cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of fathers on the feeding practices and behaviors of children: A systematic review

Abstract Introduction This systematic review will identify and summarize current research concerning the influence of fathers on the feeding behaviors of their children. Outcomes specific to child health, development of eating habits, relationships between paternal weight and child weight, and paternal dietary habits and child dietary habits were specifically targeted. Methods A systematic review was conducted based on protocols outlined by PRISMA. A database search produced 851 relevant articles to be screened based on pre-determined inclusion criteria. Twenty-three studies met inclusion criteria for full review including two papers based on a single randomized control trial, 3 longitudinal studies, and 18 cross-sectional studies. Results The most consistent findings across studies include the following. Father's BMI was positively correlated with child's BMI, father's dietary intake was predictive of child's dietary intake, food availability in the home influenced child intake, father's food parenting style predicted their children's eating behaviors and congruent parenting by mothers and fathers produced the best child food choices. Conclusions A growing body of research indicates that fathers play a key role in influencing child eating behaviors. Further research, including randomized control trials, will help strengthen current conclusions and better inform education and interventions designed for fathers.
An inelastic homogenization framework for layered materials with planes of weakness

Abstract Many geologic materials have a composite structure, in which macroscopic mechanical behavior is determined by the properties, shape, and heterogeneous distribution of individual constituents. In particular, sedimentary rocks commonly exhibit a layered microstructure, with distinct bedding planes that can also form planes of weakness. In this work, we present a homogenization framework for modeling inelastic layered media. The proposed constitutive model allows for distinct micro-constitutive laws for each layer, explicit representation of layer distributions, as well as incorporation of imperfect bonding at the interface between adjacent layers. No a priori assumptions are needed regarding the specific constitutive models used for the layers and interfaces, providing significant modeling flexibility. The overall framework provides a simple and physically-motivated way of defining anisotropic material behavior as an emergent property of the layered microstructure. The model is calibrated using triaxial and true-triaxial experimental data to demonstrate its ability to describe anisotropic deformation and multiple modes of failure.
Improved measurement of racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 mortality in the United States

Different estimation methods produce diverging accounts of racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 mortality in the United States. The Center for Disease Control's decision to present the racial/ethnic distribution of COVID-19 deaths at the state level alongside the weighted racial/ethnic distribution of the counties within each state reporting those death -- in effect, a geographic adjustment -- makes it seem that Whites have the highest death rates. Age adjustment procedures used by others, including the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, lead to the opposite conclusion that Blacks and Hispanics are dying from COVID-19 at higher rates than Whites. In this paper, we use indirect standardization methods to adjust per capita death rates for both age and geography simultaneously, avoiding the one-sided adjustment procedures currently in use. Using CDC data, we find age-and-place-adjusted COVID-19 death rates are 80% higher for Blacks and over 50% higher for Hispanics, relative to Whites, on a national level. State-specific estimates show wide variation in mortality disparities. Comparison with nonepidemic mortality reveals potential roles for preexisting health disparities and differential rates of infection and care.
Re-Engineering Academic Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology to Operate in a Pandemic World and Beyond - A Joint AGOS/CUCOG Statement.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted operations in academic Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology throughout the U.S. and will continue to impact them for the foreseeable future. It has also created an environment conducive to innovation and the accelerated implementation of new ideas. These departments will need to adapt their operations to accomodate COVID-19 and to continue to meet their tripartite mission of clinical excellence, medical education, and women's health research. This "Call to Action" paper from leaders of AGOS and CUCOG provides a framework to help leaders of Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology re-imagine and re-engineer their operations in light of the current COVID-19 crisis and future pandemics.
Enhancement of protein flocculant properties through carboxyl group methylation and the relationship with protein structural changes

Some proteins will function as flocculants to clear water of suspended particles. Prior work has shown that covalent methylation of a protein’s carboxyl groups can enhance that protein’s flocculant...
Articulating Transgender Subjectivity: How Discursive Formations Perpetuate Regimes of Power

In this article, we bring new insights and add to existing conversations both about the discursive contestations around transgender subjects and about the theory of articulation. We argue that transgender subjectivity has become a part of a larger hegemonic struggle to define the purpose and modalities of contemporary politics and has become a key moment in political power struggles between hegemonic projects. We provide a detailed and closely analyzed example of how articulation allows us to parse apart the linkages through which signifiers are given meanings. We display how different political actors articulate the same signifier within diverging discourses, showing how gender identities are caught up within relations of power that seek to exclude and marginalize.
The Efficacy of Liposomal Bupivacaine On Postoperative Pain Following Abdominal Wall Reconstruction: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Objective To study the efficacy of liposomal bupivacaine on postoperative opioid requirement and pain following abdominal wall reconstruction. Summary background data Despite the widespread use of liposomal bupivacaine in transversus abdominis plane block, there is inadequate evidence demonstrating its efficacy in open abdominal wall reconstruction. We hypothesized that liposomal bupivacaine plane block would result in decreased opioid requirements compared to placebo in the first 72 hours after surgery. Methods This was a single-center double-blind, placebo-controlled prospective study conducted between July 2018 and November 2019. Adult patients (at least 18 years of age) undergoing open, elective, ventral hernia repairs with mesh placed in the retromuscular position were enrolled. Patients were randomized to surgeon-performed transversus abdominis plane block with liposomal bupivacaine, simple bupivacaine, or normal saline (placebo). The main outcome was opioid requirements in the first 72 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes included total inpatient opioid use, pain scores determined using a 100 mm visual analog scale, length of hospital stay, and patient-reported quality of life. Results Of the 164 patients that were included in the analysis, 57 patients received liposomal bupivacaine, 55 patients received simple bupivacaine and 52 received placebo. There were no differences in the total opioid used in the first 72 hours after surgery as measured by morphine milligram equivalents when liposomal bupivacaine was compared to simple bupivacaine and placebo (325 ± 225 vs. 350 ± 284 vs. 310 ± 272, respectively, p = 0.725). Similarly, there were no differences in total inpatient opioid use, pain scores, length of stay, and patient-reported quality of life. Conclusions There are no apparent clinical benefits to using liposomal bupivacaine transversus abdominis plane block when compared to simple bupivacaine and placebo for open abdominal wall reconstruction.
Housing demand, inequality, and spatial sorting

Housing expenditure shares decline with income. A household’s skill level determines its income, and therefore its housing expenditure share, its sensitivity to housing costs and its preferences over different locations. The result is spatial sorting driven by differences in cost-of-living between skill groups. Increases in the aggregate skill premium amplify these differences and intensify sorting. To quantify this mechanism, we augment a standard quantitative spatial model with flexible nonhomothetic preferences, disciplining the strength of the housing demand channel using consumption microdata. We find that the rising skill premium caused 23% of the increase in spatial sorting by skill since 1980.
Cancer Hallmarks Define a Continuum of Plastic Cell States between Small Cell Lung Cancer Archetypes

Abstract Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) tumors are heterogeneous mixtures of transcriptional subtypes. Understanding subtype dynamics could be key to explaining the aggressive properties that make SCLC a recalcitrant cancer. Applying archetype analysis and evolutionary theory to bulk and single-cell transcriptomics, we show that SCLC cells reside within a cell-state continuum rather than in discrete subtype clusters. Gene expression signatures and ontologies indicate each vertex of the continuum corresponds to a functional phenotype optimized for a cancer hallmark task: three neuroendocrine archetypes specialize in proliferation/survival, inflammation and immune evasion, and two non-neuroendocrine archetypes in angiogenesis and metabolic dysregulation. Single cells can trade-off between these defined tasks to increase fitness and survival. SCLC cells can easily transition from specialists that optimize a single task to generalists that fall within the continuum, suggesting that phenotypic plasticity may be a mechanism by which SCLC cells become recalcitrant to treatment and adaptable to diverse microenvironments. We show that plasticity is uncoupled from the phenotype of single cells using a novel RNA-velocity-based metric, suggesting both specialist and generalist cells have the capability of becoming destabilized and transitioning to other phenotypes. We use network simulations to identify transcription factors such as MYC that promote plasticity and resistance to treatment. Our analysis pipeline is suitable to elucidate the role of phenotypic plasticity in any cancer type, and positions SCLC as a prime candidate for treatments that target plasticity.
Board Games As Relationship Building Tools

The modern board game scene has exploded in popularity in recent years. Many games are released every year and have a wide range of size and rules complexity. I have found that having a small supply of these modern games has been an invaluable relationship building tool. As an IT consultant for a mid-sized department I have a open policy to play games over lunch with anyone who requests a game. I keep a curated supply of games that take 15-45 minutes in my office. These games have led to many sessions playing and chatting with the professors and grad students in my department. As a new employee these sessions helped me establish peoples names and responsibilities, but they also have allowed me to form friendships and a welcome decompression time in the middle of the day. My talk will be focused on the above with more specifics of how I make it work in practice.
Neural mechanisms of sexual decision-making in women with alcohol use disorder

The co-occurrence of alcohol consumption and sexual activity is associated with increased risk for sexual assault, sexually transmitted disease, and unplanned pregnancy among young adult women with alcohol use disorder (AUD). There is considerable previous work demonstrating neural reactivity to alcohol cues in AUD. Because alcohol consumption and sexual behavior are both rewarding and tend to co-occur, sexual cues may produce similar neural reactivity in women with AUD, possibly indicating a shared mechanism underlying reactivity to both types of cues. Alternatively, reactivity to alcohol versus sexual cues may be distinct, suggesting domain-specific mechanisms. We investigated whether the decision vulnerabilities in AUD women regarding sexual activity were related to differences in brain activation compared to control women. Women with (n = 15) and without (n = 16) AUD completed a hypothetical decision-making task during fMRI that presented low- or high-risk scenarios involving visual sexual, appetitive, and neutral cues. Results showed that sexual cues were more often endorsed by women with AUD compared to controls and elicited differential brain activation patterns in frontal, visual, and reward regions. During high-risk decisions, women with AUD failed to downregulate activation, causing hyperactivation compared to controls. Visual sexual cues produced reactivity like that previously demonstrated for alcohol cues, suggesting a shared or domain-general mechanism for alcohol and sexual cue reactivity in women with AUD. Riskier sexual decisions in women with AUD may be a consequence of repeatedly pairing alcohol use and sexual activity, a characteristic behavior of this population.
Bilingual, Digital, Audio-visual Training Modules Improve Technical Knowledge of Feedlot Workers

As best management practices evolve and technologies are updated across the beef industry, a rapid method of implementing the updates in knowledge would facilitate more rapid and complete industry-wide compliance.
Group Interventions in Schools

Erasing Failure with School-Based Prevention Programs.- Skill-Building Efficacy Retraining.- Motivation: Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic.- Group Process and Change.- Selecting Effective Interventions.- A One-Week Group-Centered Motivational Intervention Program.- Designing Group-Centered Motivational Interventions.- Creating Cohesive Group Interventions.- Implementing and Evaluating Your Program: The Long-Term Goal.
Parallel WR Algorithms

Exploiting parallel computation for circuit simulation is extremely important because the size of the circuits to which circuit simulation has been applied has grown at rate that far exceeds the increase in computational power due to technological improvement. The only way to keep pace with the increasing demand is to be able to apply many processors to the problem, and the number of processors that can be used must scale up with the size of the problem.
Who Makes Weapons Procurement Decisions

Despite the absence of scientific support for a tripartite alliance in defense policymaking, political scientists and the general public continue to subscribe to a sub government explanation. This article addresses the sub government dilemma as it applies to the area of weapons procurement. More precisely, it asks whether the sub government model accurately describes and adequately explains the decisions to develop and build major weapons systems. In answering this question, the critical assumptions or propositions that comprise the model are tested, relying upon published research and original data drawn from 19 cases of military hardware decisions. The findings do lend some qualified support for a military subgovernment.
Random Walk Inference and Learning in A Large Scale Knowledge Base

We consider the problem of performing learning and inference in a large scale knowledge base containing imperfect knowledge with incomplete coverage. We show that a soft inference procedure based on a combination of constrained, weighted, random walks through the knowledge base graph can be used to reliably infer new beliefs for the knowledge base. More specifically, we show that the system can learn to infer different target relations by tuning the weights associated with random walks that follow different paths through the graph, using a version of the Path Ranking Algorithm (Lao and Cohen, 2010b). We apply this approach to a knowledge base of approximately 500,000 beliefs extracted imperfectly from the web by NELL, a never-ending language learner (Carlson et al., 2010). This new system improves significantly over NELL's earlier Horn-clause learning and inference method: it obtains nearly double the precision at rank 100, and the new learning method is also applicable to many more inference tasks.
Children: As Defendants

In response to an increase in juvenile violent crime in the late 1980s, most jurisdictions in the United States adopted a more punitive stance toward juvenile offenders. As a result, juveniles faced increasing sanctions in juvenile court and were transferred to adult criminal court in greater numbers, where they faced serious penalties. Unfortunately, policymakers of that era often failed to consider that certain characteristics of juveniles (e.g., psychosocial/developmental immaturity) may affect their adjudicative competence and culpability. In addition, minors who are likely to become involved in the juvenile justice system have additional characteristics (e.g., higher rates of mental illness and substance abuse, lower IQs) that might further compromise or affect these domains. Over the past decade, legislators and judicial officers, informed by recent research in adolescent development, began to question the appropriateness of increasingly punitive policies aimed at juvenile offenders. Recent research has helped provide evidence that juveniles with particular characteristics, such as young age and low IQ, may be at increased risk of having their legal rights violated at numerous points in the adjudicative process, thereby undermining the fundamental fairness of the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems. Other research has shown that adolescents' psychosocial immaturity significantly affects their criminal decision-making. Neuroimaging has proved a powerful tool in helping elucidate a potential neuroanatomical basis for poor decision-making in adolescents. Because adolescents are likely somewhat less culpable than adults for similar criminal acts and because most individuals limit their antisocial behavior to adolescence, the wisdom of indiscriminately giving minors (or even young adults) long prison sentences is questionable. Keywords: criminal responsibility; competence; waiver; juvenile justice; developmental immaturity
Genetic optimization of fractal dipole antenna arrays for compact size and improved impedance performance over scan angle

The driving-point impedance of an array element is a function of the self-impedance of the element, the mutual impedances from other array elements, and the array excitation currents. As the beam is steered in a phased array, the driving-point impedances of the array elements vary with scan angle. This presents a challenging problem in the design of practical phased array systems, especially when considering compact array configurations. The paper introduces a novel approach to the design optimization of compact phased arrays. The new technique introduces fractal dipoles as array elements and uses a genetic algorithm to optimize the shape of each individual fractal element (for self-impedance control) as well as the spacing between these elements (for mutual impedance control) in order to obtain compact array configurations with improved driving-point impedance versus scan angle performance.
Geological significance of Rb-Sr isotopic data of northern Chile crystalline rocks of the Andean orogen between latitudes 23° and 27° South

Total rock and mineral ages of Chilean diorite to rhyodacite igneous rocks are middle(?) to late Paleozoic near the Argentine frontier, Permian-Triassic along the Pacific coast (as well as some 125 km inland), and Jurassic to Holocene from the Pacific coast to the Argentine border. To the east, in northwestern Argentina, plutonic igneous rocks fall within two age groups, latest Precambrian to Paleozoic and Early Cretaceous. Copper mineralization in the Imilac region is radiometrically dated as late Paleozoic. This is the first evidence of metalliferous deposits of this age in northern Chile. Analyses of ten samples of quartz-plagioclase porphyry from the middle Tertiary El Salvador mine give an average Sr 87 /Sr 86 initial ratio of 0.7033 ± 0.0004 (2σ) which suggests that these copper porphyries did not originate from sialic crustal source rocks. El Salvador porphyries have uniform strontium isotopic composition and marked fractionation trends with respect to rubidium and strontium concentrations. The initial Sr 87 /Sr 86 ratios of igneous rocks with Rb/Sr ratios less than one and of pre–late Cenozoic age range between 0.703 and 0.706. The late Cenozoic volcanic rocks have Sr 87 /Sr 86 ratios of 0.7058 to 0.7069.
Photosynthesis and water relations of the mistletoe, Phoradendron villosum, and its host, the California valley oak, Quercus lobata.

Water vapor and CO2 exchange characteristics were studied in Phoradendron villosum, a hemiparasitic mistletoe and its host, Quercus lobata. The hemiparasite had stomatal conductances equal to or higher than the host but a much lower capacity to fix carbon. Respiration was high in the mistletoe relative to maximum photosynthesis because of the high leaf specific weight (weight per unit area) in this species. The temperature optima for photosynthesis were similar in both species although photosynthesis in Phoradendron declined more steeply below 20 degrees C. Consequences of the high conductance and low rate of photosynthesis in the mistletoe include a low water-use efficiency and a relatively high internal concentration of CO2.
Time Variation of Tropical Energetics as Viewed from a Geostationary Altitude

Latent heat convective transport from lower to tropical upper troposphere, noting periodic energy fluctuations from time lapse synchronous satellite cloud photographs
A neural network to predict symptomatic lung injury.

A nonlinear neural network that simultaneously uses pre-radiotherapy (RT) biological and physical data was developed to predict symptomatic lung injury. The input data were pre-RT pulmonary function, three-dimensional treatment plan doses and demographics. The output was a single value between 0 (asymptomatic) and 1 (symptomatic) to predict the likelihood that a particular patient would become symptomatic. The network was trained on data from 97 patients for 400 iterations with the goal to minimize the mean-squared error. Statistical analysis was performed on the resulting network to determine the model's accuracy. Results from the neural network were compared with those given by traditional linear discriminate analysis and the dose-volume histogram reduction (DVHR) scheme of Kutcher. Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed on the resulting network which had Az = 0.833?0.04. (Az is the area under the ROC curve.) Linear discriminate multivariate analysis yielded an Az = 0.813?0.06. The DVHR method had Az = 0.521?0.08. The network was also used to rank the significance of the input variables. Future studies will be conducted to improve network accuracy and to include functional imaging data.
On the Exponential Growth of Norms in Semigroups of Linear Endomorphisms and the Hausdorff Dimension of Attractors of Projective Iterated Function Systems

Given a free finitely generated semigroup $$S$$ of the (normed) set of linear maps of a real or complex vector space $$V$$ into itself, we provide sufficient conditions for the exponential growth of the number $$N(k)$$ of elements of $$S$$ contained in the sphere of radius $$k$$ as $$k\rightarrow \infty $$ and we relate the growth rate $$\lim _{k\rightarrow \infty }\log N(k)/\log k$$ to the exponent of a zeta function naturally defined on $$S$$ . When $$V=\mathbb {R}^2$$ (resp., $$\mathbb {C}^2$$ ) and $$S$$ is a semigroup of volume-preserving maps, we also relate this growth rate to the Hausdorff dimension of the attractor of the induced semigroup of automorphisms of $$\mathbb {R}P^1$$ (resp., $$\mathbb {C}P^1$$ ).
Cell biology: the hippo hypothesis.

The perfection of a fly's eye and the chaotic nature of tumours provide eloquent examples of the need to coordinate cell death and proliferation. The intricacies of the underlying mechanism are now being uncovered.
Cyclogenesis in a Saturated Environment

The dynamics of baroclinic wave growth in a saturated environment is examined using linear and nonlinear models employing a parameterization of latent heat release that assumes all rising air is saturated, and saturation equivalent potential temperature is conserved on ascent. Piecewise potential vorticity (PV) diagnostics are used to interpret the results. When the stability to vertical displacements in saturated air is allowed to increase with height, as it must in an atmosphere with a constant, positive lapse rate of potential temperature, the growth rates of the most unstable modes of the Eady problem grow only marginally faster than the modes of the dry problem. The vertical variation of moist static stability produces a gradient of moist potential vorticity in the rising air, eliminating the short-wave cutoff present in the dry Eady problem. The destabilization of the short waves is shown to be associated with the interaction between surface potential temperature anomalies and diabatically generated lower-tropospheric potential vorticity anomalies. Nonlinear primitive equation simulations, starting from normal-mode initial conditions, show that while the dry wave grows at nearly the linear growth rate until maximum amplitude is reached, the moist wave grows significantly faster than the linear growth rate at finite amplitude. This enhanced growth is associated with the rapid amplification of a mesoscale PV anomaly generated by latent heat release at the warm front. The rapid amplification of the surface cyclone results from the superposition of the circulation associated with this misoscale PV anomaly upon the circulation associated with the surface and upper boundary potential temperature anomalies. Additional integrations with finite-amplitude initial conditions more typical of atmospheric conditions exhibit similar behavior. It is suggested that many of the rapid cyclogenesis events that occur as upper-troposheric PV anomalies cross the east coasts of continents may arise from the rapid generation of PV anomalies by condensational heating in the moist maritime lower troposphere.
Cloning a cDNA encoding an alternatively spliced protein of BRCA2-associated factor 35.

Inheritance of mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA2, predisposes humans to breast and ovarian cancers. Inherited mutations in the BRCA2 gene are also known to cause susceptibility to prostate cancer. BRCA2 protein exists in a large multi-protein complex from which a novel structural DNA binding protein BRCA2-associated factor 35 (BRAF35) has been isolated. We have cloned a novel cDNA encoding an alternatively spliced protein of BRAF35, designated as BRAF25. BRAF25 transcript is present in various human cells. We have precisely mapped the BRAF25 cDNA sequence to the genomic chromosome 19 sequence. Analysis of the predicted sequence of BRAF25 identified a protein of 215 amino acids. BRAF25 contains a truncated high mobility group domain, a kinesin-like coiled-coil domain and multiple Src homology 2 (SH2) motifs. Western blot analysis using antibodies specific for BRAF25 revealed the presence of BRAF25 in human prostate cancer cells.
EFFECTS OF ANORECTIC DRUGS ON FOOD INTAKE UNDER PROGRESSIVE-RATIO AND FREE-ACCESS CONDITIONS IN RATS

The effects of two anorectic drugs, dexfenfluramine and phentermine, on food intake under different food-access conditions were examined. Experiment 1 compared the effects of these drugs on food intake under a progressive-ratio (PR) schedule and free-access conditions. Dexfenfluramine decreased food intake under both conditions, but the doses required to decrease intake under free-access conditions were higher than those required to reduce intake under the PR condition. Intermediate doses of phentermine sometimes increased breaking points, and higher doses decreased them. Phentermine decreased food intake at the same doses under both access conditions. Thus the potency of dexfenfluramine, but not phentermine, to decrease food-maintained behavior depended upon the food-access condition. Experiment 2 used a novel mixed progressive-ratio schedule of food delivery to study the duration of drug effects. Sessions consisted of five components separated by 3-hr timeouts. The ratio requirement reset at the beginning of each component and a new breaking point was obtained. Both dexfenfluramine and phentermine dose-dependently decreased breaking points early in the session. In some rats, compensatory increases in breaking point were observed. That is, breaking points later in the session increased over control levels, resulting in no change in the total number of food pellets earned for the session compared to control. The present findings suggest that the effects of some anorectic drugs depend upon the access conditions for food; increasing the effort to obtain food may enhance their ability to decrease food-maintained behavior.
Does a corresponding set of variables for explaining voluntary organizational turnover transfer to explaining voluntary occupational turnover

Abstract This study proposed and tested corresponding sets of variables for explaining voluntary organizational versus occupational turnover for a sample of medical technologists. This study is believed to be the first test of the Rhodes and Doering (1983) occupational change model using occupational turnover data. Results showed that corresponding job (occupational) satisfaction and intent to leave organization (occupation) variables were each significant for explaining subsequent organization (occupation) turnover. Job insecurity was found to be a significant correlate for organizational turnover while work exhaustion was found to be a significant correlate for occupational turnover. Study limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
State Regulation: What Have We Learned So Far?

�� Of all the different health insurance venues in the United States, small group and individual markets consistently engender the most complaints. Compared to large group purchasers, small groups and individuals suffer more from administrative diseconomies of scale, difficulties in spreading risk among themselves, and the absence of bargaining power with insurers and providers alike. These conditions lead to higher and more volatile premiums for the same or less generous benefits than large group purchasers usually obtain. Volatility and the apparently inexorable upward trend of health premium costs have led to considerable interest in reform of these markets, of which the recent national debate over comprehensive reform, in retrospect, was but a brief interlude in a history of federalism that spans half of the twentieth century (Nichols and Blumberg 1998). Because of its relative size and organized interests, most of the attention of health insurance market reformers and critics has been focused on the small group market, rather than on individual markets. Over fortyfive states have passed small group reform laws since 1989, though only twenty-five states had implemented individual market reforms prior to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. This federal law compelled all states to either pass certain conforming acts or to suffer direct federal regulation of their insurance markets for the first time. Recently, empirical and case studies of the effects of small group reforms have begun to appear (Jensen and Morrisey 1996; Sloan and Conover 1998; Marsteller et al. 1998; Hall 1998). This article, along with the other essays in this issue, attempts to redress this relative imbalance by focusing exclusively on the individual market.
Repair of carotid artery perforations during transsphenoidal surgery.

Abstract BACKGROUND Hemorrhage from carotid artery injury during transsphenoidal surgery is an unusual, but potentially fatal complication. METHODS Among six patients experiencing laceration or perforation of the carotid artery, we treated four with a new technique using Teflon® mesh and methyl methacrylate to form an external, artificial wall over the laceration and the carotid artery. RESULTS In all four cases, hemorrhage was successfully controlled without neurologic deficit to the patient or complications frequently associated with the standard technique of nasal and sphenoid sinus packing removal. CONCLUSIONS Our new technique may be superior to packing alone, as well as potentially life-saving to the patient.
Workability and Mechanical Performance of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Self-Compacting Concrete with Fly Ash

Steel fibers change the properties of hardened concrete significantly. However, addition of fibers to fresh concrete results in a loss of workability. Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is an innovative concrete that is able to flow under its own weight, completely filling formwork and achieving full compaction without vibration. We have studied composites of SCC with steel fibers for further property enhancement. Water/cement ratio and cement, fly ash and superplasticizer contents were kept constant at 0.40, 400, 120 and 6 kg/m 3 , respectively. The fiber amounts were 15, 30, 45 and 60 kg/m 3 . Slump flow, J-ring and V-funnel tests were conducted for evaluating the fluidity, filling ability and segregation risk of the fresh concretes. There were no problems with mixing or workability while the fiber distribution was uniform. Steel fibers can significantly enhance toughness of SCC and inhibit the initiation and growth of cracks. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011
Theoretical Examination of Mg2+-Mediated Hydrolysis of a Phosphodiester Linkage as Proposed for the Hammerhead Ribozyme

The hammerhead ribozyme is an RNA molecule capable of self-cleavage at a unique site within its sequence. Hydrolysis of this phosphodiester linkage has been proposed to occur via an in-line attack geometry for nucleophilic displacement by the 2‘-hydroxyl on the adjoining phosphorus to generate a 2‘,3‘-cyclic phosphate ester with elimination of the 5‘-hydroxyl group, requiring a divalent metal ion under physiological conditions. The proposed SN2(P) reaction mechanism was investigated using density functional theory calculations incorporating the hybrid functional B3LYP to study this metal ion-dependent reaction with a tetraaquo magnesium (II)-bound hydroxide ion. For the Mg2+-catalyzed reaction, the gas-phase geometry optimized calculations predict two transition states with a kinetically insignificant, yet clearly defined, pentacoordinate intermediate. The first transition state located for the reaction is characterized by internal nucleophilic attack coupled to proton transfer. The second transition stat...
Design of a fuzzy logic controller for a jet engine fuel system

Abstract The design, implementation and evaluation of two types of fuzzy logic controllers (FLC) are presented. The system under consideration is the control of fuel delivery in a jet engine test bench. Two methods of designing FLCs were experimented with. The first method included the development of a tool that inputs the rules, membership functions, and outputs the appropriate consequences. The second method was based on bivariante curve development and scaling. The evaluations of the proposed controllers were performed with an existing proportional–integral (PI) controller. Both of the design methodologies were proven to be superior in comparison with the conventional controller currently utilized for the control of combustion pressure on jet engines.
Pore-Forming Molecules in Gram-Negative Anaerobic Bacteria

Little information is available about porin molecules in anaerobes. Porins from Bacteroides fragilis and Porphyromonas, Fusobacterium, and Campylobacter species have been described. A pore-forming outer membrane (OM) porin protein was isolated from B. fragilis (Omp-200); it is exposed at the cell surface and dissociated by boiling and application of reducing agents. Fusobacterium nucleatum FomA, an OM porin protein of 40 kD, had a deduced topology of FomA similar to that of established porins, despite the lack of sequence similarity. An OM preparation from Porphyromonas endodontalis (including a major protein with an apparent molecular mass of 31 kD and other proteins of 40.3-71.6 kD) formed pores in a liposome assay. A major outer membrane protein (MOMP) from Campylobacter jejuni (a microaerophile) is related to the family of trimeric bacterial porins, although little homology was seen with other porins. The development of antimicrobial resistance related to decreased permeability underlines the importance of identifying and characterizing the pore-forming molecules of anaerobes.
Sortir de la banlieue: (re)articulations of national and gender identities in Zaïda Ghorab-Volta's Jeunesse Dorée

This article explores the constructions of urban space, national identity and gender mediated by an important genre of contemporary French cinema, the film de banlieue. Over the last 20 years, films by both French and French-Maghrebi filmmakers determined to show the reality of life on the outskirts of France's major cities have paradoxically helped reinforce notions of the grands ensembles as places outside the mainstream of culture and identity. In her movie Jeunesse Doree (2002), filmmaker Zaida Ghorab-Volta uses the simple narrative of a road trip made by two young working-class women around France photographing these ensembles to subvert various forms of discursive emplacement that have resulted from the convergence between inhuman built environments and filmic representations of those environments that exploit ethnic difference and glamorize masculine violence. Although the film recognizes the incarcerative nature of these modernist neighbourhoods for women, it does not mediate a simplistic rejectio...
Hieronymus of Cardia

THE personal influence of a historian is never more persistent than when he apparently allows the "facts" to speak for themselves, particularly when he is a man of integrity who believes in the exclusive validity of his own interpretation. Hieronymus of Cardia evidently belongs to this select group.1 His character, influence, and ability have been appreciated only gradually as the result of modern investigation. But this is a triumph when we consider that the original work has been lost. The reappearance of this major figure in Greek historiography has perhaps inevitably been accompanied by some distortion. The purpose of this paper is to suggest certain limitations in Hieronymus and in his environment that should be weighed before we accept in toto his judgment on the period following Alexander's death. Ancient testimony about Hieronymus may be summarized rapidly.2 There seems no doubt that he was a Greek from Cardia.3 He was the friend and perhaps the relative of Alexander's chief secretary (3xLy cqw t1n;), Eumenes,4 whom he joined at least as early as the campaign against Ariarathes in 322 B.C.5 In the battle preceding Eumenes' betrayal and death Hieronymus was wounded and became the captive of Antigonus the One-Eyed.6 Previously Hieronymus had been employed by Eumenes on delicate diplomatic missions,7 and once before he had been summoned and personally rewarded by Antigonus, who hoped in this way to influence Eumenes.8 After the execution of Eumenes, Hieronymus entered the service of Antigonus,9 under whom he held the temporary post of governor of the Asphalt Lake (i.e. the Dead
The Little Hulton Project: A Pilot Child Clinical Psychology Service for Pre-School Children and their Families

A community-based early intervention psychology service for pre-school children with emotional and behavioural problems is described. The intervention included parent training groups, a weekly open clinic, and multi-agency training, liaison and consultancy. The aims were to provide successful intervention to families, to maximise liaison with community staff and to provide a seamless service to and from the main hospital department. Evidence indicated improvements in parental coping and children's behavioural difficulties using standardised measures and gains were maintained at 6- and 12-month follow-up. This article outlines a framework for service delivery in a small community with high socio-economic deprivation.
Professional Development in an Uncertain Profession: Finding a Place for Academic and Career Advisors

Professional development for academic and career advisors has not attracted much attention in the advising literature and is more often embedded in discussions of the assessment of advising or prof...
An Experimental Examination of Mood Effects on Retrieval and Evaluation of Advertisement and Brand Information

To ascertain the effect of mood on information retrieval and evaluation of advertisements and brands, subjects were induced into one of three moods (positive, neutral, or negative) via a modified Velten procedure 72 hours after they were exposed to five fictitious advertisements. While delayed positive and negative mood states had opposite effects on memory-based recall of information, with subjects in the positive mood condition recalling significantly more information than those in the negative one, they had no significant effect on ad or brand evaluation. Recall data are consistent with previous reports in the literature and evaluation data can be explained according to the information processing goals of subjects as described by Keller (1991) or Srull (1990). Thus, it appears that inducing people into positive moods as much as 72 hours after they have seen an ad for a product can have a significant impact on their memory for ad copy.
Age-related patterns of body composition and salivary testosterone among Ariaal men of Northern Kenya

Background and aims: Loss of muscle mass and gain of adipose tissue are hallmarks of aging among men in western populations. However, the extent to which these changes reflect inherent senescence is unclear. To determine age-related patterns of body composition and testosterone (T) among men in a subsistence population we sampled 104 nomadic and 102 settled men, ages 20+ years, among the Ariaal of northern Kenya. Methods: Anthropometric measures included height, weight, skinfolds, and waist circumference. Saliva samples, collected in the morning and afternoon, were assayed for T. Results were analyzed using general linear models, based on 10 year age groups. Results: Average overall BMI was 17.9±2.0 kg/m2. Settled and nomadic males did not differ in fat free mass (FFM). FFM peaked in the 30s with a significant decline in the oldest age group. Percent body fat and waist circumference increased significantly across age groups. Morning mean (±SD) salivary T was higher among settled males (107.6±57.6 vs 63.4±38.1 pmol/L; p<0.001), but did not differ significantly across age groups. Salivary T was positively related to suprailiac skinfolds, percent body fat and waist circumference among the settled males. Conclusions: Age-related patterns of body composition, but not salivary T, among Ariaal men are consistent with those observed in western populations. Together these results suggest that lower FFM after 60 may reflect senescent processes among human males, while age patterns of adiposity reflect energy balance. T does not appear to play an essential role in age-related patterns of body composition.
Does house dust mite aggravate atopic eczema

The significance of reports1,2, that topical application of house dust mite (HDM) to abraded or excoriated uninvolved skin of patients with atopic eczema can provoke an eczema-like reaction is controversial. We have therefore studied 17 adult in-patients with atopic eczema who demonstrated positive prick tests to Bencard HDM solution. One ml of Bencard HDM solution was applied, under a crepe bandage, daily for 5 days to an untreated 10 cm2 mildly eczematous area behind one knee, and diluent only, similarly, to the other knee in a double-blind fashion. Test sites were assessed daily for itch using a visual analogue scale and for severity of erythema, papules and excoriation using a 3-point grading system. Comparing these parameters between active and control sites for each patient, local worsening of eczema in response to HDM was marked in 5/17, moderate in 3/17 and mild in 4/17 subjects, while mild deterioration with diluent only occurred in 3/17. Mean area of active eczema increased by 6 26 ± 8 4 cm2 (± SD) at HDM-treated and by 0 5 ±1.5 cm2 at control sites (P≤0.01; paired t-test). Further patients exposed to Bencard horse hair extract, to which they were prick-test negative, in place of HDM, showed no reaction. These results indicate that HDM can exacerbate pre-existing atopic eczema.
CYTOGENESIS AND ZONATION IN THE SHOOT APEX OF CHRYSANTHEMUM MORIFOLIUM

GEINITz, H. B., 1925. Contribucion a la paleontologia de la Repuiblica Argentina. Sobre plantas y animales reticos de las provincias argentinas de La Rioja, San Juan y Mendoza (traducido por G. Bodenbauer y N. de Anquin). Acta Acad. Nac. Cienc., Cordoba 8: 333-347. MESCHINELLI, A., 1892. Fungi fossiles in P. A. SACCARDO, Sylloge fungorum omnium hucusque cognitorum 10: 741-808. STIPANICIC, P. N. AND C. A. REIG, 1955. Breve noticia sobre el hallazgo de Anuros en el denominado "Complejo Porfiritico de la Patagonia Extraandina" con consideraciones acerca de la composicion geologica del mismo. Rev. Asoc. Geol. Arg. 10: 215-233. WIELAND, G. R., 1935. The Cerro Cuadrado petrified forest. Carnegie Inst. Wash. Publ. 449.
Paper, pens and power between empires in north India, 1750–1850

The historiography of education in South Asia has been held back by a semantic focus on institutions and policy. This article aims to widen the definition of ‘education’ by examining the transition pre-colonial forms of learning underwent during the period of state formation in early modern India. It explores particular communities of learning which straddled the Mughal and early British periods, the educational economy of pen and paper, and the role subordinate pensmen played in supporting both the late Mughal and early East India Company's empires in their agrarian reach into the Indian economy. Lowly, clerical castes served as pillars for the Company in enacting revenue settlements as they had under a wider Mughal political culture. The importance of the skills of paper management and accountancy were accelerated by British interests and provided the seeds for the emergence of not only the structures of north Indian education, but also some of the mid-nineteenth century colonial state's own forms of mo...
A subsequent-memory effect in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

The importance of brain regions for long-term memory encoding has been examined by comparison of encoding-related neural activity on trials in which successful recollection subsequently occurred to the encoding-related activity on trials in which successful recollection did not occur. We applied similar analyses to event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to explore the relative roles of dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) regions during specific components of a working-memory (WM) maintenance task. The results of this study indicated that increases in dorsolateral PFC activity during encoding was related to subsequent retrieval-success. These results lend support to the hypothesis that ventrolateral PFC mediates a limited-capacity WM buffer that supports rehearsal maintenance functions while dorsolateral PFC mediates WM organization functions that accommodate the capacity limits of WM maintenance.