comparing learning to a goal whenever possible when conducting assessment or education research.
Evolution. Speciation in the round.

'Ring species' occur when one species grades into two at the overlap of a circular population distribution. Good examples are rare, but one case has now passed some rigorous tests.
Fraud in Emerging Markets: A Cross Country Analysis

The purpose of our research is to determine the likelihood of financial statement manipulations in companies throughout a variety of emerging market countries and compare this potential to that of firms within the United States. We do this by utilizing the Fraud Score Model as set forth by Dechow, et al. (2007). By adjusting their model to work in an international setting, we are able to study nine industries across twenty-three countries, including the United States. The results vary industry to industry, with some countries performing extremely well in one industry only to prove remarkably risky in the next. Our findings may be used by a variety of market participants, especially investors, to determine the risk levels of potential foreign investments. Therefore, this research can help lead to a more overall efficient placement of global capital.
Education and Identity in Rural France: The Politics of Schooling.

Education and Identity in Rural France: The Politics of Schooling. Deborah Reed-Danahay. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. 240 pp.
INHIBITORY EFFECT OF HEPARIN ON HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS

Nahmias, Andre J. (Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass.), and Sidney Kibrick. Inhibitory effect of heparin on herpes simplex virus. J. Bacteriol. 87:1060-1066. 1964.-A substance inhibitory to herpes simplex virus was observed during experiments with leukocyte cultures. The component in the cultures responsible for this inhibition was identified as heparin. The minimal inhibitory concentration required to inhibit 30 to 300 tcd(50) of the virus in human amnion tissue culture was found to be 1 to 2 units per ml (10 to 20 mug/ml). This effect was confirmed with other strains of herpes simplex virus, other tissue-culture systems, and other media. The inhibitory activity of the heparin was found to be related to the sulfate groupings on the molecule. The effect of heparin appears to be on the virus, rather than on the cell. The virus is not inactivated, however, and the heparin-virus "complex" is readily dissociable on dilution. Heparin was shown to affect viral infection in its earliest phase, probably at the primary electrostatic attachment of virus to cell. The import of these and related observations on common virological laboratory procedures and the possible biological significance of our findings are discussed.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Functional

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) is an analytical method for measuring brain activity while it occurs. FMRI was first demonstrated in 1992, but it has since become the most popular neuroimaging method. Its temporal resolution is of the order of seconds and hence superior to positron emission tomography (PET). Its spatial resolution is on the order of millimeters which makes it superior to both PET and electrophysiological methods such as electroencephalography (EEG). Furthermore, FMRI is noninvasive in the sense that no external contrast agent has to be used. FMRI contrast is based on the intrinisic blood oxygenation changes that occur at the site of brain activity in response to a specific task. The exact mechanism that links activity and signal change is currently not well understood and is an area of active research. FMRI is subject to many experimental difficulties, however. A vexing problem is that of physiological (heartbeat and breathing) and gross motion. Gross motion is often coupled to the presentation of the stimulus and hence especially prone to producing artefactual activation. The analysis of the experimental data is not a standard procedure at present. While past research has generally used paradigmatic methods of analysis (hypothesis testing), nonparadigmatic (data driven) methods like fuzzy clustering analysis (FCA) or independent component analysis (ICA) have become important tools. A more complete understanding of the physiological mechanisms leading to the activation signal, and a better grasp of the proper statistical treatment of the data, are likely to increase the power of FMRI even further.
Supplementary feeding programs for young children in developing countries

The purpose of this commissioned review was to identify lessons of past feeding programs for young children in developing countries that could be applied to future programs. The report focuses on children between about 6 months and 6 years and excludes consideration of breast milk substitutes and school feeding programs. About 200 reports from a variety of sources were reviewed. An introductory section defines the purpose and scope of the review and describes the data base. A chapter on analysis of programs considers the effectiveness of the delivery systems and the impact of food selection. Theoretical and practical considerations in measuring program benefits are discussed and attempts to measure anthropometric response to food distribution impact on mortality and morbidity and other effects are assessed. Potential side effects including impact on infant feeding practices impact on use of local foods and educational impact of the program; targeting and coverage; and program costs are discussed. Other topics considered include supplementary feeding and food aid options for future program direction research needs and areas of potential improvement of existing programs. A brief summary of major observations and conclusions terminates the report.
Transverse profile of the electron beam for the RHIC electron lenses

Abstract The transverse profile of the electron beam plays a very important role in assuring the success of the electron lens beam–beam compensation, as well as its application in space charge compensation. To compensate for the beam–beam effect in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, we recently installed and commissioned two electron lenses. In this paper, we describe, via theory and simulations using the code Parmela, the evolution of the density of the electron beam with space charge within an electron lens from the gun to the main solenoid. Our theoretical analysis shows that the change in the beam transverse density is dominated by the effects of the space charge induced longitudinal velocity reduction, not by those of transverse Coulomb collisions. We detail the transverse profile of RHIC electron-lens beam, measured via the YAG screen and pinhole detector, and also describe its profile that we assessed from the signal of the electron-backscatter detector (eBSD) via scanning the electron beam with respect to the RHIC beam. We verified, in simulations and experiments, that the distribution of the transverse electron beam is Gaussian throughout its propagation in the RHIC electron lens.
Effects of Inert Dust Clouds on the Extinction of Strained, Laminar Flames at Normal and Micro Gravity

A combined experimental and detailed numerical study was conducted on the interaction between chemically inert solid particles and strained, atmospheric methane/air and propane/air laminar flames, both premixed and non-premixed. Experimentally, the opposed jet configuration was used with the addition of a particle seeder capable of operating in conditions of varying gravity. The particle seeding system was calibrated under both normal and micro gravity and a noticeable gravitational effect was observed. Flame extinction experiments were conducted at normal gravity by seeding inert particles at various number densities and sizes into the reacting gas phase. Experimental data were taken for 20 and 37 (mu) nickel alloy and 25 and 60 (mu) aluminum oxide particles. The experiments were simulated by solving along the stagnation streamline the conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy, and species conservation for both phases, with detailed descriptions of chemical kinetics, molecular transport, and thermal radiation. The experimental data were compared with numerical simulations, and insight was provided into the effects on extinction of the fuel type, equivalence ratio, flame configuration, strain rate. particle type. particle size. particle mass, delivery rate. the orientation of particle injection with respect to the flame and gravity. It was found that for the same injected solid mass, larger particles can result in more effective flame cooling compared to smaller particles, despite the fact that equivalent masses of the larger particles have smaller total surface area to volume ratio. This counter-intuitive finding resulted from the fact that the heat exchange between the two phases is controlled by the synergistic effect of the total contact area and the temperature difference between the two phases. Results also demonstrate that meaningful scaling of interactions between the two phases may not be possible due to the complexity of the couplings between the dynamic and thermal parameters of the problem.
My battle against gonorrhea.

I remember standing in a ragged line of seven young men, pants stripped to my ankles. This was the crux of the clinical trial, the procedure that had seemed so trivial a few weeks earlier when I ha...
Latino Acculturation and Perceived Educational Achievement: Evidence for a Bidimensional Model of Acculturation among Mexican-American Children

Considerable attention has been paid to the educational fate of Latino children and youths due to mounting evidence that their educational progress has been stagnant. This study investigates the effect of acculturation on perceived educational achievement among Mexican-American children, employing bidimensional acculturation theory to help explain acculturation patterns as related to both ethnic and mainstream identities. Using a sample of 294 Mexican-American children, five acculturation patterns were identified using cluster analysis. We found that the separated group of children had significantly higher educational achievement than the highly assimilated group. The study asserts that the segregated acculturation pattern can be protective for educational achievement of Mexican-American children within ethnically segregated environmental contexts.
A comparison of RT-PCR and Northern blot analysis in quantifying metallothionein mRNA levels in killifish exposed to waterborne cadmium

Abstract Reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) was evaluated as an alternative to Northern blot analysis in quantifying levels of metallothionein (MT) mRNA. Killifish were exposed to water-borne cadmium (Cd) at concentrations ranging from 0 ppb to 46 ppb and their levels of hepatic MT mRNA were quantitated by both Northern blot analysis and RT-PCR. Both methods provided comparable results in that low constitutive levels of MT mRNA were observed in fish exposed to clean water, dose-responsiveness was seen in fish exposed to increasing concentrations of Cd, and sensitivities of both techniques were similar in detecting induced levels of MT mRNA in Cd exposed fish. These results suggest that RT-PCR may provide a sensitive and quantitative method to evaluate gene expression in fish from small, non-invasively sampled tissues.
The Intermediate Polar EI UMa: A Prepolar Cataclysmic Variable

We present optical and X-ray time series photometry of EI UMa that reveal modulation at 746 and 770 s, which we interpret as the white dwarf spin and spin-orbit sidebands. These detections, combined with previous X-ray studies, establish EI UMa as an intermediate polar. We estimate the mass accretion rate to be ~3.6 × 1017 g s−1, which is close to, and likely greater than, the critical rate above which dwarf nova instabilities are suppressed. We also estimate the white dwarf to have a large magnetic moment μ > (3.4 ± 0.2) × 1033 G cm3. The high mass accretion rate and magnetic moment imply the existence of an accretion ring rather than a disk, and along with the relatively long orbital period, these suggest that EI UMa is a rare example of a prepolar cataclysmic variable.
Community Responsibility for Preventing Sexual Violence: A Pilot Study with Campus Greeks and Intercollegiate Athletes

SUMMARY Previous research has noted higher incidences of sexual violence on campus among members of campus Greeks and athletes and the need to do prevention programs with them. This article presents the results of an exploratory pilot study of a sexual violence prevention program with members of one fraternity, sorority, men's and women's intercollegiate athletic team. The program, experimentally evaluated and found to be effective with a general sample of undergraduates, was used to determine its efficacy specifically with Greeks and athletes. The model on which the program is based calls for prevention efforts that take a wider community approach rather than simply targeting individuals as potential perpetrators or victims. Results from repeated-measures analysis of variance indicate that the program worked overall. Future directions are discussed.