cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transient cataracts in low-birth-weight infants

Transient lens opacities have been observed in 2.7 per cent of low-birth-weight infants during routine ophthalmologic evaluations for retrolental fibroplasia; the onset was estimated at age 16±4 days (mean±standard deviation) and the duration, 25±30 days. These opacities have a characteristic appearance and natural history which distinguish them from all other cataracts in the newborn infant. The opacities are reversible at any stage with resolution occurring in a manner opposite to formation. No etiologic factors have been ascertained, but the infants had a high incidence of illness associated with low birth weight including respiratory distress, apnea, acidosis, and suspected sepsis.
ATP consumption rate per cross bridge depends on myosin heavy chain isoform

In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that intrinsic differences in ATP consumption rate per cross bridge exist across rat diaphragm muscle (Diam) fibers expressing different myosin heavy ...
The hair collar sign

We report on two children with congenital scalp lesions which were surrounded by a ring of dark hair known as a hair collar. A review of previously reported patients with hair collars revealed that most of the scalp lesions were single and located at the vertex or parietal areas. They were most commonly composed of heterotopic neural tissue. We found a significant risk of associated skull defects, direct connections to the central nervous system (CNS), and brain and cerebrovascular anomalies in these patients. Careful clinical evaluation and MRI of the brain are indicated prior to biopsy or excision of these scalp lesions.
Inhibitory effects of Hymenaea and Copaifera leaf resins on the leaf fungus, Pestalotia subcuticularis

Abstract Leaf resins in the leguminous genera Hymenaea and Copaifera may play a role in restricting infection by the associated leaf fungus, Pestalotia . We tested this hypothesis by assessing growth of the geographically widespread Pestalotia subcuticularis presented with different compositions of resins. Leaf resins of Hymenaea and Copaifera are composed of the same suite of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, but these vary quantitatively to form discrete compositional patterns among individuals and populations. Leaf resins may also contain sesquiterpene oxides; caryophyllene oxide, which may have been formed from the caryophyllene precursor common in these resins, inhibited fungal growth in vitro .
Left ventricular Doppler inflow signals in children with isolated ventricular septal defect.

Abstract Doppler-derived atrioventricular valve inflow indexes are used as indicators of diastolic cardiac function and were validated previously by angiocardiographic and radionuclide techniques. 1,2 In this study, mitral valve Doppler signals were examined in children with left-to-right shunting ventricular septal defects (VSD) and compared with those in normal control subjects.
On ``Torqueless'' Accretion from a Magnetically Truncated Disk

In a number of recent studies, it has been suggested that a star may accrete matter from a magnetically truncated Keplerian disk without experiencing any significant spin-up torque. Thus, it is asserted that the toroidal field component at the stellar surface is too small to transmit angular momentum from the disk to the star; instead, the material angular momentum at the inner edge of the disk is transported back outward by magnetic stresses acting on the disk. We assess the arguments for "torqueless" accretion and conclude that they are physically unfounded.
A PM3 study of the critical distance factor in the activation/cyclization of selected Neocarzinostatin analogs

Semiempirical MOPAC RHF/PM3 and BIRADICAL/PM3 calculations are performed on several selected analogs of the Neocarzinostatin chromophore. The critical distance parameter, heat of formation, and pertinent bond orders are reported for each model compound. Heats of reaction are also reported for the cyclization of several model compounds to their corresponding diradical products. It is suggested that 3.49 AR represents an upper bound to the critical distance in the cyclization of compound related to Neocarzinostatin chromophore. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Application of material transport methodology to the impact wear of two in situ composites

Abstract In this paper we examine preliminary results from compound impact wear studies performed with cobalt-base aligned eutectic alloys (Cotac). Specimens containing brittle TaC fibers were tested in two modes of fiber orientation. The “material pair” in each test case consisted of a 17-4 PH stainless steel counterface against which a flat-ended in situ composite specimen was repeatedly impacted. Specimens from each fiber orientation were tested to explore the effect of increasing the relative transverse sliding velocity (2.1 – 6.3 m s −1 ). In all tests an invariant nominal peak normal impulsive stress (18.6 MPa) was maintained. Both optical and scanning electron microscopy were utilized to monitor the changes in the specimen surfaces and the substrates. Energy-dispersive X-ray studies of worn surfaces from specimens and counterfaces clearly indicated the nature of material transport between opposing surfaces. In addition, wear debris was examined using powder X-ray techniques and this provided a further analysis of the material state. For the test parameters explored the controlling factors in the compound impact wear of Cotac are (a) the material transport between contacting surfaces, (b) the relative transverse sliding velocity and (c) the fiber orientation.
The possible use of IBM-compatible computers and digital-to-analog conversion to assess children for reading disabilities and to increase their phonemic awareness

Hurford and Sanders (1990) and Hurford (1990) have been successful at employing digital-toanalog (D/A) conversion to remediate phonemic processing deficiencies in young disabled readers. The present study outlines how D/A conversion might be used to identify students who are at risk for reading disabilities. A large sample of first-quarter first graders (227) was administered tests of reading (the Word Identification and Word Attack subtests of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised), a measure of intelligence (IQ according to the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised), and two measures of phonemic processing (phonemic discrimination and phonemic segmentation). The phonemic processing measures were significantly related to the measures of reading (ps < .0001). Students assigned to at-risk and not-at-risk groups on the basis of their reading scores were significantly different on the phonemic processing measures and on IQ. No differences were due to age. After the data were reanalyzed with IQ as a covariate, only phonemic segmentation differentiated the two groups. Although phonemic discrimination may be less useful for identifying young at-risk students, it seems to help in the remediation of phonemic processing deficiencies. Phonemic discrimination training would be less effective were it not for D/A conversion with personal computers.
Geochemical reactions governing the fate of Co-NTA in contact with natural subsurface materials

Abstract Subsurface codisposal of toxic metals and radionuclides with organic chelating agents has created vast areas of contaminated soils and groundwater. The fate of the metal/ radionuclide and ligand are inexorably linked in their interaction with soil minerals and aquifer solids. The present study was conducted to investigate the geochemical reactions (sorption, dissolution, dissociation, oxidation) that govern the fate of CoIINTA complexes in contact with natural subsurface materials that are typical of materials underlying some waste disposal areas. Equilibrium measurements indicated that at low pH (4) and in the presence of abundant surface exchangeable Al, the adsorption of Co and NTA was independent of the presence of the other component. By contrast, at higher pH (6 and 7.4) the sorption of both Co and NTA decreased in the presence of the other moiety. Solution phase analyses indicated that the decrease in sorption was driven by the formation of stable aqueous complexes of Co(II) and Co(III) with NTA. The time-dependent loss of CoIINTA from solution was accounted for by sorption, complex dissociation, and the oxidation of Co(II) to Co(III). Biodegradation of NTA was not an important process over the 21-day incubation period. Formation of Co(III) complexes has broad implications in these systems as these species are kinetically and thermodynamically stable, exhibit lower adsorption onto solids, and are resistant to biodegradation. Thus, with the exception of relatively extreme conditions (low pH, abundant readily available Al), NTA decreased Co partitioning to surfaces through the formation of stable aqueous complexes. This behavior may contribute to the undesirable transport of 60Co through the subsurface.
Effects of strength training on the incidence and progression of knee osteoarthritis.

Objective Quadriceps weakness is a risk factor for incident knee osteoarthritis (OA). We describe a randomized controlled trial of effects of lower-extremity strength training on incidence and progression of knee OA. Methods A total of 221 older adults (mean age 69 years) were stratified by sex, presence of radiographic knee OA, and severity of knee pain, and were randomized to strength training (ST) or range-of-motion (ROM) exercises. Subjects exercised 3 times per week (twice at a fitness facility, once at home) for 12 weeks, followed by transition to home-based exercise after 12 months. Assessments of isokinetic lower-extremity strength and highly standardized knee radiographs were obtained at baseline and 30 months. Results Subjects in both groups lost lower-extremity strength over 30 months; however, the rate of loss was slower with ST than with ROM. Compared with ROM, ST decreased the mean rate of joint space narrowing (JSN) in osteoarthritic knees by 26% (P = not significant). However, the difference between ST and ROM groups with respect to frequency of knee OA progression in JSN consensus ratings was marginally significant (18% versus 28%; P = 0.094). In knees that were radiographically normal at baseline, JSN >0.50 mm was more common in ST than in ROM (34% versus 19%; P = 0.038). Incident JSN was unrelated to exercise adherence or changes in quadriceps strength or knee pain. Conclusion The ST group retained more strength and exhibited less frequent progressive JSN over 30 months than the ROM group. The increase in incident JSN >0.50 mm in ST is unexplained and requires confirmation.
RISK PERCEPTION: A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF AVIATION SAFETY

Abstract Designers of new automated systems typically conduct human-reliability analyses to account for potential human errors that may contribute to system risk. In aviation, the National Transportation Safety Board (1994) found that the second most common type of error in accidents was tactical decision errors. Efforts to improve flight safety frequently involve training crews in effective decision-making. One fact that has become apparent in developing such training is that decision-making depends critically on the crew's perceptions of the risks entailed by various threats in the environment. This paper addresses two issues critical to improving the quality of aviation decision-making. (1) How do crews perceive risks associated with aviation decisions? (2) How does risk perception influence flight crews' decision-making processes? Research findings that address these questions will be presented, along with implications for improving flight crew decision-making.
Cyclohexyl(trihalomethyl)mercury compounds: Very reactive dihalocarbene precursors

Abstract The cyclohexyl(trihalomethyl)mercurials, RHgCCl 3 , RHgCCl 2 Br, RHgCClBr 2 and RHgCBr 3 (R = cyclohexyl), have been prepared and have been found to be excellent dihalocarbene sources. They transfer their CX 2 very rapidly at 80° and within 2–3 days at room temperature.
Characterizing stochastic flow networks using the monte carlo method

Consider a flow network G = (,ℰ) with node set and arc set ℰ = {1, …, e}. Assume that the nodes do not restrict flow transmission and the arcs have random, discrete and independent capacities B1, …, Be, and let B = {B1, …, Be}. Also, let s and t be a pair of nodes in , let Λ(B) denote the value of a maximum s–t flow, and let Γ denote a set of s–t cuts. This work describes a highly efficient Monte Carlo sampling plan for estimating the probability that l < Λ(B) ⩽ u, the probability that a cut in Γ is critical and l < Λ(B) ⩽ u, and the probability that a cut in Γ is critical, given that l < Λ(B) ⩽ u. The proposed method takes advantage of an easily computed upper bound on the probability that l < Λ(B) ⩽ u, which is a function of both l and u to gain its computational advantage. The article also describes techniques for computing confidence intervals that are valid for any sample size. Algorithms for implementing the proposed sampling experiment are included, and an example illustrates the efficiency of the proposed method.
Family Involvement in High School: Predictors and Effects:

Reports from more than 11,000 parents of high school seniors and 1,000 high school principals were analyzed to learn about high school, family, and community partnerships. Analyses revealed that regardless of students’ background and prior achievement, various parenting, volunteering, and home learning activities positively influenced student grades, course credits completed, attendance, behavior, and school preparedness. When educators guided parents and solicited their participation, parents responded with increased involvement to support student success.
Toward History and the Creaturely: Language and the Intertextual Literary Value Space in Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals

Jonathan Safran Foer’s exploration of the language of human-nature engagements critically attends the value space as a site of the exchange of values located in society, transferred to environment and fed back to the individual. Over and above a creative representation of how the environment relates to human values and environmental sensibility, Foer discloses the unexplored areas of our humanity to outline engagements stimulated by a moral outlook which suggests the need for more meaningful relations, those born both from cultural and ecological relations together. He does this through an exploration of what constitutes the creaturely. Foer’s narratological output to date, consistently figures familial relations as a literary value space wherein the geopolitical context colours idiosyncratic, historically contingent and localized inflections of values. Earlier novels suggest the many ways in which relations are understood in terms beyond value: intimacy, the familial and proximity inhere in a value space that operates beyond the parameters of utility and pleasure. In Eating Animals (Foer, J. S. (2009). Eating animals. London: Hamish Hamilton) Foer advances these ideas by outlining the relations between language, animality and family in order to deconstruct species barrier dualisms and to move beyond the language of intrinsic value. His text, therefore, highlights the capacities of the imagination to dwell on meaningful ideas of nurturing and of sustainable relations.
ZFIQ: a software package for zebrafish biology

Summary: Rapid development, transparency and small size are the outstanding features of zebrafish that make it as an increasingly important vertebrate system for developmental biology, functional genomics, disease modeling and drug discovery. Zebrafish has been regarded as ideal animal specie for studying the relationship between genotype and phenotype, for pathway analysis and systems biology. However, the tremendous amount of data generated from large numbers of embryos has led to the bottleneck of data analysis and modeling. The zebrafish image quantitator (ZFIQ) software provides streamlined data processing and analysis capability for developmental biology and disease modeling using zebrafish model. Availability: ZFIQ is available for download at http://www. cbi-platform.net
To agent-based simulation from system dynamics

Agent-based simulation (ABS) is a recent modeling technique that is being widely used in modeling complex social systems. Forrester's System Dynamics (SD) is another longstanding technique for modeling social systems. Several classical models of systems, such as the Kermack-McKendrick model of epidemiology, the Lotka-Volterra equations for modeling predator-prey relationships, and the Bass model for innovation diffusion are formulated as systems of differential equations and have corresponding System Dynamics representations as difference equations. The ABS and SD modeling approaches take fundamentally different perspectives when modeling a system, which can be characterized as bottom-up (ABS) versus top-down (SD). Yet many systems can be equivalently modeled by either approach. In this paper, we present a formal specification for SD and ABS models, use the specification to derive equivalent ABS representations, and present an example of an SIR epidemic model having SD and ABS counterparts.
The Absolute Isotopic Abundance and Atomic Weight of a Reference Sample of Silver.

The atomic weight of a reference sample of silver has been determined by mass spectrometry. with an uncertainty of one part in 100. using a single filament silica gel procedure. Accurately known quantities of chemically pure 107Ag and H19Ag were mixed to produce standards of known isotopic composition for calibration of the mass spectrometer. The absolute isotopic ratio of the reference sample of silver is 107 AglI09Ag = 1.07638 ± 0.00022 yielding an atomic weight of 107.86815 ± 0.00011. The indicated uncertainties represent an overall limit of error at the 95 percent confidence level which is the sum of the uncertainty components for the ratio determined and the components covering effects of known sources of possible systematic error.
Disparities in Pediatric Obesity in the United States

This paper describes the disparities in the U.S. childhood obesity epidemic, mainly based on recent nationally representative data. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased since the late 1970s; the over time shifts (changes) in distributions of various body fatness measures indicate that U.S. children have become fatter and the obese groups gained more body fat, especially more central obesity, as indicated by waist circumference. However, considerable between-group and regional disparities exist in the prevalence, fatness measures, and over time trends. The disparities and trends are complex, which reflects the complexity and dynamics in obesity etiology. Clearly, some population groups are affected more seriously than others. Native American children have the highest prevalence of obesity, whereas Asians have the lowest rate among all ethnic groups. Preschool age children have a lower obesity prevalence than older children. Young people in some states and cities are twice more likely to be overweight or obese than those living in other regions. Low-socioeconomic status is associated with obesity only among some population groups, e.g. white children and adolescents. Vigorous, effective interventions are needed to promote healthy lifestyles among U.S. young people and to reduce disparities in obesity.
K13 blocks KSHV lytic replication and deregulates vIL6 and hIL6 expression: a model of lytic replication induced clonal selection in viral oncogenesis.

Background. Accumulating evidence suggests that dysregulated expression of lytic genes plays an important role in KSHV (Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus) tumorigenesis. However, the molecular events leading to the dysregulation of KSHV lytic gene expression program are incompletely understood. Methodoloxy/Principal Findings. We have studied the effect of KSHV-encoded latent protein vFLIP K13, a potent activator of the NF-κB pathway, on lytic reactivation of the virus. We demonstrate that K13 antagonizes RTA, the KSHV lytic-regulator, and effectively blocks the expression of lytic proteins, production of infectious virions and death of the infected cells. Induction of lytic replication selects for clones with increased K13 expression and NF-κB activity, while siRNA-mediated silencing of K13 induces the expression of lytic genes. However, the suppressive effect of K13 on RTA-induced lytic genes is not uniform and it falls to block RTA-induced viral IL6 secretion and cooperates with RTA to enhance cellular IL-6 production, thereby dysregulating the lytic gene expression program. Conclusions/Significance. Our results support a model in which ongoing KSHV, lytic replication selects for clones with progressively higher levels of K13 expression and NF-κB activity, which in turn drive KSHV tumorigenesis by not only directly stimulating cellular survival and proliferation, but also indirectly by dysregulating the viral lytic gene program and allowing non-lytic production of growth-promoting viral and cellular genes. Lytic Replication-Induced Clonal Selection (LyRICS) may represent a general mechanism in viral oncogenesis. 2007 Zhao et al.
Quantum-well Al x Ga 1 - x As-GaAs heterostructure lasers grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Data are presented on photopumped single- and multiple-quantum-well Al x Ga 1-x As-GaAs heterostructures grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MO-CVD) showing that continuous room-temperature (CW 300 K) laser operation of such structures is possible in the range 0-150 meV above the GaAs active region band edge ( \Delta E \equiv \hbar \omega - E_{g} = 0-150 meV). Optically pumped multiple-quantum-well heterostructure lasers of short cavity length ( l \lsim 20 \mu m), and thus high edge-to-edge cavity end losses, are shown to operate at photo-excitation threshold levels as low as 900 W/cm2( J_{th} \sim 375 A/cm2). As the quantum-well dimension is reduced to L_{z} \lsim 100 A, single-active-layer heterostructures shift their laser operation to higher confined-particle states, or fail to operate altogether, whereas multiple-active-layer heterostructures continue to operate as lasers on the lowest confined-particle states n = 1 e \rightarrow hh and n' = 1' e \rightarrow lh transitions). For a multiple-quantum-well heterostructure of small enough GaAs active region size, L_{z} A, recombination radiation at the energy gap is cut off, and as expected, laser operation on the lowest confined-particle states (1 - 1') is shifted to high energy ( \hbar \omega - E_{g} > 50 meV).
Clinical Trials of Antifungal Prophylaxis among Patients in Surgical Intensive Care Units: Concepts and Considerations

Background. Fungal infections are important clinical infections in patients in surgical intensive care units. In some institutions, antifungal prophylaxis has become commonplace, and increasing resistance has been reported. However, trials of antifungal prophylaxis are hampered by difficulties in trial design, and the findings may not be generalizable. Methods. Issues in clinical trial design are reviewed from existing and theoretical perspectives. Results. Identification of a primary hypothesis with a sound epidemiological basis is essential. The study must include institutions where fungal infections have a high and well-studied incidence. A high-risk patient population should be identified and enrolled. The agent selected should have an appropriate spectrum, be easily delivered to the population selected, and be cost effective with few adverse events. At present, fluconazole appears to be the best agent for targeted prophylaxis. The primary end point of the study should be based on an easily measured outcome, for example, days free from fungal infection rather than death due to fungal infection. Conclusions. Trials of antifungal prophylaxis for patients in surgical intensive care units have had problems in design, and several issues in the conceptual basis of future clincial trials must be addressed.
Non-linear two-dimensional model of melt flows and interface instability in aluminum reduction cells

We derive a new two-dimensional model for the melt flows and interface instability in aluminum reduction cells. The model is based on the de St. Venant shallow water equations and incorporates the essential features of the system such as the magnetohydrodynamic instability mechanism and non-linear coupling between the flows and interfacial waves. The model is applied to investigate the impact of background melt flows and magnetic field perturbations on the instability.
Effects of flecainide on the cellular electrophysiology of neonatal and adult cardiac fibers.

Abstract The acute cellular electrophysiologic actions of flecainide acetate on isolated neonatal and adult canine ventricular myocardium and Purkinje fibers were evaluated with standard microelectrode techniques. Flecainide, 0.1 to 10.0 μg/ml, produced concentration-dependent decreases in action potential amplitude, overshoot, and phase O V max of adult ventricular myocardium and Purkinje fibers. The greatest effects were on V max . Neonatal action potential characteristics were affected to a lesser degree by flecainlde. Flecainide had disparate effects on myocardial and Purkinje fiber repolarization and refractoriness. In adult ventricular myocardium, action potential duration (APD) and effective refractory perlod (ERP) Increased progressively with drug concentration. APD and ERP were Increased to a leasser degree in neonatal myocardium. In adult Purkinje fibers, APD decreased progressively with increasing flecainide concentrations. ERP decreased at 0.1 and 1.0 μg/ml, but returned to control values at 10.0 μg/ml. APD and ERP of neonatal Purkinje fibers responded to a lesser degree. At faster stimulation frequencies (2 to 4 Hz), flecainide produced significant frequency-dependent decreases in V max in adult Purkinje fibers. Such use-dependency was not evident in neonatal fibers. These data indicate a significantly lower sensitivity of immature cardiac tissues to the electrophysiologic effects of flecainide.
Reconsidering Common Sense: Vico and Education

At the institutional level, government policy dominates public schooling. As such, there are certain themes that we can isolate as common to the operation of schools. This essay isolates the common theme of neoliberalism, which is embedded in policy and, therefore, influential to practice in schools. The extent to which neoliberal maxims operate as the assumptions of educational policy points to the great success neoliberal ideologues and the institutions that house them have had in the recent past. The notion of schools and their personnel as embodiments of the market is so deeply entrenched in the text of current policy and in the practices of testing and pedagogical techniques that its metaphoricity has become banal and has cemented into a sort of onto–teleological truism. Why does a person go to school? In order to get a good job. What is the purpose of schools in our society? To train our future workforce. In response to this relatively recent conception of schooling, one that stretches well beyond United States borders, a cottage industry of sorts has arisen that emphasizes the use of critical analysis to combat what its proponents view as the harmful effects of neoliberalism in education. Authors of this strain are quick to point out the faulty reasoning behind the analogy of markets and schools. For instance, to understand education as a commodity to be delivered to student– consumers forecloses other, more important relationships that teachers can foster with students, such as establishing a community of fellow contributors to the processes of education and citizenship.
Patterning of Facial Expressions among Terminal Cancer Patients

The possible significance of nonverbal communication in terminal illness was evaluated in forty-nine terminal cancer patients. Utilizing the Ekman and Friesen Facial Scoring Technique, individual items were reassessed for reliability across judges and within each emotional measure. Factorial invariance was also demonstrated. Theory suggested a patterning of emotional states in early, middle, and late stages of illness, and facial expressions evaluated during interviews demonstrated mixed support for pertinent hypotheses. Fear was highest in the early period, as hypothesized. Sadness increased regularly from the early to the late phase. No patterning was found for anger and happiness. It is concluded that work in this area looks promising and may aid in communication with and treatment of dying patients.
THE CULTURE OF VIENNESE SCIENCE AND THE RIDDLE OF AUSTRIAN LIBERALISM

Vienna's scientific culture has long attracted historians' attention. Impressive though the scientific accomplishments of Viennese scientists were, and recognized by numerous Nobel prizes, they alone do not account for the historians' interest. Rather, Vienna's culture of science was imbedded in broader humanistic visions and invested in political and educational projects of major historical significance. Viennese philosophy placed humanity's hopes in science and articulated its historical ramifications to the public, drawing out the political implications of competing scientific methodologies and tying them to dramatic historical events. This philosophy of science still reverberates nowadays in debates on liberty, markets, and government that quickly reveal their underpinning in the methodology of science. Vienna's scientific culture, it seems, has never ceased to capture the imagination, far beyond Austria.
H1 histones: current perspectives and challenges

H1 and related linker histones are important both for maintenance of higher-order chromatin structure and for the regulation of gene expression. The biology of the linker histones is complex, as they are evolutionarily variable, exist in multiple isoforms and undergo a large variety of posttranslational modifications in their long, unstructured, NH2- and COOH-terminal tails. We review recent progress in understanding the structure, genetics and posttranslational modifications of linker histones, with an emphasis on the dynamic interactions of these proteins with DNA and transcriptional regulators. We also discuss various experimental challenges to the study of H1 and related proteins, including limitations of immunological reagents and practical difficulties in the analysis of posttranslational modifications by mass spectrometry.
Evaluation of personal response systems from a teaching perspective

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the usage, attitudes, and perceptions of personal response system (PRS) use by teaching faculty who had used the technology in at least one course at Montana State University (MSU) in Bozeman in the past six years. Fifteen faculty members who had used PRS in their teaching were interviewed on their usage, attitude, and perception of PRS use. The literature topics of effectiveness, teacher-student interaction, practices, faculty resistance, technical issues as well as assessment and feedback were incorporated into a protocol used during in-depth interviews. Overall, the results of this study were consistent with the literature. Faculty interviewed considered themselves among the first to adopt a new teaching technology, and had done so to address either increased class size or to formatively assess their teaching. Technical issues were minor and easily corrected through either technical support or peer support. Student registration was an issue, and the responses to this issue varied among faculty. Overall, faculty interviewed were satisfied with the technology and used it effectively based on the literature reviewed. Recommendations were made to encourage and expand the use of PRS and to remove the challenges experienced by faculty.
Reducing the Risk of Obesity: Defining the Role of Weight Loss Drugs

The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically in the past 20 years. As a public health concern, obesity is associated with a health care resource burden that is quickly approaching that associated with tobacco use. Although lifestyle intervention (diet and exercise) remains the mainstay of treatment of obesity, its effectiveness is limited by poor long-term adherence. Drug therapy has historically been unsuccessful in producing sustained weight loss. Many older weight loss drugs have adverse benefit-to-risk profiles. This review provides an overview of nonpharmacologic interventions for weight loss. The safety and efficacy of older weight loss drugs, as well as current data related to lorcaserin, phentermine/topiramate, and naltrexone-bupropion, are evaluated. Although associated with modest weight loss and some improvement in adverse obesity-related metabolic effects, none of these drugs has been demonstrated to reduce mortality. In addition, the long-term safety of these drugs remains largely unknown. Bariatric surgery is an option for patients with morbid obesity who have failed conventional treatment.
Airway obstructive diseases in older adults: From detection to treatment

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease occur commonly and may overlap among older adults. Smoking, air pollution, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness are the main risk factors. The treatment of these diseases in older adults does not differ from the available guidelines but may be complicated by the presence of comorbidities. Smoking cessation is essential for smokers, and pulmonary rehabilitation must be considered regardless of the age of the patient.
Business Users and Program Variability: Bridging the Gap

In order to make software components more flexible and reusable it is desirable to provide business users with facilities to assemble and control them, but without first being converted into programmers. We present our fully-functional prototype middleware system where variability is externalized so that core applications need not be altered for anticipated changes. Application behavior modification is fast and easy, suitable for a quickly changing e-commerce world.
Knowledge Discovery from Tumor Respiratory Motion Data

Image-guided radiation treatment (IGRT) is a recent advancement in the treatment of cancer patients with tumors in the abdomen or lungs. However, the efficacy of radiation treatment in these locations is often degraded by tumor respiratory motion. Therefore, the characterization and prediction of tumor motion are critical for precise cancer radiation treatment. This paper describes an approach for knowledge discovery from respiratory motion according to different motion properties. A hierarchical data model is proposed for tumor motion data representation. Various statistical analysis and correlation discovery over complex tumor respiratory motion data are designed based on a data cube to characterize different tumor motion properties. The outcomes will provide quantitative information for tumor motion prediction and real-time treatment delivery, which results better care for cancer patients.
Physical activity and weight gain prevention in older men

Physical activity and adiposity are important predictors of mortality, even in older individuals. However, it is unclear how much physical activity is needed to prevent weight gain in older persons. To examine the associations of different amounts of physical activity with weight gain prevention in older men. A total of 5973 healthy men (mean age, 65.0 years) from the Harvard Alumni Health Study were followed from 1988 to 1998. At baseline (1988), in 1993 and 1998, men reported their recreational physical activity and body weight. Physical activity was categorized as: <7.5 metabolic equivalent (MET)-h per week (7.5 MET-h per week corresponds to the minimum required by the 2008 US federal guidelines), 7.5 to <21 MET-h per week (21 MET-h per week corresponds to the 2002 Institute of Medicine (IOM) guideline) and ⩾21 MET-h per week. Meaningful weight gain was defined as an increase of ⩾3% of body weight. Overall, weight tended to be stable over any 5-year period; mean change, −0.08 (s.d.=4.44) kg. However, ∼21% of men experienced meaningful weight gain over any 5-year period. In multivariate analyses, compared with men expending ⩾21 MET-h per week, those expending 7.5 to <21 MET-h per week had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.35 (95% confidence interval: 1.03, 1.77) for meaningful weight gain, and men expending <7.5 MET-h per week, an OR of 1.16 (1.01, 1.33; P trend=0.09). Among older men, those with lesser levels of physical activity were more likely to gain weight than men satisfying the 2002 IOM guidelines of ⩾21 MET-h per week (∼60 min day−1 of moderate-intensity physical activity).
RFID for air cargo operations: return on investment analysis through process modeling and simulation

In the airline industry, radio frequency identification (RFID) can enhance profitability of cargo operations by improving asset utilization and reducing system inefficiencies. However, the adoption of such technology is hindered by costs of infrastructure, hardware and software development, and integration. In order to analyze the return on investment (ROI) from an RFID solution, this paper describes an approach to predict process improvement from the RFID implementation using discrete event simulation. The simulation measures improvements in decreasing processing times and required resources through a comparison analysis of the "as-is" system and the "to-be" RFID enabled system. The metrics are then used as inputs to the ROI calculation. A complete ROI analysis for RFID feasibility in the studied air cargo terminal is also presented.
Activation of human quadriceps femoris muscle during dynamic contractions: effects of load on fatigue.

Muscle fatigue is both multifactorial and task dependent. Electrical stimulation may assist individuals with paralysis to perform functional activities [functional electrical stimulation (FES), e.g., standing or walking], but muscle fatigue is a limiting factor. One method of optimizing force is to use stimulation patterns that exploit the catchlike property of skeletal muscle [catchlike-inducing trains (CITs)]. Although nonisometric (dynamic) contractions are important parts of both normal physiological activation of skeletal muscles and FES, no previous studies have attempted to identify the effect that the load being lifted by a muscle has on the fatigue produced. This study examined the effects of load on fatigue during dynamic contractions and the augmentation produced by CITs as a function of load. Knee extension in healthy subjects was electrically elicited against three different loads. The highest load produced the least excursion, work, and average power, but it produced the greatest fatigue. CIT augmentation was greatest at the highest load and increased with fatigue. Because CITs were effective during shortening contractions for a variety of loads, they may be of benefit during FES applications.
Multiplicative approximations of random walk transition probabilities

We study the space and time complexity of approximating distributions of l-step random walks in simple (possibly directed) graphs G. While very efficient algorithms for obtaining additive e-approximations have been developed in the literature, no non-trivial results with multiplicative guarantees are known, and obtaining such approximations is the main focus of this paper. Specifically, we ask the following question: given a bound S on the space used, what is the minimum threshold t > 0 such that l-step transition probabilities for all pairs u, v ∈ V such that Puvl ≥ t can be approximated within a 1±e factor? How fast can an approximation be obtained? We show that the following surprising behavior occurs. When the bound on the space is S = o(n2/d), where d is the minimum out-degree of G, no approximation can be achieved for non-trivial values of the threshold t. However, if an extra factor of s space is allowed, i.e. S = Ω(sn2/d) space, then the threshold t is exponentially small in the length of the walk l and even very small transition probabilities can be approximated up to a 1 ± e factor. One instantiation of these guarantees is as follows: any almost regular directed graph can be represented in Ω(ln3/2+e) space such that all probabilities larger than n-10 can be approximated within a (1 ± e) factor as long as l ≥ 40/e2. Moreover, we show how to estimate of such probabilities faster than matrix multiplication time. For undirected graphs, we also give small space oracles for estimating Puvl using a notion of bicriteria approximation based on approximate distance oracles of Thorup and Zwick [STOC'01].
The Effects of the Carbamate Insecticide Carbaryl upon Forest Soil Mites and Collembola

Test plots were established in a red-pine plantation and in a mixed hardwood stand on the Tully Forest, situated about 25 miles south of Syracuse, N. Y. Dosage rates varied from 0 to 50 lb per acre, and one treatment was with carbaryl and malathion combined. Neither mites nor Collembola were totally exterminated by any treatment used. The reduction in population was roughly proportional to the severity of the treatment up to a dosage of 10 lb per acre. The 50-lb-per-acre treatment had little additional effect. The rate of population increase of the mites 4-5 months after treatment was directly proportional to the dosage applied; i.e., greatest where the treatment was heaviest. The population of mites was far greater on treated plots than on the controls at the close of this experiment. Collembola are more sensitive to treatment than mites, and do not recover so rapidly.
General Pharmacology of XiYanPing for Injection

Objective: To determine the effect of XiYanPing for injection to the vital organs or systems the functions of are acutely critical for life,identify undesirable pharmacodynamic properties of them,and then provided the experimental basis for humen.safety.Methods:Mice,dogs given XiYanPing for injection respectively by iv,were determined the influence on cardiovascular respiratory and central nervous system of animal.Results:There were no significant differencs in the motor activity and coordination test to the animals that treated with XiYanPing for injection by iv(P0.05),and those dosages were 400mg/kg,200mg/kg,100mg/kg.Compared with the control group,drugs in the group of XiYanPing for injection 400mg/kg,significantly prolonged the time of falling asleep in the test of hypnosis induced by pentobarbital sodium in mice(P0.05).There were no significant differencs in blood pressure,respiration,heart rate,ECG compared with the pre-administration(P0.05),and ST segment was no significant displacement.Conclusion:XiYanPing for injection had no significant effect on the central nervous systems of experimental animals in our test,and 400mg/kg dose of it had significant synergies with pentobarbital sodium induced sleep in mice.XiYanPing for injection had no significant effect on the cardiovascular,respiratory systems.
Investigation on the pollution of lipophilic shellfish toxins in aquatic products in Guangzhou

Objective To monitor and analyze shellfish aquatic products in Guangzhou in order to understand shellfish toxin pollution of aquatic products.Methods Sixty shellfish samples were collected by random sampling from aquatic products market in Guangzhou.Seven lipophilic shellfish toxins including OA,DTX-1,SPX1,GYM,YTX,AZA1,PTX2 in samples were monitored using SPE-UPLC-MS / MS.Results Twenty-one samples were found to contain shellfish toxins and the positive rate was 35%.The main pollutant items were OA,PTX2,GYM and SPX1.There are 3 samples polluted by OA toxin,5 samples polluted by PTX2 toxin,9 samples polluted by GYM toxin and 11 samples polluted by SPX1 toxin.Conclusion Although the contents of the lipophilic shellfish toxins were low in aquatic products in Guangzhou markets,but the positive detection rates were higher.So it is necessary to strengthen the supervision and management to ensure food safety for consumers.
Cable properties of layer V neurons from cat sensorimotor cortex in vitro.

The passive cable properties of neurons from layer V of cat neocortex were studied in an in vitro slice preparation using current-clamp techniques and a single-microelectrode voltage clamp. Neurons were examined in the presence and absence of several agents that block time- and voltage-dependent conductances. The charging response to an injected current pulse was well fitted by a single exponential in 12 of 17 cells examined. By itself, this result would suggest that most of the neurons are isopotential. However, the existence of a nonisopotential region was demonstrated in all neurons examined using two alternative, independent methods: application of voltage-clamp steps and current impulses. The decay of the capacitive charging transient following a voltage-clamp step reflects charge redistribution solely in the nonisopotential region and had a mean time constant about 17% of the membrane time constant, tau m. The voltage decay following a current impulse was always fitted by (at least) two exponentials, the shorter of which was about 9% of tau m. These results suggest that a nonisopotential region exists but is electrotonically short, of relatively low-input conductance, or both, independent of a particular neuron model. Adopting Rall9s (23, 24) idealized neuron model (isopotential compartment attached to a finite-length uniform cable) resulted in a mean value for the equivalent electrotonic length (L) of the nonisopotential compartment of 0.72 space constants from voltage-clamp data and 1.21 space constants from impulse-response data. A dendrite-to-soma conductance ratio (p) of 2-4 was obtained from either procedure. There were no significant differences in the cable parameters between normal cells and those where conductance-blocking agents were present. A specific membrane resistance (Rm) ranging from 2,300 to 11,700 omega X cm2 was estimated by assuming values of specific membrane capacitance reported in the literature. We conclude that large layer V neocortical neurons in vitro are electrotonically compact in the voltage range near resting potential and in the absence of significant tonic synaptic input. In this respect, their electrotonic cable properties resemble those of other mammalian neurons in vitro.
Legg-Perthes disease; observations on pathological changes in two cases.

Biopsy specimens of the femoral head and neck of two patients with Legg-Perthes disease have shown a necrotic femoral head and a disrupted epiphyseal plate. The epiphyseal-plate cartilage was fibrillated and cracked, the cells were clustered, and the line of endochondral ossification was irregular. The epiphyseal-plate lesion appeared to be a long-standing condition, as large tongues of deranged cartilage and cartilage islands were seen very deep in the metaphysis and some in the femoral head. There was some fibrillation in areas of the joint cartilage adjacent to the subchondral plate. There were no signs of infection, rickets, or scurvy. The epiphyseal-plate lesion appears to be caused by a loss of cohesion of the cartilage matrix presumably owing to an alteration of the chemical composition of the ground substance. It is surmised that the loss of blood supply to the femoral head results from the interruption of the retinacular vessels when they cross the cartilage at the edge of the disrupted epiphyseal plate. Jarring of the weakened plate may traumatize and occlude these vessels. The epiphyseal-plate lesion in these two patients is similar to the lesion observed in patients with slipping of the upper femoral epiphysis. It is also similar to the epiphyseal-plate lesion observed in rats fed diets containing aminonitriles.