cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing the competencies in general surgery residency training

Abstract Background Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies have increased the focus on education. A 1-year study of observational assessments was conducted. Methods “Point of Observation” evaluations were completed by faculty for postgraduate year (PGY) I and II surgery residents. Resident procedures and patient office visits were rated in 9 categories, using a Likert scale. Interns were expected to perform at a novice level (0–30%) and PGY II residents at an advanced level, with improvements expected. Results PGY I and II residents showed overall improved scores (12% and 6%, respectively) over 1 year. Intern improvements in 9 categories were linear, ranging from 0% to 48%. PGY II resident scores were more variable, with improvements noted in 6 categories ranging from 10% to 30%. Three categories declined in scores, ranging from 2% to 18%. Conclusions Competencies bring emphasis to education and measurable outcomes. Early efforts have proven valuable in identifying curriculum and learning needs.
The sugar model: autocatalytic activity of the triose-ammonia reaction.

Reaction of triose sugars with ammonia under anaerobic conditions yielded autocatalytic products. The autocatalytic behavior of the products was examined by measuring the effect of the crude triose–ammonia reaction product on the kinetics of a second identical triose–ammonia reaction. The reaction product showed autocatalytic activity by increasing both the rate of disappearance of triose and the rate of formation of pyruvaldehyde, the product of triose dehydration. This synthetic process is considered a reasonable model of origin-of-life chemistry because it uses plausible prebiotic substrates, and resembles modern biosynthesis by employing the energized carbon groups of sugars to drive the synthesis of autocatalytic molecules.
Popular art and education

One of cultural theory’s most pressing tasks is the aesthetic legitimation and analysis of popular art, a task whose significance is powerfully social and political as well as aesthetic. Since so much of so many lives is immersed in or affected by popular art, refusal to accept or understand its aesthetic import intensifies painful divisions in society, and even in ourselves. We are made to disdain the things that give us pleasure and to feel ashamed of the pleasure they give.
The Economic Depression of the Renaissance

VYW henever a medievalist ventures to talk about the Renaissance, he knows that he will be automatically suspect of bias, even if he utters nothing but praise. How much more suspect when he dares to introduce economic depression in the midst of artistic plenty! At a I954 meeting of the American Historical Association, which I contend was packed with historians of art, my comments on what I then believed (and still believe) to be the basic economic trend of the Renaissance 'elicited a lively discussion', which is a polite understatement of the fact that I narrowly escaped lynching. I am willing to admit that the fault was mine. No doubt I had overstated my case, in an effort to apply an irresistible force of dissent against a seemingly unmovable consensus. Actually, the consensus did not include economic historians. Henri Pirenne, that untiring pathfinder, first expressed some doubts as to the purported continuity of economic growth in the latest thousand years, and spoke of a 'crisis of saturation' in the mid-fourteenth century; but he did not elaborate or pursue the inquiry into the following period.2 Then a handful of scholars, such as Abel, Barbagallo, Perroy, Postan, Schreiner, van Werveke (this alphabetical list does not aim at completeness), came to concurrent conclusions in a number of monographic studies.3 The independent variations on one theme became a quintet in the second volume of the Cambridge Economic History (published 1952, but written as early as I945, by one at least of its contributors). There, four or five writers, without any previous conspiracy, found themselves in agreement: not only the mid-fourteenth century, but a much longer period after it, marked some kind of slackening in the economic expansion of Europe. This slackening, it was later suggested, may also have occurred in China and the rest of the Old World, perhaps not without some relation to the general medical and climatic history of the age.4
Multidisk neutron velocity selectors

Abstract Helical multidisk velocity selectors used for neutron scattering applications have been analyzed and tested experimentally. Design and performance considerations are discussed along with simple explanation of the basic concept. A simple progression is used for the inter-disk spacing in the “Rosta” design. Ray tracing computer investigations are presented in order to assess the “coverage” (how many absorbing layers are stacked along the path of “wrong” wavelength neutrons) and the relative number of neutrons absorbed in each disk (and therefore the relative amount of gamma radiation emitted from each disk). We discuss whether a multidisk velocity selector can be operated in the “reverse” configuration (i.e. the selector is turned by 180° around a vertical axis with the rotor spun in the reverse direction). Experimental tests and calibration of a multidisk selector are reported together with evidence that a multidisk selector can be operated in the “reverse” configuration.
Disruption of Sur2-containing KATP channels enhances insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle

ATP-sensitive potassium channels (KATP) are involved in a diverse array of physiologic functions including protection of tissue against ischemic insult, regulation of vascular tone, and modulation of insulin secretion. To improve our understanding of the role of KATP in these processes, we used a gene-targeting strategy to generate mice with a disruption in the muscle-specific KATP regulatory subunit, SUR2. Insertional mutagenesis of the Sur2 locus generated homozygous null (Sur2−/−) mice and heterozygote (Sur2+/−) mice that are viable and phenotypically similar to their wild-type littermates to 6 weeks of age despite, respectively, half or no SUR2 mRNA expression or channel activity in skeletal muscle or heart. Sur2−/− animals had lower fasting and fed serum glucose, exhibited improved glucose tolerance during a glucose tolerance test, and demonstrated a more rapid and severe hypoglycemia after administration of insulin. Enhanced glucose use was also observed during in vivo hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp studies during which Sur2−/− mice required a greater glucose infusion rate to maintain a target blood glucose level. Enhanced insulin action was intrinsic to the skeletal muscle, as in vitro insulin-stimulated glucose transport was 1.5-fold greater in Sur2−/− muscle than in wild type. Thus, membrane excitability and KATP activity, to our knowledge, seem to be new components of the insulin-stimulated glucose uptake mechanism, suggesting possible future therapeutic approaches for individuals suffering from diabetes mellitus.
16 DETERMINATION OF URINARY EXCRETION OF CANNABINOIDS USING AN IMMUNOASSAY TECHNIQUE: A PILOT STUDY

Since manifestatiins of marijuana use and abuse are often nonspecific,a simple reliable technique to confirm such clinical supicions would be of grear use to physicians caring for adolescents. This pilot study employed the EMITRST immunoassay technique to monitor the urinary excretion of cannabinoids among 70 adolescents and young adults who had an abruot and closely supervised cessation of drug use upon adimission to a drug rehabilitation program. There were no falsely positive tests, so that the specificity for detecting recent marijuana use appears excellent. The sensitivity of the assay, however, was not as high. Among 19 subjects who had smoked 0.5–1 oz. of marijuana per month and who reported use in the previouw 12–24 hours, only 15 (79%) had positive urine tests. The duration of positive testing varied according to the intensity of past marijuana use. Among 5 subjects with a history of chronic, heavy marijuana use (≥2 oz. per month), urinary cannabinoids were detected for an average of 13 days (range 9–25 days) following cessation of use. With moderate use by subjects (1 oz. per month), testing remained positive for an average of 4.7 days (range 2–8 days), and with infrequent use ( 8 cinsecutive days after apparent cessation of use should therefore suggest either surreptious continuing use or previous chronic,heavy use. The EMITRST method for detecting recent marijuana use, and may be of practical value in confirming such clinical suspicions.
Spontaneous assembly of a hydrogen-bonded tetrahedron

Triphenylamine ortho-tricarboxylic acid (1) has been synthesized and the crystal structure reported. This molecule is shown to spontaneously self-assemble into a hydrogen-bonded tetrahedron. Furthermore, Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectroscopy shows evidence for the stability of such aggregates from an ethanol/water solution.
Synthesis and characterization of several zinc(II) complexes containing the bulky heteroscorpionate ligand bis(5-tert-butyl-3-methylpyrazol-2-yl)acetate: relevance to the resting states of the zinc(II) enzymes thermolysin and carboxypeptidase A

Abstract The syntheses and characterization of a series of zinc complexes containing the tripodal ligand bis(5-tert-butyl-3-methylpyrazol-2-yl)acetic acid (H2) which is designed to model the 2-His-1-carboxylate facial triad observed in the active sites of various metalloenzymes such as carboxypeptidase A (CPA) and thermolysin (TLN) are reported. Pseudotetrahedral complexes isolated include [Zn2(CH3)], [Zn2(Cl)], [Zn2(SPh)], [Zn2(OAc)], [Zn2(NCS)] and [Zn2(AH)]. In addition, a four (solution) or five-coordinate (solid state) cationic zinc aqua complex, [Zn2(OH2)]+ and a 5-coordinate zinc acetohydroxamate complex, [Zn2(AH)] were synthesized and structurally characterized. The former represents a structural mimic of the resting state while the latter depicts the inhibited state of zinc enzymes CPA and TLN. Crystal data: [Zn2(CH3)] crystallizes in the triclinic space group , with cell dimensions a=6.638(6) A, b=12.249(10) A, c=13.327(12) A, α=82.862(15)°, β=76.811(15)°, γ=88.988(17)° and Z=2; [Zn2(Cl)] crystallizes in the triclinic space group , with cell dimensions a=8.9933(7) A, b=9.7985(8) A, c=12.1536(9) A, α=94.0420(10)°, β=105.3950(10)°, γ=95.6490(10)° and Z=2; [Zn2(SPh)]·0.5CH2Cl2 crystallizes in the triclinic space group , with cell dimensions a=12.1273(15) A, b=12.9073(16) A, c=17.824(2) A, α=87.194(2)°, β=78.769(3)°, γ=76.027(2)° and Z=4; [Zn2(OH2)]ClO4 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/n, with cell dimensions a=12.620(2) A, b=11.1416(18) A, c=19.315(3) A, β=101.883(2)°, and Z=4; [Zn2(AH)]·3.25CH2Cl2 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pccn, with cell dimensions a=23.7791(6) A, b=14.1675(3) A, c=22.1213(5) A, α=β=γ=90° and Z=8. The 1H NMR spectra of these diamagnetic zinc complexes suggests that all complexes retain their overall symmetry in solution.
Choroidal schwannoma in a 6-month-old girl

Choroidal schwannomas are exceedingly rare in children, with only 6 cases reported in children younger than 18 years of age and none in those younger than 9 years. We report a 6-month-old infant presenting with a large noncalcified amelanotic mass with secondary glaucoma that mimicked an atypical retinoblastoma, leading to emergent enucleation for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Pathology revealed a total retinal detachment, glaucomatous damage, and a large mass arising from the peripapillary posterior choroid with areas of Antoni A pattern and S-100 staining consistent with the diagnosis of an intraocular schwannoma. This is the first intraocular schwannoma described in an infant.
Critical values for a steady-state identifier

Abstract A table of critical values for a recently proposed R -statistic for steady-state identification is presented. The power of the R -test is also discussed.
Endotoxemia in the neonatal lamb

Although gram-negative sepsis is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality, our understanding of endotoxemia in the neonate has been hampered by the lack of experimental models. Previous studies have suggested neonatal hyporesponsiveness to endotoxin. We studied unanesthetized neonatal lambs which had been exposed to the environment prior to study. These animals demonstrated the classic early phase changes of endotoxemia including pulmonary hypertension which was dependent upon prostanoid production. This model allows further studies of endotoxemia in the neonate.
Microlens performance limits in sub-2um pixel CMOS image sensors

CMOS image sensors are now widely used in digital imaging systems as pixel size has steadily decreased to allow higher-resolution imaging. When the pixel size scales below 2 mm, however, microlens performance is significantly affected by diffraction from the edges of the image sensor pixel. This results not only in quantitative performance degradation, but also in a qualitative shift in functionality. We perform a systematic analysis of microlens design during lateral scaling of CMOS image sensor pixels. The optical efficiency and optical crosstalk are calculated with a first-principles finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. We find that there are two regimes of operation for three-metal-layer pixels depending on pixel size and wavelength: a refraction-dominated regime for pixel sizes larger than 1.45 mm and a diffraction-dominated regime for pixel sizes smaller than 1.45 mm. In the refraction-dominated regime, the microlens can be designed and optimized to perform its concentrating function. In the diffraction-dominated regime, the optimal radii of curvature for microlenses are very large and a flat microlens layer, in fact, becomes the best choice and performance is severely degraded. Under these circumstances, the microlens no longer fulfills its optical function as a focusing element. To extend the functionality of the microlens beyond the 1.45 mm node, we predict that a one-metal-layer dielectric stack or shorter will be required.
Short and long-term delivery rates of meteoric 10Be to terrestrial soils

Well-constrained, long-term average meteoric 10Be deposition rates are important when meteoric 10Be is used as a chronometer or tracer of Earth surface processes. To constrain meteoric 10Be delivery to terrestrial soils, we estimate time-integrated 10Be deposition rates from meteoric 10Be inventories measured in dated soils and compare these results to a new synthesis of short-term measurements of 10Be in precipitation. Comparison of these long-term rates to short-term measurements suggests that short-term measurements likely predict long-term meteoric 10Be deposition rates within uncertainties of ~ 20%. In precipitation measurements, it is possible to deconvolve the contribution of atmospherically-produced “primary” meteoric 10Be from “recycled” meteoric 10Be delivered by terrestrial dust if a second isotope is measured that quantifies either the recycled or primary components of meteoric 10Be deposition. We use dust-concentration dependent differences between 7Be and 10Be measurements to make new estimates of the recycled contribution to total meteoric 10Be flux delivered to the Earth's surface. These dust-corrected data show a strong linear dependence between precipitation amount and primary meteoric 10Be flux. Concentrations of primary meteoric 10Be in mid- and low-latitude precipitation vary predictably by latitude between 0.63 · 104 and 2.05 · 104 atoms/cm3 of precipitation, providing a first-order estimate of primary meteoric 10Be deposition for a given latitude and precipitation rate.
Vitamin E Attenuates Peroxideinduced Vasoconstriction in the Human Placenta

Objective: Placental lipid peroxides and thromboxane are abnormally increased in preeclampsia. Peroxides stimulate thromboxane to increase placental vasoconstriction. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that inhibits lipid peroxidation. We, therefore, evaluated whether vitamin E would attenuate peroxideinduced vasoconstriction in the human placenta.Methods: Isolated human placental cotyledons (n = 6) were perfused for 20-min periods with control Krebs-Ringer-bicarbonate (KRB) buffer, 200 μM t-butyl hydroperoxide, control KRB buffer, 50 μM vitamin E, t-butyl hydroperoxide plus vitamin E, control KRB buffer, and t-butyl hydroperoxide alone.Main Outcome Measures: Fetal perfusion pressure was continually recorded and maternal (M) and fetal (F) effluent samples were collected for each treatment. Samples were analyzed for thromboxane and prostacyclin by RIA of their stable metabolites TXB2 and 6-keto PGF1α, respectively.Results: Compared to control KRB buffer, peroxide perfusion significantly increased perfusion pressu...
In-Wheel Motor Fault Diagnosis for Electric Ground Vehicles

This paper presents an in-wheel motor fault diagnosis method for fault-tolerant control of four-wheel independently driven (4WID) electric vehicles. 4WID electric vehicle is one of the promising architectures for electric ground vehicles. While such a vehicle architecture greatly increases the flexibility for vehicle control, it also raises the requirements on system reliability, safety, and fault tolerance due to the increased number of actuators. A fault diagnosis approach for finding the faulty in-wheel motor/motor driver pair is developed. The proposed diagnosis approach does not need a precise knowledge on tire-road friction coefficient (TRFC). Robustness analysis shows that the approach can work well in the presence of tire modeling errors. Simulations using a high-fidelity, CarSim, full-vehicle model indicated the effectiveness of the proposed in-wheel motor/motor driver fault diagnosis approach.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
The probability of specified losses at mismatched junctions

Probability contours are presented for specified losses (<1 db to 6 db) at junctions between networks or lines for a range of v.s.w.r. from 1 to 10.
Retroperitoneal and cutaneous necrotizing fasciitis secondary to necrotizing pancreatitis.

Abstract Background Retroperitoneal abscesses are rare complications of intraabdominal infectious processes and can progress to necrotizing infections. Necrotizing pancreatitis occurs in 10–25% of patients that require hospital admission for pancreatitis, is associated also with a 25% mortality rate, and may lead to formation of a retroperitoneal abscess. Case Report We report a case of a 63-year-old woman with a recently resolved case of pancreatitis who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with a painful nodule on her left flank for 3 weeks, rapidly progressing over the last 12 h. In the ED, examination revealed an expanding area of erythema over the left flank with sepsis. Computed tomography scan revealed necrotizing pancreatitis with retroperitoneal abscess tracking to the abdominal wall, resulting in necrotizing fasciitis. She was taken emergently to the operating room with a good outcome. Why Should An Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Acute pancreatitis is common, with a minority of cases resulting in parenchymal necrosis, which can lead to retroperitoneal infections. Rarely, necrotizing fasciitis can present on the abdominal wall as a complication of intraabdominal or retroperitoneal infections. The emergency provider should be aware of these complications that may lead to necrotizing infections and a potentially indolent course.
Regulators of G protein signaling: a bestiary of modular protein binding domains.

Abstract: Members of the newly discovered regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) families of proteins have a common RGS domain. This RGS domain is necessary for conferring upon RGS proteins the capacity to regulate negatively a variety of Gα protein subunits. However, RGS proteins are more than simply negative regulators of signaling. RGS proteins can function as effector antagonists, and recent evidence suggests that RGS proteins can have positive effects on signaling as well. Many RGS proteins possess additional C- and N-terminal modular protein-binding domains and motifs. The presence of these additional modules within the RGS proteins provides for multiple novel regulatory interactions performed by these molecules. These regions are involved in conferring regulatory selectivity to specific Gα-coupled signaling pathways, enhancing the efficacy of the RGS domain, and the translocation or targeting of RGS proteins to intracellular membranes. In other instances, these domains are involved in cross-talk between different Gα-coupled signaling pathways and, in some cases, likely serve to integrate small GTPases with these G protein signaling pathways. This review discusses these C- and N-terminal domains and their roles in the biology of the brain-enriched RGS proteins. Methods that can be used to investigate the function of these domains are also discussed.
BANKRUPTCY AVOIDANCE AS A MERGER INCENTIVE

Numerous motives for merger have been proposed and empirically evaluated. While the avoidance of bankruptcy has been suggested as a plausible motive for merger in the financial literature, this motive has been the object of scant empirical investigation. Although recent empirical evidence supports the existence of a bankruptcy motive, no research effort has yet identified those factors which explain why a financially distressed firm is acquired rather than destined to ultimate bankruptcy. The current study seeks to contribute to the literature on bankruptcy avoidance as a merger incentive by developing a logit model which explains, estimates and predicts the probability that a financially troubled firm will be acquired rather than end up bankrupt.
Graph-Theory Based Parcellation of Functional Subunits in the Brain from Resting-State fMRI data

Resting-state fMRI provides a method to examine the functional network of the brain under spontaneous fluctuations. A number of studies have proposed using resting-state BOLD data to parcellate the brain into functional subunits. In this work, we present two state-of-the-art graph-based partitioning approaches, and investigate their application to the problem of brain network segmentation using resting-state fMRI. The two approaches, the normalized cut (Ncut) and the modularity detection algorithm, are also compared to the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) approach. We show that the Ncut approach performs consistently better than the modularity detection approach, and it also outperforms the GMM approach for in vivo fMRI data. Resting-state fMRI data were acquired from 43 healthy subjects, and the Ncut algorithm was used to parcellate several different cortical regions of interest. The group-wise delineation of the functional subunits based on resting-state fMRI was highly consistent with the parcellation results from two task-based fMRI studies (one with 18 subjects and the other with 20 subjects). The findings suggest that whole-brain parcellation of the cortex using resting-state fMRI is feasible, and that the Ncut algorithm provides the appropriate technique for this task.
Resource Scarcity and Agency Theory Predictions Concerning the Continued Use of Franchising in Multi‐outlet Networks

A study of 439 franchisors was conducted to identify factors influencing changes in their propensity to franchise. Consistent with agency theory, franchisors with wide multinational scope were increasing their proportion of franchised outlets whereas franchisors with large outlets were emphasizing firm ownership. As predicted by resource scarcity theory, franchisors were decreasing their proportion franchised as they grew in size, although most of the decrease occurred while firms were relatively small. In contrast to resource scarcity theory, franchisors increased their proportion franchised over time. Key implications are that both agency and resource scarcity theories are needed to explain franchising, but perhaps future research should look beyond resource scarcities toward resource-based capabilities to better explain franchising decisions.
The Rate of Successful Reactivation of Labor Epidural Catheters for Postpartum Tubal Ligation Surgery

Background and Objectives Epidural catheters placed for analgesia during labor and delivery can be reused in the postpartum period for postpartum tubal ligation anesthesia. This study examined the success rate of such reactivation of epidural catheters. Methods We studied all patients who had received an epidural anesthetic for labor and delivery and who had the epidural catheter reactivated at a later time to provide anesthesia for a postpartum tubal ligation (PPTL) procedure between January, 1993 and June, 1995. The patients were divided into four groups based on the interval between delivery and PPTL incision: (a) less than 8 hours, (b) 8 hours to less than 16 hours, (c) 16 hours to less than 24 hours and (d) 24 hours or more. Results Overall, 92% (129/140) of the patients had their epidural catheters successfully reactivated. The success rate in all but the last group was over 90%, while only 80% of catheters could be reactivated if left in place for more than 24 hours. Conclusions Epidural catheters can be reactivated reliably for as long as 24 hours after they are placed.
Looking under the hood: Exploring assumptions and finding behavioral economics

Abstract Cognitive scarcity is a fundamental economic fact, but the standard maximization assumption abstracts from this fact. Much of behavioral economics can be framed as “exploring the maximization assumption.” By applying the tools of behavioral economics to explore this important assumption, we can learn why presuming maximization works, when it works, even when we know the assumption is not accurately descriptive. We can also learn why theory fails when the assumption does not proximately hold.
Long-term reversal of hypercholesterolemia in low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)-deficient mice by adenovirus-mediated LDLR gene transfer combined with CD154 blockade.

Background Deficiency of the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) results in abnormal elevation of cholesterol within the intermediate and low density plasma lipoproteins (IDL/LDL), and predisposes to early onset atherosclerosis. Cholesterol reduction after adenovirus-mediated LDLR gene transfer to LDLR-deficient animals is transient, due to the elicitation of an immune response. Methods The LDLR-deficient mouse was used as a model to investigate adenovirus-mediated LDLR gene transfer combined with short-term immunosuppression as a cholesterol lowering therapy. Mice were infused with replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus encoding LDLR under control of the cytomegalovirus promoter/enhancer (AdLDLR), and injected with a blocking antibody directed against CD154 (CD40 ligand) to suppress immune responses against the vector and foreign transgene product. Results Mice given AdLDLR and treated with anti-CD154 expressed LDLR on hepatocytes and maintained cholesterol levels below or within normal range for at least 92 days. In contrast, without adjunct immunosuppression LDLR expression was transient, corresponding to temporary decline in cholesterol levels. Analysis of cholesterol concentrations in fractionated plasma showed remarkable reduction in all lipoprotein fractions at early time-points after gene transfer. At later time-points, non-immunosuppressed control mice regained the disease profile with elevated IDL/LDL cholesterol, while profiles of anti-CD154-treated mice were similar to normal. LDLR mRNA transcripts were present in livers of the anti-CD154-treated mice but not controls, 93 days after AdLDLR injection. However, vector DNA was detected in livers of both groups. These results suggest that loss of LDLR expression in the non anti-CD154-treated mice was in part due to immune-mediated promoter silencing, and that anti-CD154 prevented this effect. Conclusion Treatment with anti-CD154 antibody inhibits immune-mediated loss of transgene expression, enabling long-term reduction in cholesterol levels after AdLDLR gene transfer to LDLR-deficient mice. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effects of aging on memory for sequentially presented objects in rats.

The current study investigated memory for sequentially presented objects in young rats 6 months of age (n=12) and aged rats 24 months of age (n=12). Rats were tested on a task involving three exploratory trials and one probe test. During the exploratory trials, the rat explored a set of three sequentially presented object pairs (A-A, B-B, and C-C) for 5 min per pair with a 3 min delay between each pair. Following the exploratory trials, a probe test was conducted where the rat was presented simultaneously with one object from the first exploratory trial (A) and one object from the third exploratory trial (C). Results from the three exploratory trials showed no significant age-related differences in exploration, indicating that 24 month old rats explored the object pairs as much as 6 month old rats. Results from the probe test demonstrated that 6 month old rats spent significantly more time exploring object A compared to object C, indicating that young rats show intact memory for the temporal order of the exploratory trial objects. In contrast, 24 month old rats showed no preference for object A and spent a relatively equal amount of time exploring objects A and C. The results suggest that temporal order memory may decline as a result of age-related changes in the rodent brain. In addition, the findings may reflect differences in attraction to objects with different memory strengths. Since no significant age-related differences were detected during the exploratory trials, age-related differences on the probe trial were not due solely to decreased exploration, motivation, or locomotion in aged rats.
Photorearrangement of α-azoxy ketones and triplet sensitization of azoxy compounds

Although some aspects of azoxy group radical chemistry have been investigated,1 unhindered α-azoxy radicals remain poorly understood. Here we report the generation of α-azoxy radicals under mild conditions by irradiation of α-azoxy ketones 4a,b. These compounds undergo α-cleavage to yield radicals 5a,b, whose oxygen atom then recombines with benzoyl radicals to produce presumed intermediate 15. Formal Claisen rearrangement gives α-benzoyloxyazo compounds 8a,b, which are themselves photolabile, leading to both radical and ionic decomposition. The ESR spectrum of 5a was simulated to extract the isotropic hyperfine splitting constants, which showed its resonance stabilization energy to be exceptionally large. Azoxy compounds have been found for the first time to be good quenchers of triplet excited acetophenone, the main sensitized photoreaction of 7Z in benzene being deoxygenation. While this reaction has been reported previously, it was always in hydrogen atom donating solvents, where chemical sensitizatio...
The Rising Agenda of Physician-Assisted Suicide: Explaining the Growth and Content of Morality Policy

Employing theories and methods of agenda-setting analysis, this article explains the rapid rise of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) on the national political agenda based on its status as a morality policy. PAS reached the mass agenda before the professional agenda, probably because PAS is an outgrowth of previous right-to-die policies and Dr. Jack Kevorkian's assisted suicides provided major focusing events. As in other morality policies, competing groups fight for the last word, but PAS has been blocked on most governmental agendas because its image and media tone has been mostly negative and public opinion is divided. Groups in a few generally liberal states have tried to enact policy through referenda when legislators failed to address the issue. We speculate that competing interest groups will become more active and that state courts will become a venue of choice in the future.
Video transcoding gateway for wireless video access

In this paper, we review several typical video transcoding architectures and major applications of video transcoding. We identify issues involved in access video streams through handheld devices and wireless networks. To handle these issues, we propose a video transcoding gateway system for intelligently transcoding preencoded video for different user devices and network connections. The main functions of this transcoding gateway include frame size downscaling, frame rate conversion, bit rate adaptation, color conversion, etc. Based on this, we design and implement a prototype of the transcoding gateway system and test it in a wireless LAN.
Mental process in humans and exposure to cell-phone radiation

This paper reports on human exposure to cell-phone microwave fields may affect such mental processes (or cognitive functions) as attentional function, short-term memory tasks, information manipulation, or response-reaction times.
Semiautomated method for dynamic model abstraction

As complex models are used in practice, modelers require efficient ways of abstracting their models. Through the use of hierarchy, we are able to simplify and organize the complex system. The problem with the hierarchical modeling is that system components in each level are dependent on the next- lowest level so that we are unable to run each level independently. We present a way to augment hierarchical modeling where abstraction can take place on two fronts: structural and behavioral. Our approach is to use structural abstraction in order to organize the system hierarchically, and then apply behavioral abstraction to each level in order to approximate lower level's behavior so that it can be executed independently. The proposed abstraction method is done by semi-automatic way and gives advantages to view and analyze complex systems at different levels of abstraction.
An Econometric Model of the U.S. Beekeeping Industry

This paper presents a dynamic econometric model of the U.S. beekeeping industry for policy analysis and economic projections. Data from 1952 to 1984 were used to estimate the model by three‐stage least squares. The model indicates that, when the federal price support for honey exceeded the market price, the federal program had a significant impact on several sectors of the industry. A comparison of beekeeper revenue, consumer expenditures, and federal government expenditures suggests the honey support program was an ineffective means of supporting honey prices from 1982 through 1984.
John Doling and Richard Ronald (Eds.), Housing East Asia: Socioeconomic and Demographic Challenges (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014).

Building upon an earlier edited volume (Agus, Doling, & Lee, 2002), Housing East Asia: Socioeconomic and Demographic Challenges, edited by John Doling and Richard Ronald, pro- vides a much-needed u...
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Distance Learning: A Comparison Using Meta-Analysis

This article uses meta-analysis to summarize the quantitative literature comparing the performance of students in distance education versus traditional classes. The average effect (average r = .048, k = 39, N = 71,731) demonstrates that distance education course students slightly outperformed traditional students on exams and course grades. The average effect was heterogeneous, and the examination of several moderating features (presence or absence of simultaneous interaction, type of channel used in distance education, and course substance) failed to produce a homogeneous solution. The results demonstrate, however, no clear decline in educational effectiveness when using distance education technology. The profound impact that technological innovations are having in all facets of education focuses attention on assessing relationships between changing modes and practices of instruction and their outcomes. The emergence of new technologies does not change the goals of education. The new technologies change the process of communication within an educational setting to accomplish those goals. Research by communication scholars is needed to examine how changes in means of communicating content impacts the goals of those engaged in a communication activity. Understanding potential impacts of technologically driven differences between traditional classrooms and distance learning contexts is clearly appropriate (Althaus, 1997; Boettcher, 1996; Greene & Meek, 1998; McHenry & Bozik, 1995; Verduin &
Stages of the Demographic Transition from a Child's Perspective: Family Size, Cohort Size, and Children's Resources

The demographic transition has played itself out with great regularity in developing countries over the last 50 years. Looking at a broad set of countries, a stylized version of the demographic transition is consistent with the empirical experience of most of the developing world. The transition begins with large and sustained declines in death rates, especially infant and child mortality. The immediate effect of this mortality decline is an increase in the number of surviving children at the family level and an increase in the total number of children at the population level. Mortality decline is eventually followed by the second key element of the transition, a decline in fertility, which in turn has effects on both family size and cohort size. These changes in family size and cohort size over the course of the demographic transition are the focus of this article. We develop a new characterization of stages of the transition, viewing the demographic changes from a child’s perspective. As we show, dramatic changes in the numbers of siblings and the size of cohorts can occur during the demographic transition, changes with important implications for children’s resources at the family level and the population level. These changes do not always move in the same direction, however, owing to the complex interaction of population momentum with falling fertility and mortality.
TGF-β–dependent CD103 expression by CD8+ T cells promotes selective destruction of the host intestinal epithelium during graft-versus-host disease

Destruction of the host intestinal epithelium by donor effector T cell populations is a hallmark of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), but the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. We demonstrate that CD8+ T cells expressing CD103, an integrin conferring specificity for the epithelial ligand E-cadherin, play a critical role in this process. A TCR transgenic GVHD model was used to demonstrate that CD103 is selectively expressed by host-specific CD8+ T cell effector populations (CD8 effectors) that accumulate in the host intestinal epithelium during GVHD. Although host-specific CD8 effectors infiltrated a wide range of host compartments, only those infiltrating the intestinal epithelium expressed CD103. Host-specific CD8 effectors expressing a TGF-β dominant negative type II receptor were defective in CD103 expression on entry into the intestinal epithelium, which indicates local TGF-β activity as a critical regulating factor. Host-specific CD8 effectors deficient in CD103 expression successfully migrated into the host intestinal epithelium but were retained at this site much less efficiently than wild-type host-specific CD8 effectors. The relevance of these events to GVHD pathogenesis is supported by the finding that CD103-deficient CD8+ T cells were strikingly defective in transferring intestinal GVHD pathology and mortality. Collectively, these data document a pivotal role for TGF-β–dependent CD103 expression in dictating the gut tropism, and hence the destructive potential, of CD8+ T cells during GVHD pathogenesis.
Geometries and energy separations of electronic states of Pd5

Abstract Geometries and energy separations of low-lying electronic states of Pd 5 with different structures (tetragonal pyramid, C 4v ; edge-capped tetrahedron, C 2v ; trigonal bipyramid, D 3h ; square planar, D 4h ; planar pentagon, D 5h ; and tetrahedron, T d ) are investigated using complete active space multiconfiguration self-consistent-field method (CASSCF) followed by large-scale multi-reference singles+doubles configuration interaction (MRSDCI) computations that included 3.3 million configurations. The 1 A 1 electronic state with tetragonal pyramidal (C 4v ), the 3 B 2 electronic state with edge-capped tetrahedral (C 2v ) and the 3 E ′ electronic state with trigonal bipyramidal (D 3h ) geometries are candidates for the ground state of Pd 5 . Atomization and dissociation energies of Pd 5 are computed.
Passivity indices for symmetrically interconnected distributed systems

In this paper, the passivity indices for both linear and nonlinear multi-agent systems with feedforward and feedback interconnections are derived. For linear systems, the passivity indices are explicitly characterized, while the passivity indices in the nonlinear case are characterized by a set of matrix inequalities. We also focus on symmetric interconnections and specialize the passivity indices results to this case. An illustrative example is also given.
Oncogenic Activity of Epstein-Barr Virus Latent Membrane Protein 1 (LMP-1) Is Down-Regulated by Lytic LMP-1

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is an oncogenic human herpesvirus. EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP-1) is a viral oncogene that manifests its oncogenic phenotype through activation of cellular signaling pathways involved in cell growth, survival, differentiation, and transformation. Lytic LMP-1 (lyLMP-1) is a related EBV gene without oncogenic properties. The lyLMP-1 gene is found in 60% of the EBV strains circulating in nature, but it is not found in EBV strains associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. We recently demonstrated that lyLMP-1 down-regulates the half-life of LMP-1 in epithelial cells. Therefore in this study, we tested the hypothesis that lyLMP-1 concomitantly down-regulates LMP-1 oncogenic activity. The results demonstrated that lyLMP-1 inhibits LMP-1-mediated intracellular signaling activation, epithelial cell growth and survival, and fibroblast cell transformation in a dose-dependent manner. Lytic LMP-1 manifested this effect through the promotion of LMP-1 degradation and a reduction in the expressed quantity of LMP-1. Thus, lyLMP-1 functions as a posttranslational negative regulator of LMP-1 oncogenesis. These results support a model of EBV-associated epithelial oncogenesis in which lyLMP-1 may act in vivo to reduce the risk of LMP-1-mediated transformation and is therefore subjected to negative selection in nasopharyngeal carcinoma pathogenesis.
Coordinate regulation of membrane cAMP by Ca2+-inhibited adenylyl cyclase and phosphodiesterase activities.

Activation of store-operated Ca2+ entry inhibits type 6 adenylyl cyclase (EC 4.6.1.1; AC6; Yoshimura M and Cooper DM. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89: 6712–6720, 1992) activity in pulmonary artery endoth...
Attenuation of cocaine-induced response-rate increases during repeated administration despite increases in rate of reinforcement

Repeated administration of cocaine often results in tolerance to its effects on operant behavior. The tolerance is often associated with an initial drug effect that results in loss of reinforcement. Cocaine can also produce effects that result in a gain of reinforcement, and it is not known if tolerance will be observed in such a circumstance. The present experiments investigated whether tolerance would develop when cocaine was administered repeatedly to subjects who experienced an increase in the frequency of reinforcement when cocaine was administered acutely. Pigeons were trained to peck a response key under fixed-ratio schedules of food presentation. The ratio value for each pigeon was chosen such that performance indicated that the ratio was relatively large, and produced ”ratio strain.”. Cocaine was administered acutely (once per week), and then subsequently a dose was chosen and administered before each session. Once performance under the daily drug regimen was stable, other doses occasionally were substituted for the usual daily dose. Acute administration of cocaine (0.3–10.0 mg/kg) revealed substantial increases of 100% or more in response rate, and therefore equivalent increases in rate of food presentation, at some doses. That finding permitted examination of the role of drug-induced increases in rate of reinforcement during repeated administration of a response-rate-increasing dose. Repeated, daily administration of a rate-increasing dose resulted in attenuation of the effects of that dose, and subsequent administration of other doses that previously had increased response rates revealed that these doses, too, had lost their ability to increase rates. That is, ”tolerance” developed to the rate-increasing effects, even though the rate increases were associated with more frequent access to food. These findings suggest that ”reinforcement gain” may not be sufficient to prevent tolerance from developing to effects of cocaine on operant behavior.
SUN: Top-down saliency using natural statistics.

When people try to find particular objects in natural scenes they make extensive use of knowledge about how and where objects tend to appear in a scene. Although many forms of such “top-down” knowledge have been incorporated into saliency map models of visual search, surprisingly, the role of object appearance has been infrequently investigated. Here we present an appearance-based saliency model derived in a Bayesian framework. We compare our approach with both bottom-up saliency algorithms as well as the state-of-the-art Contextual Guidance model of Torralba et al. (2006) at predicting human fixations. Although both top-down approaches use very different types of information, they achieve similar performance; each substantially better than the purely bottom-up models. Our experiments reveal that a simple model of object appearance can predict human fixations quite well, even making the same mistakes as people.
Polyribosomal and particulate distribution of lysyl- and phenylalanyl-transfer ribonucleic acid synthetases

1. Only two aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases from Chinese hamster ovary cells are found associated with ribosomes and polyribosomes. 2. Phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase activity is found with the 60S subunit, 80S monoribosome and individual polyribosomes. An additional 15S form of the enzyme is also seen. 3. Lysyl-tRNA synthetase activity is found in a form of about 20S and associated with ribosomal subunits and polyribosomes. The ribosomal subunits having lysyl-tRNA synthetase activity are about 6S larger than the bulk of the ribosomal subunits. 4. The lysyl- and phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetases found in different complexes have differential sensitivity to EDTA and centrifugation properties.
System energy consumption is a multi-player game

The ability to account system resource usage by software is the key to the design and optimization of modern computer systems. For example, scheduling and memory management are two classic operating system (OS) functions based on the ability to account the CPU and memory usage by process. Energy has become an important system resource due to electricity and thermal concerns. This is particularly true for mobile systems that are battery-powered and require compact form factors. Knowing the energy contribution by a process, or per-process energy accounting, is the foundation for OS energy management and optimization [11, 9], incentive mechanisms for emerging applications in participatory sensing and cooperative communication, detecting rogue applications [8], and software optimization for energy [6].
Probabilistic cue combination: less is more

Learning about the structure of the world requires learning probabilistic relationships: rules in which cues do not predict outcomes with certainty. However, in some cases, the ability to track probabilistic relationships is a handicap, leading adults to perform non-normatively in prediction tasks. For example, in the dilution effect, predictions made from the combination of two cues of different strengths are less accurate than those made from the stronger cue alone. Here we show that dilution is an adult problem; 11-month-old infants combine strong and weak predictors normatively. These results extend and add support for the less is more hypothesis: limited cognitive resources can lead children to represent probabilistic information differently from adults, and this difference in representation can have important downstream consequences for prediction.