cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unilateral olfactory conditioning in 6-day-old rat pups

The potential that early olfactory learning might be laterally organized in the brain was investigated in 6-day-old rats. This hypothesis is based on the finding that the commissural systems that subserve bilateral olfactory communication do not mature until the second week of postnatal life. Pups were trained with pairings of cedar odor and intraoral infusions of milk while one nostril was occluded. Animals expressed a conditioned orientation towards cedar if tested with the trained nostril open. No such conditioning was observed if the untrained nostril was open during testing. Further, when individual pups received cedar odor/milk pairings with one nostril open and orange odor/milk pairings with the other open, they expressed a conditioned preference for orange when tested with the orange-trained nostril open, and a preference for cedar when tested with the cedar-trained nostril open. Classically conditioned oral responses (mouthing) also appeared to be lateralized. However, no such unilateral conditioning occurred with respect to behavioral activation, which is also conditioned in this paradigm. Increases in activity to the odor CS were observed regardless of whether the trained or untrained nostril was open during testing. These results suggest that in developing rodents, olfactory memories may be partly represented in structures that can be unilaterally accessed during training and testing. They provide a starting point for isolation of neural substrates of the olfactory conditioning process.
Strontium influence on the oxygen electrocatalysis of La2−xSrxNiO4±δ (0.0 ≤ xSr ≤ 1.0) thin films

Substitution of lanthanum by strontium (Sr) in the A-site of cobalt-containing perovskites can greatly promote oxygen surface exchange kinetics at elevated temperatures. Little is known about the effect of A-site substitution on the oxygen electrocatalysis of Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) oxides. In this study, we report, for the first time, the growth and oxygen surface exchange kinetics of La2−xSrxNiO4±δ (LSNO, 0.0 ≤ xSr ≤ 1.0) thin films grown on (001)cubic-Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) by pulsed laser deposition. High-resolution X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the LSNO film orientation was changed gradually from the (100)tetra. (in-plane) to the (001)tetra. (out-of-plane) orientation in the RP structure with increasing Sr from La2NiO4+δ (xSr = 0) to LaSrNiO4±δ (xSr = 1.0). Such a change in the LSNO film orientation was accompanied by reduction in the oxygen surface exchange kinetics by two orders of magnitude as shown from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations showed that Sr substitution could stabilize the (001)tetra. surface relative to the (100)tetra. surface and both Sr substitution and increasing (001)tetra. surface could greatly weaken adsorption of molecular oxygen in the La–La bridge sites in the RP structure, which can reduce oxygen surface exchange kinetics.
Differential effects of age on motor performance in two mouse strains

Abstract The performance of male A/J and C57BL/6J mice from three age groups (4, 18, and 24 months) was observed in a battery of tests designed to assess age-related impairments in motor abilities. A/J mice were superior to C57BL/6J mice in tasks requiring upper body strength, such as tests of grip strength and tightrope performance. C57BL/6J mice were superior performers in tasks requiring balance and coordination, such as movement on stationary and rotating rods. In addition, the C57BL/6J strain generally exhibited greater locomotor activity, such as measured in open field and wheel-running tests. Significant age-related deficits were observed among A/J mice in tests of grip strength, balance rod, rotorod, and wheel activity; and among C57BL/6J mice, in balance rod, tightrope, exploratory activity, and wheel activity tests. Except for scores of exploratory activity (free versus forced exploration), the test measures tended to be uncorrelated; however, the degree and magnitude of intercorrelation among test scores increased with age. The results underscore the need to consider genotype in the assessment of age-related motor impairments in animal models.
Perioperative Parathyroid Hormone Levels in Thyroid Surgery

Objective: Perioperative hypocalcemia from temporary parathyroid gland dysfunction is common after thyroid surgery. No reliable cutoff values for parathyroid hormone (PTH) and the subsequent possibility of developing hypocalcemia exist. The purpose of this study is to determine a criterion for predicting hypocalcemia based on different PTH levels as cutoff values. Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Methods: A centralized database of intraoperative PTH levels was analyzed. PTH values approximately 10 minutes after excision of the thyroid gland and in the recovery room were obtained; serial ionized calcium levels were also analyzed. PTH values were then compared using chi-square analysis with significance defined as P < .05. A receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was also constructed to define sensitivities and specificities of different PTH levels as potential cutoff values. Results: Eighty patients were identified meeting the study criteria between January 1999 and February 2005. Fourteen of the 80 (17.5%) patients became hypocalcemic during the hospital stay; none experienced permanent hypocalcemia. Patients who became hypocalcemic during their hospitalization were more likely to have a PTH level below 15 pg/mL (P < .01). Patients with a PTH level less than 15 pg/mL were more likely to develop hypocalcemia (P < .01). Finally, an ROC curve was constructed, allowing the surgeon to determine acceptable sensitivities and specificities and various PTH cutoff values. Conclusion: Low perioperative PTH levels significantly correlate with the presence of postoperative hypocalcemia but cannot be used to predict it. Using the ROC curve allows different chosen cutoff values to predict hypocalcemia with varying sensitivity and specificity.
Effect of various conditions on the sublingual absorption of para-aminosalicylic acid.

Abstract This study was undertaken to determine the effect of different solvent bases and conditions on the sublingual absorption of para-aminosalicylic acid. A standard sublingual dose of 500 mg. in 1.0 c.c. of vehicle was administered to white adult male rabbits. Measurable concentrations of PAS were present in the blood as early as 10 minutes after administration, and peak concentrations occurred in 80 minutes. The total absorption of PAS was 34.8 per cent in a period of 160 minutes. The amount and degree of drug absorbed were decreased slightly by the use of sucrose, ethyl alcohol, or vegetable oil as a vehicle. Both alcohol and vegetable oil increased the rate of absorption, as was evidenced by an earlier peak of absorption. Experiments in which the jugular vein was ligated bilaterally still showed that 21 per cent of the administered dose was absorbed in the experimental period. Such absorption was presumed to be through the lymphatic system. The sublingual route would not appear to be an effective way of administering PAS clinically, since it is absorbed more completely orally.
Use Rates, Resource Flows, and Efficiency of Public Investment in Range Improvements

Conservation: Economics and Policies, e has been widely cited in the natural resource literature in several disciplines since its publication in 1952 [7]. Despite an abundance of citations, there is reason to suspect that Ciriacy-Wantrup's rigorous treatment of certain fundamental concepts has been neither fully recognized nor exploited by subsequent researchers. This paper focuses on one such concept, i.e., interactions between use rates and subsequent resource flows. Empirical application is made through ex post analysis of a large set of public range investments, the Vale Project (Bureau of Land Management) in eastern Oregon. An argument is developed that the methodology employed here is both necessary in terms of theoretical underpinnings and facilitative in terms of quantitative measurement.'
Reversible inactivation of the tumor suppressor PTEN by H2O2.

The tumor suppressor PTEN regulates cell migration, growth, and survival by removing the 3′-phosphate of phosphoinositides. Exposure of purified PTEN or of cells to H2O2 resulted in inactivation of PTEN in a time- and H2O2concentration-dependent manner. Analysis of various cysteine mutants, including mass spectrometry of tryptic peptides, indicated that the essential Cys124 residue in the active site of PTEN specifically forms a disulfide with Cys71during oxidation by H2O2. The reduction of H2O2-oxidized PTEN in cells appears to be mediated predominantly by thioredoxin. Thus, thioredoxin was more efficient than glutaredoxin, glutathione, or a 14-kDa thioredoxin-like protein with regard to the reduction of oxidized PTEN in vitro. Thioredoxin co-immunoprecipitated with PTEN from cell lysates; and incubation of cells with 2,4-dinitro-1-chlorobenzene (an inhibitor of thioredoxin reductase) delayed the reduction of oxidized PTEN, whereas incubation with buthioninesulfoximine (an inhibitor of glutathione biosynthesis) did not. These results suggest that the reversible inactivation of PTEN by H2O2might be important for the accumulation of 3′-phosphorylated phosphoinositides and that the uncontrolled generation of H2O2 associated with certain pathological conditions might contribute to cell proliferation by inhibiting PTEN function.
Magnetospheric imaging with low-energy neutral atoms.

Abstract Global imaging of the magnetospheric charged particle population can be achieved by remote measurement of the neutral atoms produced when magnetospheric ions undergo charge exchange with cold exospheric neutral atoms. Previously suggested energetic neutral atom imagers were only able to measure neutral atoms with energies typically greater than several tens of keV. A laboratory prototype has been built and tested for a different type of space plasma neutral imaging instrument, which allows neutral atoms to be imaged down to <1 keV. Such low-energy measurements provide greater sensitivity for imaging the terrestrial magnetosphere and allow the bulk of the magnetospheric ion distribution, typically centered below 10 keV, to be observed rather than just the high-energy tail of the distribution. The low-energy neutral atom measurements are made possible by utilizing charge state modifications that occur when an initially neutral atom passes through an ultrathin carbon foil. Oxygen, for example, is highly electronegative, and for energies of approximately 10-30 keV, the O- yield is approximately 30%, essentially independent of the charge state of the incident oxygen atom. These ions are energy per charge analyzed, and the UV background is rejected by using an electrostatic analyzer. Imaging of other ion species, such as hydrogen, could also be accomplished by using ultrathin foil-induced charge state modifications. The technique described in this paper provides a method for imaging charge exchange neutrals from the terrestrial magnetosphere and would also have applications for similar imaging in other planetary or cometary environs. The Inner Magnetosphere Imaging Mission, which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is presently considering, would provide a nearly ideal platform for low-energy neutral atom imaging, and such measurements would substantially enhance the scientific yield of this mission.
Mercury Cycling in Stream Ecosystems. 3. Trophic Dynamics and Methylmercury Bioaccumulation

Trophic dynamics (community composition and feeding relationships) have been identified as important drivers of methylmercury (MeHg) bioaccumulation in lakes, reservoirs, and marine ecosystems. The relative importance of trophic dynamics and geochemical controls on MeHg bioaccumulation in streams, however, remains poorly characterized. MeHg bioaccumulation was evaluated in eight stream ecosystems across the United States (Oregon, Wisconsin, and Florida) spanning large ranges in climate, landscape characteristics, atmospheric Hg deposition, and stream chemistry. Across all geographic regions and all streams, concentrations of total Hg (THg) in top predator fish and forage fish, and MeHg in invertebrates, were strongly positively correlated to concentrations of filtered THg (FTHg), filtered MeHg (FMeHg), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC); to DOC complexity (as measured by specific ultraviolet absorbance); and to percent wetland in the stream basins. Correlations were strongest for nonurban streams. Althoug...
Delivering student satisfaction in higher education: A QFD approach

Evaluation of courses and instructors by students is now common in higher education and, notwithstanding the reservations attending the choice of students as arbiters of teaching quality, many feel that the overall consequence has been a marked improvement in teaching. In this paper we measure quality of teaching by the student satisfaction it generates. Drawing on the well known gap model of customer satisfaction, we model student satisfaction as the gap between student perception and student expectation, and focus on the management of this gap from the perspective of the individual course instructor. The instructor has four critical tasks: understanding student expectation; deploying that understanding into the design of the course; conforming to design specifications in course delivery; and managing student perception. The overall approach is likened to QFD (Quality Function Deployment) — the well known tool of quality management.
A parallel pipelined relational query processor

This paper presents the design of a relational query processor. The query processor consists of only four processing PIPEs and a number of random-access memory modules. Each PIPE processes tuples of relations in a bit-serial, tuple-parallel manner for each of the primitive database operations which comprise a complex relational query. The design of the query processor meets three major objectives: the query processor must be manufacturable using existing and near-term LSI (VLSI) technology; it must support in a uniform manner both the numeric and nonnumeric processing requirements a high-level user interface like SQL presents; and it must support the query-processing strategy derived in the query optimizer to satisfy certain system-wide performance optimality criteria.
Neurological picture. Sub-acute hydrocephalus in a patient with influenza A (H3N2) virus-related cerebellitis.

A 47-year-old man with a history of HCV-related hepatitis, bilateral kidney malformations with chronic renal failure in dialysis, and an attempt of kidney transplantation failed for rejection, developed rapidly worsening bitemporal headache without any preceding symptoms. He was at home, and was able to drive to the hospital where he should have undergone a scheduled dialysis session. Soon after his arrival to the hospital, and just before starting haemodialysis in the nephrology department, he presented a hypertensive crisis (systolic blood pressure >200 mm Hg) associated with agitation, mental confusion and …
Virtual cost approach: Electricity consumption scheduling for smart grids/cities in price-directed electricity markets

In this paper a new approach for electricity consumption scheduling for smart grids/cities in price-directed electricity markets is presented. The new approach, named virtual cost, integrates electricity price forecasting and load forecasting to obtain an optimal consumption pattern. The goal of virtual cost approach is to provide the springboard for automated consumption scheduling with minimum human intervention, while reducing the expenses for electricity purchasing. Towards that end, the proposed approach takes into consideration three factors: the anticipated electricity price for a day-ahead horizon, the respective anticipated load and an upper limit for expenses that is manually input by the consumer. Integration of these factors allows the intelligent meter through which the consumer is connected to smart grid to make decisions over load consumption scheduling aiming at reducing cost. The proposed approach is tested on real world data taken from the New England area. Results exhibit a reduction in consumption expenses, indicating the potentiality of the virtual cost approach as an automated scheduling tool for electricity consumption in price directed electricity markets.
Surfactant-surfactant molecular interactions in mixed monolayers at a highly hydrophobic solid/aqueous solution interface and their relationship to enhanced spreading on the solid substrate

Spreading of mixed aqueous hydrocarbon-chain surfactant solutions on the solid polyethylene (PE) surface has been studied. Synergistic effect on the spreading of the mixed surfactant solution on the PE film has been observed, and the obtained spreading is comparable to superspreading normally obtainable from trisiloxane-based surfactants. Some other interfacial phenomena related to surfactant spreading, such as surfactant−surfactant molecular interactions in the mixtures adsorbed at various interfaces, dynamic contact angle change of the mixed surfactant solutions during the process of spreading on the hydrophobic PE substrate, and surfactant adsorption at the solid/liquid and air/liquid interfaces have been investigated. It is suggested that stronger surfactant−surfactant attractive interactions and greater adsorption at the PE powder/aqueous solution interface than at the air/aqueous solution interface account for the observed spreading enhancement in the mixed hydrocarbon-chain surfactant systems, whic...
Client-based authentication technology: user-centric authentication using secure containers

Today's authentication suffers from unsolved problems in security and usability. Adversaries have multiple attack vectors with which to steal user credentials, including phishing, malware, and attacks on service providers. Current security practices such as password-complexity policies and idle timeouts often compromise usability. We propose our solution, Client-Based Authentication Technology (CBAT), to simultaneously improve security and usability in authentication. The main component of CBAT is our Trusted Identity Manager (TIM), which resides within a hardware-based secure container on the user's system. The TIM asserts the user's authentication to local and remote service providers without releasing the user's credentials. In addition, the TIM non-intrusively monitors the user's physical presence and locks the system if the user leaves. We provide architectural and implementation details of CBAT in hopes of improving current methods of authentication.
Determining fracture toughness of polyethylene from fatigue

A newly developed fatigue method of determining the value of the J-integral at crack initiation, J 1C, was tested on single-edge-notch-tension (SENT) specimens of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The fatigue method is able to propagate plane-strain brittle cracks in thin specimens which more closely approximate the “in-use” thickness, and hence the “in-use” morphology, of the polymer. This newly developed fatigue method was compared to ASTM standard procedure E813 (the ASTM method), which employs thick single-edge-notch-bend (SENB) specimens. Because of the similar size and shape of the crack-tip damage zone, the J 1C values for both methods were nearly identical (J 1C=1.8 kJ m−2, 1.4 kJ m−2 for the ASTM method and fatigue method, respectively).
Further studies of the effects of intranigral morphine on behavioral responses to noxious stimuli

Abstract Bilateral intranigral microinjection of morphine produces dose-related and naloxone reversible analgesic-like effects on the hot-plate and tail-flick tests. The main objectives of the present studies were to further characterize the analgesic-like effects of intranigral morphine, to determine whether these effects were related to a general impairment of sensory or motor function, and to assess their anatomical specificity. The principal findings are: (1) intranigral morphine (10 μg) suppresses pain-related behavior without altering responses to a variety of non-noxious auditory, visual, and somatic stimuli, and without producing motor impairment; (2) movement of injector needles approximately 1 mm rostral, dorsal, or medial to the active nigral site significantly reduces the analgesic-like effect of morphine on the tail-flick test; and (3) electrolytic lesions confined to the nigra significantly reduced the analgesic-like effect of morphine on the hot-plate test. It is concluded that the analgesic-like effects of intranigral morphine are mediated by the substantia nigra and that these effects are specifically related to pain.
Vibration compensation for high speed scanning tunneling microscopy

Low scanning speed is a fundamental limitation of scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs), making real time imaging of surface processes and nanofabrication impractical. The effective scanning bandwidth is currently limited by the smallest resonant vibrational frequency of the piezobased positioning system (i.e., scanner) used in the STM. Due to this limitation, the acquired images are distorted during high speed operations. In practice, the achievable scan rates are much less than 1/10th of the resonant vibrational frequency of the STM scanner. To alleviate the scanning speed limitation, this article describes an inversion-based approach that compensates for the structural vibrations in the scanner and thus, allows STM imaging at high scanning speeds (relative to the smallest resonant vibrational frequency). Experimental results are presented to show the increase in scanning speeds achievable by applying the vibration compensation methods.
AN ANALYSIS OF PAIRED COMPARISON DESIGNS WITH INCOMPLETE REPETITIONS

Experiments involving paired comparisons have mainly concerned the situation where each judge compares all possible pairs of treatments or objects. In certain types of experiments, this may require an excessive number of comparisons to be made by any observer. To overcome this handicap, Bose (1956) and Kendall (1955) constructed certain designs, symmetrical with respect to objects and judges, which do not require each judge to compare all possible pairs of objects. However, neither Bose nor Kendall proposed any procedure of analysis in their respective papers. The purpose of this paper is to consider the problem of analysis of the Bose-Kendall paired comparison designs. This analysis is carried out in the tradition of the fundamental Bradley-Terry (1952) paper concerning the situation where all possible pairs are compared by each judge. Using the Bradley-Terry mathematical model, likelihood ratio tests are constructed in detail for certain classes of hypotheses, and are stated for some additional situations of interest. To exemplify the test procedures, the proposed analysis is applied to an experiment involving pairwise comparison of handwriting specimens.
LESBIANS AND DOCTORS Experiences of Solidarity and Domination in Health Care Settings

A multiracial, socioeconomically diverse sample of 45 lesbians describe power relations in both satisfactory and problematic health care encounters with physicians. Whether doctors act in solidarity or dominate them is pivotal to lesbians' health care experiences. Solidarity means compassionate competence, empowering information exchange, and negotiated action. Domination takes form in the withholding of information, doomsaying, defensive dismissals, sexist comments, body sculpting, reproductive regulation, and bodily transgression.
Chemical and electrical properties of ZnTe based solar cells

ZnTe is a candidate low-cost II-VI absorber material of wide band gap (E G = 2.24 eV) with potential of enhanced open circuit voltage and application for tandem cells. Fundamental chemical and electronic properties related to the processing of ZnTe-based devices are demonstrated. We used x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and photoemission spectroscopy to analyze film structure, morphology, chemical composition and valence band structure of ZnTe/ZnSe films deposited sequential close space sublimation. Specifically, interfacial Se oxide was observed and caused band offsets apparent in the heterojunction band energy diagram. Processing steps to mitigate oxidation yielded the best cells.
Design and Implementation of Nonlinear Force Controllers for Friction Stir Welding Processes

In friction stir welding (FSW) processes, force control can be used to achieve good welding quality. This paper presents the systematic design and implementation of FSW force controllers. The axial and path forces are modeled as nonlinear functions of the FSW process parameters (i.e., plunge depth, tool traverse rate, and tool rotation speed). Equipment models, which include communication delays, are constructed to relate the commanded and measured actuator signals. Based on the dynamic process and equipment models, nonlinear feedback controllers for the axial and path forces are designed using the polynomial pole placement technique. The controllers are implemented in a Smith predictor-corrector structure to compensate for the inherent equipment communication delays, and the controller parameters are tuned to achieve the best closed loop response possible given equipment limitations. In the axial force controller implementation, a constant axial force is maintained, even when gaps are encountered during the welding process. In the path force controller implementation, a constant path force is maintained, even in the presence of gaps, and wormhole generation during the welding process is eliminated by regulating the path force.
Damping of belt-driven servomechanisms using low-density, low-wave-speed materials

We study the dynamics of servomechanisms in which power is transmitted from the motor to payload using a flat steel belt. The bandwidth of control in such systems is usually limited by a resonance in which the payload and motor oscillate out of phase and the belt undergoes longitudinal strains. In this paper, we conduct experiments on a linear positioning system, show that significant damping in the drive resonance can be attained by attaching a layer of low-wave-speed foam to the belt, and develop a simple model of this damping phenomenon.
Limitations on the use of a single screening question to measure sedentary behavior.

Objectives. This study explored the limitations of identifying sedentary individuals via an existing screening question in a state-based surveillance system. Methods. A national sample (n = 7529) of adults, selected by random-digit dialing between November 1999 and May 2000, responded about participation in leisure-time physical activity. Results. Of those who initially reported no leisure-time physical activity (25%), 85% were engaging in at least some activity, and 20% were engaging in enough moderate- or vigorous-intensity activity to meet health-related recommendations. Conclusions. Public health programs that use only 1 screening question to identify sedentary behavior may not be able to target physical activity messages effectively, especially if physical activity is defined to include a broad range of activities beyond sports.
Creativity or mental illness: Possible errors of relational priming in neural networks of the brain

If connectionist computational models explain the acquisition of complex cognitive skills, errors in such models would also help explain unusual brain activity such as in creativity – as well as in mental illness, including childhood onset problems with social behaviors in autism, the inability to maintain focus in attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and the lack of motivation of depression disorders.
Improvement in exercise capacity despite cardiac deterioration: Noninvasive assessment of long-term therapy with amrinone in severe heart failure

Seven patients with severe congestive heart failure (CHF) were treated with oral amrinone for a mean duration of 39 weeks (range 16 to 72). During the first week of therapy, exercise capacity as assessed on a treadmill using the Naughton protocol, increased substantially from 7.6 +/- 4.2 to 12.1 +/- 4.4 minutes (p less than 0.01). At an early period of follow-up (8 to 12 weeks), a further significant increase in exercise capacity to 14.7 +/- 5.0 minutes (p less than 0.05) was demonstrated, while at a later follow-up exercise capacity had decreased to 11.4 +/- 6.8 minutes (p less than 0.05). This was still significantly greater than prior to amrinone therapy (p less than 0.01). Left ventricular ejection fraction was increased from 14 +/- 4 to 19 +/- 4% (p less than 0.05) during the first week of therapy, but was not significantly different from control at the early and late periods of follow-up. Left ventricular end-diastolic dimension index increased from control value of 43 +/- 5 to 47 +/- 7 mm/m2 (p less than 0.01) at the late period of follow-up. Thus long-term amrinone therapy resulted in a substantial improvement in exercise capacity despite a slow, but progressive decline in cardiac performance.
Protein Intake, Brain Amino Acid and Serotonin Concentrations and Protein Self-Selection

Analysis of evidence of associations among dietary protein content, brain amino acid and serotonin concentrations, and protein self-selection by rats suggests that 1) protein intake is not regulated precisely, although rats will select between low and high protein diets to obtain an adequate, but not excessive, amount of protein; 2) associations between brain serotonin concentration and protein intake are weak, although consumption of single meals of protein-deficient diets will elevate brain serotonin concentration; 3) the nature of signals that drive rats to avoid diets containing inadequate or excessive amounts of protein remains obscure; (4) whole brain amino acid and serotonin concentrations are quite stable over the usual range of protein intakes, owing to competition among amino acids for uptake across the blood-brain barrier and effective metabolic regulation of blood amino acid concentrations; 5) protein intake and preference are not in themselves regulated, but what appears to be regulation of intake and preference is a reflection of the responses of systems for control of plasma amino acid concentrations; and (6) the relative stability of the average protein intake of groups of self-selecting rats (which gives the appearance of regulation) results from averaging the variable behavioral responses--learned aversions and preferences--of rats to the variety of sensory cues arising from diets that differ in protein content.
The Use of Radioactive Tagged Lipids in the Differential Diagnosis of Jaundice

Summary 1.Fifty patients with surgical and medical jaundice have been studied with an oral radioactive fat tolerance test. 2.Surgical jaundice due to carcinoma of the head of the pancreas, cholelithiasis, or bile duct malignancy was associated with a flat blood radioactivity curve in almost every case. In nonsurgical conditions due to hepatitis, cirrhosis, or hepatic neoplasm, the results indicated normal absorption of the tagged fat in all but 1 patient. 3.The method appeared to be of especial value in distinguishing intrahepatic from extrahepatic cholestasis, in which conditions liver function tests are frequently similar.
An architectural view of game theoretic control

Game-theoretic control is a promising new approach for distributed resource allocation. In this paper, we describe how game-theoretic control can be viewed as having an intrinsic layered architecture, which provides a modularization that simplifies the control design. We illustrate this architectural view by presenting details about one particular instantiation using potential games as an interface. This example serves to highlight the strengths and limitations of the proposed architecture while also illustrating the relationship between game-theoretic control and other existing approaches to distributed resource allocation.
A CHECK ON THE THEORY OF FLUID AND CRYSTALLIZED INTELLIGENCE WITH DESCRIPTION OF NEW SUBTEST DESIGNS

Several important theories about human abilities contend in the field today. Salient features of these theories have been explicated and critically evaluated in several recent publications. For example, Horn (1972, 1976, 1977a, 1977b, 1978a, 1978b) has considered the evidence in relation to the classical theories of general intelligence, Thurstone's primary mental abilities structure, the hierarchical theories of the British psychologists (Burt & Vernon) and Humphreys, the Piagetian system, Guilford's structure of intellect model, Guttman's analytic/achievement distinction, and Jensen's level I/level II conception. Matarazzo (1972) has looked at much of this evidence from the position of one presenting a new handbook for the Wechsler scales. Cattell (1963, 1971) and Horn (1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977a, 1978a, 1978b) have evaluated the evidence in terms of theories of fluid (Gf) and crystallized (Gc) intelligence. Several recent efforts have been directed at linking together the evidence and theory deriving from study of information processing or cognitive psychology, on the one hand, and the study of individual differences, on the other hand (Carroll, 1976; Horn, 1978c; Hunt, 1978; Sternberg, 1977). The hypotheses of these theories that pertain to organization among abilities are of major importance for understanding the present study. The classical viewpoint (Spearman-Binet-Wechsler) is still quite influential, particularly in applied settings. The major concept of this kind of theory is a single general factor of intelligence comprised of a collection of abilities. A concept of general intelligence is also an important feature of Piagetian theory, but in place of a collection of abilities this theory postulates a collection of schemata, these being cognitive laws in accordance with which a person explains or understands his conception of reality. In Guilford's model the domain of behavior represented by a general intellective factor is described in terms of a large number of distinct abilities said to be indicated by uncorrelated factors. This theory can be viewed as one of several efforts to deal with the proliferation of ability factors presented to the literature since the modern computer came on the scene (Humphreys, 1962). Other notable
Gender and Public Talk: Accounting for Women’s Variable Participation in the Public Sphere

This article develops a theory of the gendered character of public talk as a way to account for women’s variable participation in the settings that make up the public sphere. Public settings for citizen talk such as radio call-in shows, social networking sites, letters to the editor, and town hall meetings are culturally coded female or male. In feminized settings, where the people who organize public talk are from feminized professions and where the favored modes of talk and action emphasize stereotypically feminine values, women are likely to be as active and influential participants as men. We test this proposition by way of an examination of the organized public deliberative forums in which many Americans today discuss policy issues. We show that women truly are equal participants in these forums. We account for this surprising development by demonstrating the female gendered character of the contemporary field of organized public deliberation.
User control of the proton beam injection trajectories into the AGS booster

The 1.5 GeV (proton) booster synchrotron nearing completion at the AGS (Alternating Gradient Synchrotron) will get its 200 MeV beam from the linac, via a 34.9 m-long linac-to-booster transport line (LTB). A schematic layout of the LTB is shown. The four dipoles, which are identical and are operated in series, provide a 126 degrees bend in the line. The authors employed three strategies for implementing control of the trajectory, namely, (1) a global correction, (2) a local correction, and (3) a zeroing correction. These, as well as their implementation, are discussed. Operating experience obtained from early commissioning runs are given. The hardware and software implementations are described. >
Depletion of Raf-1 protooncogene by geldanamycin causes apoptosis in human luteinized granulosa cells ☆

Abstract Objective: To investigate the hypothesis that epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling in luteinized granulosa cells works through Raf-1 and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and that depletion of Raf-1 by geldanamycin will inhibit the signaling pathway and cause apoptosis. Design: Laboratory study. Setting: University of Minnesota. Patient(s): Human luteinized granulosa cells from IVF patients. Intervention(s): The cells were treated with vehicle (DMSO), 0.5 μM of geldanamycin, 10 ng/mL of EGF, and geldanamycin + EGF. Main Outcome Measure(s): Radiochemical MAP kinase assay, Western blotting, confocal microscopy, and flow cytometry. Result(s): Geldanamycin treatment depleted Raf-1 and lowered MAP kinase activity in luteinized granulosa cells. EGF treatment increased MAP kinase phosphorylation and translocation of the phosphorylated MAP kinase to the nucleus. Geldanamycin blocked this effect. Cleavage of caspase-3, the executioner protein in apoptosis, into an active 17 kD fragment was observed by Western blotting in geldanamycin-treated cells. Finally, by flow cytometry we observed significantly increased percentages of subdiploid apoptotic nuclei in geldanamycin-treated cells. Conclusion(s): In human luteinized granulosa cells, EGF works through Raf-1, and MAP kinase and depletion of Raf-1 by geldanamycin resulted in decreased MAP kinase activity, increased activated caspase-3, and, ultimately, apoptosis.
A method for providing program interoperability for end-users

In this paper we present an overview of a method for providing program interoperability at the end-user level. Using our method, developers can make their applications capable of supporting end-user program interoperability independently of any operating platform or implementation language.
Oxalate Toxicity in LLC-PK1 Cells, a Line of Renal Epithelial Cells

AbstractPurpose: The present studies assessed the possibility that high concentrations of oxalate may be toxic to renal epithelial cells.Materials and Methods: Subconfluent cultures of LLC-PK1 cells were exposed to oxalate, and the effects on cell morphology, membrane permeability to vital dyes, DNA integrity and cell density were assessed.Results: Oxalate exposure produced time- and concentration-dependent changes in the light microscopic appearance of LLC-PK1 cells with higher concentrations (greater than 140 micromolar) inducing marked cytosolic vacuolization and nuclear pyknosis. Exposure to oxalate also increased membrane permeability to vital dyes, promoted DNA fragmentation and, at high concentrations (350 micromolar free oxalate), induced a net loss of LLC-PK1 cells.Conclusions: Since high concentrations of oxalate can be toxic to renal epithelial cells, hyperoxaluria may contribute to several forms of renal disease including both calcium oxalate stone disease and end-stage renal disease.
Coding with ASCII: compact, yet text-based 3D content

Because of the convenience of a text-based format 3D content is often published in the form of a gzipped file that contains an ASCII description of the scene graph. While compressed image, audio, and video data is kept in separate binary files, polygon meshes and interpolators are usually included uncompressed into the ASCII description, as there is no widely-accepted standard for such data. We show how to use compressed polygon meshes and compressed interpolators within a purely text-based format. Our scheme codes these data-heavy nodes as ASCII strings that compress well with standard gzip compression. Specifically we demonstrate the efficiency of this technique on a sparse scene composed of many small polygon meshes. While typical for 3D content on the Web, such scenes tend to be more difficult to compress.
Estimating health utilities and quality adjusted life years in seasonal affective disorder research.

Abstract Background Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) episodes will recur annually without effective intervention. Effectiveness of such interventions is traditionally measured with depression-specific tools (e.g., Beck Depression Inventory 2nd Edition; BDI-II). In a climate of potentially scarce resources, generic outcomes, such as Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs), are recommended for cost-effectiveness research. For treatments to be deemed cost-effective, they must show effectiveness relative to each other and relative to interventions across other disorders. To date, QALYs have not been used to determine effectiveness of SAD treatments. Given the recurrent nature of SAD, QALYs, which weight quality of life with time, are an ideal SAD treatment outcome. Method A method to assess QALYs for SAD was developed using pilot clinical trial data. The method estimated health utilities, a measure of quality of life for a QALY, by anchoring pilot BDI-II data from the SAD clinical trial with previously derived health utilities for nonseasonal depression. Results Relative to no treatment, median QALYs gained ranged from 0.11–0.18 over 1 year, depending on the intervention assessed. Discussion: Any treatment for SAD must compete with spontaneous spring remission, as illness severity attenuates in the spring. Limitations Health utilities were estimated from the depression literature, and potential side effects from SAD treatments were not included in the estimates. The clinical trial time horizon was limited to 1-year. Conclusions The proposed method offers researchers a tool to transform SAD efficacy data into a generic outcome for use in cost-effectiveness analysis of SAD treatments.
Preparation of nanoparticles of silver halides, superconductors and magnetic materials using water-in-oil microemulsions as nano-reactors

I. II. III. IV. V. ABSTRACT Water-in-oil microemulsions have been used for the synthesis of a variety of nano- particles since the technique was first introduced in 1982. In this paper we have reviewed several articles pertaining to the synthesis of nanoparticles in microemulsions and described in some detail our research efforts in the past decade in the field of synthesis of nanoparticles of silver halides, superconductors and magnetic materials using water- in-oil microemulsions as nano-reactors.
Integrated microarchitectural floorplanning and run-time controller for inductive noise mitigation

In this article, we propose a design methodology using two complementary techniques to address high-frequency inductive noise in the early design phase of a microprocessor. First, we propose a noise-aware floorplanning technique that uses microarchitectural profile information to create noise-aware floorplans. Second, we present the design of a dynamic inductive-noise controlling mechanism at the microarchitectural level, which limits the on-die current demand within predefined bounds, regardless of the native power and current characteristics of running applications. By dynamically monitoring the access patterns of microarchitectural modules, our mechanism can effectively limit simultaneous switching activity of close-by modules, thereby leveling voltage ringing at local power-pins. Compared to prior art, our di/dt alleviation technique is the first that takes the processor's floorplan, as well as its power-pin distribution, into account to provide a finer-grained control with minimal performance degradation. Based on the evaluation results using 2D floorplans, we show that our techniques can significantly improve inductive noise induced by current demand variation and reduce the average current variability by up to 7 times, with an average performance overhead of 4.0p. In addition, our floorplan reduces the noise margin violations using our noise-aware floorplan by an average of 56.3p while reducing the decap budget by 28p.
Cyclin D1 Expression in Dysplastic Nevi

Abstract Objective.—We previously surveyed cyclin D1 expression in common acquired nevi, Spitz nevi, and malignant melanomas and reported that benign nevi maintain a zonal pattern of cyclin D1 expression, in contrast with malignant melanomas. Our aim was to extend those observations by examining cyclin D1 expression in dysplastic nevi. Methods.—Cyclin D1 overexpression in 23 dysplastic nevi was detected by an immunohistochemical technique. The extent of atypia of the nevi was graded as mild, moderate, or severe, using previously established criteria. Results.—Cyclin D1 overexpression in dysplastic nevi maintained a zonal pattern, similar to Spitz nevi. Cyclin D1 overexpression was greatest in the region of the epidermal-dermal junction and was significantly less prominent in the papillary and reticular dermis, suggesting that cyclin D1 expression is under cell control and correlates with maturation of nevus cells. Cyclin D1 overexpression also correlated with cytologic atypia, as dysplastic nevi with mode...
R1A SUBCLADES AND BRONZE AGE MIGRATIONS ON THE EURASIAN STEPPES

Until recently, our knowledge of the prehistoric world has been blur in many aspects. It was unclear, whether if migrations, conquest, or merely cultural diffusion led from one culture to the other. By the beginning of the 20th century, the introduction of genetics into the study of ancient history gave opportunity for a deeper insight to the prehistoric world. As more and more genetic traces are explored, it becomes more and more possible to identify the routes and time of prehistoric migrations. If we can decode the information hidden in genetic data, a turbulent picture of migrations and conquest between certain prehistoric cultures emerges in front of our eyes. This paper attempts to identify prehistoric migrations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia from the Neolithic to the Bronz Age, based on statistical data of genetic samples.
Addressing basic resource needs to improve primary care quality: a community collaboration programme

Background Unmet basic resource needs, such as difficulty affording healthcare, medications, food and housing, may contribute to worse healthcare quality indicators, but interventions are hampered by lack of specific knowledge regarding the distribution of unmet basic resource needs and their association with priority clinical conditions and health service use patterns. Methods Cross-sectional study of primary care patients in two urban academic practices from 1 October 2013 to 30 April 2014. Patients were screened for unmet needs and enrolled in a programme to link them with community resources. Key measures included patient report of unmet basic resource needs, clinical conditions prioritised by quality improvement programmes (hypertension, diabetes and depression), and health service use patterns such as frequent emergency department (ED) visits (>2 in the preceding year) and frequent clinic ‘no-shows’ (>1 in the preceding year). Results 416 patients with unmet needs were included, and compared with 2750 patients who did not report needs. The most common types of needs reported were: difficulties affording healthcare (46.5%), food (40.1%) and utilities (36.3%). Patients who reported unmet needs were more likely to have depression (17.8% vs 9.5%, p Conclusions Difficulty affording healthcare and food are particularly common needs among patients with priority conditions. Strategies to identify and address unmet needs as part of routine care may be an important way to improve healthcare quality.