cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computational neurotrauma—design, simulation, and analysis of controlled cortical impact model

The controlled cortical impact (CCI) model is widely used in many laboratories to study traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although external impact parameters during CCI tests could be clearly defined, little is known about the internal tissue-level mechanical responses of the rat brain. Furthermore, the external impact parameters tend to vary considerably among different labs making the comparison of research findings difficult if not impossible. In this study, a design of computer experiments was performed with typical external impact parameters commonly found in the literature. An anatomically detailed finite element (FE) rat brain model was used to simulate the CCI experiments to correlate external mechanical parameters (impact depth, impact velocity, impactor shape, impactor size, and craniotomy pattern) with rat brain internal responses, as predicted by the FE model. Systematic analysis of the results revealed that impact depth was the leading factor affecting the predicted brain internal responses. Interestingly, impactor shape ranked as the second most important factor, surpassing impactor diameter and velocity which were commonly reported in the literature as indicators of injury severity along with impact depth. The differences in whole brain response due to a unilateral or a bilateral craniotomy were small, but those of regional intracranial tissue stretches were large. The interaction effects of any two external parameters were not significant. This study demonstrates the potential of using numerical FE modeling to engineer better experimental TBI models in the future.
Brief family intervention effects on adolescent substance initiation: school-level growth curve analyses 6 years following baseline.

This study examines the effects of 2 brief family-focused interventions on the trajectories of substance initiation over a period of 6 years following a baseline assessment. The 2 interventions, designed for general-population families of adolescents, were the 7-session Iowa Strengthening Families Program (ISFP) (Molgaard & Spoth, 2001) and the 5-session Preparing for the Drug Free Years Program (PDFY) (Catalano, Kosterman, Haggerty, Hawkins, & Spoth, 1999). Thirty-three rural public schools were randomly assigned to the ISFP, the PDFY, or a minimal-contact control condition. The authors evaluated the curvilinear growth observed in school-level measures of initiation using a logistic growth curve analysis. Alcohol and tobacco composite use indices—as well as lifetime use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana—and lifetime drunkenness, were examined. Significant intervention– control differences were observed, indicating favorable delays in initiation in the intervention groups. Although the use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana among adolescents in this country has leveled off, prevalence rates remain high. Recently, among 12th graders, the prevalence rate of lifetime alcohol use was 80%, the prevalence rate of lifetime cigarette use was 65%, and the prevalence rate of lifetime marijuana use was 50% (Johnston, O’Malley, & Bachman, 2000). Early initiation and use of substances have been associated with a broad range of problems, including reduced levels of competent, prosocial adult
An overlapping subzone technique for MR-based elastic property reconstruction.

A finite element-based nonlinear inversion scheme for magnetic resonance (MR) elastography is detailed. The algorithm operates on small overlapping subzones of the total region of interest, processed in a hierarchical order as determined by progressive error minimization. This zoned approach allows for a high degree of spatial discretization, taking advantage of the data-rich environment afforded by the MR. The inversion technique is tested in simulation under high-noise conditions (15% random noise applied to the displacement data) with both complicated user-defined stiffness distributions and realistic tissue geometries obtained by thresholding MR image slices. In both cases the process has proved successful and has been capable of discerning small inclusions near 4 mm in diameter. Magn Reson Med 42:779-786, 1999.
Incorporating solvent and Ion screening into molecular dynamics using the finite-difference Poisson-Boltzmann method

The finite difference method for solving the Poisson–Boltzmann equation is used to calculate the reaction field acting on a macromolecular solute due to the surrounding water and ions. Comparisons with analytical test cases indicate that the solvation forces can be calculated rapidly and accurately with this method. These forces act to move charged solute atoms towards the solvent where they are better solvated, and to screen interactions between charges. A way of combining such calculations with conventional molecular dynamics force fields is proposed which requires little modification of existing molecular dynamics programs. Simulations on the alanine dipeptide show that solvent forces affect the conformational dynamics by reducing the preference for internal H-bonding forms, increasing the R-alpha helix preference and reducing transition barriers. These solvent effects are similar to previous explicit solvent simulations, but require little more computation than vacuum simulations. The method should scale up with little increase in computational cost to larger molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids.
The disappearance of aryl carbenes in a reactive matrix

Abstract The disappearance of diphenylmethylene, fluorenylidene and phenylmethylene in isobutylene and fluorolube was monitored by esr spectroscopy at temperatures between 77°K and 171°K.
Ideological Management in Textbooks: A Study of the Changing Image of the United States in China's Geography Textbooks

An analysis of China's geography textbooks reveals an explicit ideological orientation that reflects China's policies. Because the system of textbook writing, publishing, and distribution in China is centralized, textbook content is influenced primarily by the state and specific methods of ideological alignment are exployed. This article examines the changing ideological orientation of China's perspective of the U.S. as reflected in its geography texts and also provides suggestions for future textbook development.
Temporal studies with flashed gratings: Inferences about human transient and sustained channels

Abstract The temporal response properties of the human visual system to low and high spatial frequency gratings was investigated by two contrast detection threshold techniques. With the first technique the contrast threshold for detecting vertical sinusoidal gratings at spatial frequencies of 0.5, 2.8 and 16.0 c/deg was determined at exposure durations ranging from 20 to 400 msec. It was found that the critical duration, at and below which reciprocity between contrast and a nonunity power of duration holds, increased from roughly 60 to 200 msec as spatial frequency increased from 0.5 to 16.0 c/deg. The second technique involved subthreshold summation of two, 10 msec flashed presentations of either a 1.0 or 10.0 c/deg grating. The stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) separating the onsets of the two pulses varied from 0 to 210 msec. The results revealed that the subthreshold interaction of the two flashes at high spatial frequencies can be characterized by monophasic sustained excitation and inhibition; at low spatial frequencies, however, this interaction can be characterized by a multiphasic oscillation of excitation and inhibition superimposed on a monophasic excitatory-inhibitory interaction. The findings are related to properties of transient and sustained channels assumed to exist in human vision.
The MexJK Efflux Pump of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Requires OprM for Antibiotic Efflux but Not for Efflux of Triclosan

Using the biocide triclosan as a selective agent, several triclosan-resistant mutants of a susceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain were isolated. Cloning and characterization of a DNA fragment conferring triclosan resistance from one of these mutants revealed a hitherto uncharacterized efflux system of the resistance nodulation cell division (RND) family, which was named MexJK and which is encoded by the mexJK operon. Expression of this operon is negatively regulated by the product of mexL, a gene located upstream of and transcribed divergently from mexJK. The triclosan-resistant mutant contained a single nucleotide change in mexL, which caused an amino acid change in the putative helix-turn-helix domain of MexL. The MexL protein belongs to the TetR family of repressor proteins. The MexJK system effluxed tetracycline and erythromycin but only in the presence of the outer membrane protein channel OprM; OprJ and OprN did not function with MexJK. Triclosan efflux required neither of the outer membrane protein channels tested but necessitated the MexJ membrane fusion protein and the MexK inner membrane RND transporter. The results presented in this study suggest that MexJK may function as a two-component RND pump for triclosan efflux but must associate with OprM to form a tripartite antibiotic efflux system. Furthermore, the results confirm that triclosan is an excellent tool for the study of RND multidrug efflux systems and that this popular biocide therefore readily selects mutants which are cross-resistant with antibiotics.
Protein kinase C activation patterns are determined by methodological variations. Studies of insulin action in BC3H-1 myocytes and rat adipose tissue.

Abstract In BC3H-1 myocytes, insulin has been reported to (a) increase diacylglycerol (DAG) production and provoke increases in protein kinase C enzyme activity of crude or DEAE-Sephacel-purified cytosol and membrane fractions in BC3H-1 myocytes (Cooper et al. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 3633–3739), but (b) decrease cytosolic, and transiently increase membrane, immunoreactive protein kinase C (Acevedo-Duncan et al. (1989) FEBS Lett. 244, 174–176). Presently, we used a Mono-Q column to purify protein kinase C and found that, similar to immunoblot findings, enzyme activity decreased in the cytosol, and increased in the membrane during insulin treatment. Similar differences in protein kinase C activation patterns were observed in rat adipose tissue: insulin stimulated cytosolic protein kinase C enzyme activity as measured after DEAE-Sephacel chromatography, but decreased cytosolic enzyme activity when measured after Mono-Q chromatography or by immunoblotting. We presently evaluated the possibility that insulin-induced increases in endogenous DAG may influence protein kinase C during assay in vitro. Crude cytosol from BC3H-1 myocytes contained 25–35% of total and [ 3 H]glycerol-labelled DAG and insulin increased this DAG. Considerable amounts of [ 3 H]glycerol-labelled DAG were present in insulin-stimulated protein kinase C-containing column fractions following DEAE-Sephacel chromatography of cytosol fractions, whereas lesser amounts were recovered after Mono-Q column chromatography. This difference in recovery of DAG and activation of the enzyme by this endogenous DAG may explain why we were able to discern insulin-induced (presumably translocation ‘provoked’) decreases in cytosolic protein kinase C in the present Mono-Q column preparations of both BC3H-1 myocytes and rat adipose tissue.
Retrospective Pretesting in Health Education Settings

Abstract Evaluations of health education programs often lack behavioral measures of assessment. Relying on traditional pre- and posttest measures may indicate no significant change even though change may have occurred. Participant ratings at pretest and posttest actually are based on two different scales: knowledge prior to the program and knowledge after the program. Knowledge and skills prior to health education programs shift from pretest to posttest as a result of the knowledge and skills obtained from the program. This response-shift bias may mistakenly lead health educators to conclude that their programs were ineffective. The use of retrospective pretesting measures helps to compensate for this response-shift bias. This article discusses the use of retrospective pretesting, provides an example of its use in a health education setting, and discusses implications for health educators and other evaluators of health education programs.
Ewing's sarcoma: General insights from a rare model

Ewing's sarcoma is characterized by the presence of fusion oncoproteins involving EWSR1 and an ETS gene, most commonly FLI1. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Smith et al. have combined RNA interference with expression profiling to study the pattern of gene expression downstream of the most common of these fusions, EWS/FLI. Using this strategy, Smith et al. have identified a homeobox gene, NKX2.2, which is both highly expressed in Ewing's sarcoma and essential for the transforming activity of EWS/FLI.
Different Manhattan project: automatic statistical model generation

We address the automatic generation of large geometric models. This is important in visualization for several reasons. First, many applications need access to large but interesting data models. Second, we often need such data sets with particular characteristics (e.g., urban models, park and recreation landscape). Thus we need the ability to generate models with different parameters. We propose a new approach for generating such models. It is based on a top-down propagation of statistical parameters. We illustrate the method in the generation of a statistical model of Manhattan. But the method is generally applicable in the generation of models of large geographical regions. Our work is related to the literature on generating complex natural scenes (smoke, forests, etc) based on procedural descriptions. The difference in our approach stems from three characteristics: modeling with statistical parameters, integration of ground truth (actual map data), and a library-based approach for texture mapping.
Bubble Growth in Variable Pressure Fields

The case of a spherical vapor bubble growing in an infinite, uniformly heated liquid, has been analyzed under the thin boundary layer approximation for the effects of a variable pressure effects can be quite important and dominate the rate of growth. For the case where pressure changes cause the vapor temperature to behave as t/sup n/, (t being time), the bubble radius will grow as t/sup n+1/2/, significantly faster than the ..sqrt..t behavior usually expected. The analysis has been shown to compare favourably with existing data.
A Laser Flash Photolysis Study of a Carbene-Ether Ylide

Laser flash photolysis (308 nm) of carbomethoxy-2-naphththyldiazomethane in deoxygenated Freon-113 (CF2ClCFCl2) solution containing tetrahydrofuran (THF) produces a transient spectrum with a sharp absorption maximum at 330 nm and a shoulder at 375 nm. The observed rate constant of formation of transient absorption is the same at 330 and 400 nm. The transient spectrum is the same 100 ns, 1 μs, and 10 μs after the laser pulse at ambient temperature and is attributable to a single carrier. The transient shows little decay over 10 μs in the presence and absence of oxygen. Similar results were obtained at −60° C. This pattern of observations is not consistent with assigning the transient to triplet carbomethoxy-2-naphthylcarbene or its related radical. The rate constant of formation of the transient, kTHF, is first order in the concentration of THF; thus, the transient is attributed to a carbene−ether ylide. To our knowledge, this is the first direct observation of a carbene-ether ylide. An Arrhenius plot of k...
Unification of algorithms for minimum mode optimization

Minimum mode following algorithms are widely used for saddle point searching in chemical and material systems. Common to these algorithms is a component to find the minimum curvature mode of the second derivative, or Hessian matrix. Several methods, including Lanczos, dimer, Rayleigh-Ritz minimization, shifted power iteration, and locally optimal block preconditioned conjugate gradient, have been proposed for this purpose. Each of these methods finds the lowest curvature mode iteratively without calculating the Hessian matrix, since the full matrix calculation is prohibitively expensive in the high dimensional spaces of interest. Here we unify these iterative methods in the same theoretical framework using the concept of the Krylov subspace. The Lanczos method finds the lowest eigenvalue in a Krylov subspace of increasing size, while the other methods search in a smaller subspace spanned by the set of previous search directions. We show that these smaller subspaces are contained within the Krylov space for which the Lanczos method explicitly finds the lowest curvature mode, and hence the theoretical efficiency of the minimum mode finding methods are bounded by the Lanczos method. Numerical tests demonstrate that the dimer method combined with second-order optimizers approaches but does not exceed the efficiency of the Lanczos method for minimum mode optimization.
Supporting acquisition decisions through effective experimental design

Weapon acquisition is a very expensive process, especially in today's cost reduction environment. Techniques must be used to conduct operational testing using a minimum of resources while not sacrificing the adequacy and credibility of the test. A coordinated use of a combat simulation and a design of experiment procedure, the Taguchi method, shows promise as an acquisition strategy This research focused on the Javelin medium antitank system which just completed operational testing in the Fall of 1993 and was intended to give the Javelin Project Manager's office information regarding the probable outcome of critical design characteristics prior to the test. Using the Taguchi method, many different design parameters were analyzed at several different levels of performance The method reduced the number of trials required to obtain a desired level of statistical significance while still obtaining the necessary data for each parameter. Once the required number of trials were identified, the Janus combat model simulated the operational test trials. Results suggest what weapon parameters are critical to the specific measures of effectiveness of survivability, lethality, and engagement range. In a broader view, this tandem use of an experimental design technique and a combat simulation can provide acquisition managers with insights on critical system parameters prior to actual testing.
Differential L1 regulation in pluripotent stem cells of humans and apes

Identifying cellular and molecular differences between human and non-human primates (NHPs) is essential to the basic understanding of the evolution and diversity of our own species. Until now, preserved tissues have been the main source for most comparative studies between humans, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus). However, these tissue samples do not fairly represent the distinctive traits of live cell behaviour and are not amenable to genetic manipulation. We propose that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells could be a unique biological resource to determine relevant phenotypical differences between human and NHPs, and that those differences could have potential adaptation and speciation value. Here we describe the generation and initial characterization of iPS cells from chimpanzees and bonobos as new tools to explore factors that may have contributed to great ape evolution. Comparative gene expression analysis of human and NHP iPS cells revealed differences in the regulation of long interspersed element-1 (L1, also known as LINE-1) transposons. A force of change in mammalian evolution, L1 elements are retrotransposons that have remained active during primate evolution. Decreased levels of L1-restricting factors APOBEC3B (also known as A3B) and PIWIL2 (ref. 7) in NHP iPS cells correlated with increased L1 mobility and endogenous L1 messenger RNA levels. Moreover, results from the manipulation of A3B and PIWIL2 levels in iPS cells supported a causal inverse relationship between levels of these proteins and L1 retrotransposition. Finally, we found increased copy numbers of species-specific L1 elements in the genome of chimpanzees compared to humans, supporting the idea that increased L1 mobility in NHPs is not limited to iPS cells in culture and may have also occurred in the germ line or embryonic cells developmentally upstream to germline specification during primate evolution. We propose that differences in L1 mobility may have differentially shaped the genomes of humans and NHPs and could have continuing adaptive significance.
Taste preference of the adult rat as a function of prenatal exposure to ethanol.

Summary Two groups of pregnant rats (n = 10) received exposure to either 10% ethanol or water. All male offspring (n = 43) received a six-day preference test (ethanol vs water) at 90 days of age. Fluid consumption scores indicated a significant preference for water by all Ss. However, those animals receiving prenatal ethanol exposure consumed significantly more ethanol during preference testing than did the animals receiving prenatal water exposure.
Temporal analysis of meiotic DNA double-strand break formation and repair in Drosophila females.

Using an antibody against the phosphorylated form of His2Av (γ-His2Av), we have described the time course for the series of events leading from the formation of a double-strand break (DSB) to a crossover in Drosophila female meiotic prophase. MEI-P22 is required for DSB formation and localizes to chromosomes prior to γ-His2Av foci. Drosophila females, however, are among the group of organisms where synaptonemal complex (SC) formation is not dependent on DSBs. In the absence of two SC proteins, C(3)G and C(2)M, the number of DSBs in oocytes is significantly reduced. This is consistent with the appearance of SC protein staining prior to γ-His2Av foci. However, SC formation is incomplete or absent in the neighboring nurse cells, and γ-His2Av foci appear with the same kinetics as in oocytes and do not depend on SC proteins. Thus, competence for DSB formation in nurse cells occurs with a specific timing that is independent of the SC, whereas in the oocytes, some SC proteins may have a regulatory role to counteract the effects of a negative regulator of DSB formation. The SC is not sufficient for DSB formation, however, since DSBs were absent from the heterochromatin even though SC formation occurs in these regions. All γ-His2Av foci disappear before the end of prophase, presumably as repair is completed and crossovers are formed. However, oocytes in early prophase exhibit a slower response to X-ray–induced DSBs compared to those in the late pachytene stage. Assuming all DSBs appear as γ-His2Av foci, there is at least a 3:1 ratio of noncrossover to crossover products. From a comparison of the frequency of γ-His2Av foci and crossovers, it appears that Drosophila females have only a weak mechanism to ensure a crossover in the presence of a low number of DSBs.
It Is Expected by the Year 2000

Abstract Authors in the Encyclopedia of Social Work (formerly the Social Work Year Book), beginning in the 1930s, have proffered forecasts to help social workers anticipate the composition and needs of the current cohort of older adults. First 1980 and later the year 2000 were often targeted in these forecasts. The purpose of this article is to analyze accuracy and utility of these earlier forecasts and to examine implications for social service professionals now attempting to make forecasts and develop practice and policy strategies for the 21st century when the baby boom cohort will become the elder boom.
Fracture Resistance Characteristics of a Metal‐Toughened Ceramic

The fracture characteristics of an Al2O3/Al composite are examined. Measurements of resistance curves and work of rupture are compared with predictions of a micromechanical model, incorporating the effects of crack bridging by the Al reinforcements. The bridging traction law is assumed to follow linear softening behavior, characterized by a peak stress, σc, and a critical stretch-to-failure, uc. The values of σc and uc inferred from such comparisons are found to be broadly consistent with independent measurements of stretch-to-failure, along with the measured flow characteristics of the Al reinforcement. The importance of large-scale bridging on the fracture resistance behavior of this class of composite is also demonstrated through both the experiments and the simulations.
Discovery of phage display peptide ligands for species-specific detection of Bacillus spores.

Abstract Short peptides are capable of tight and specific binding to physiological or fortuitous receptors on the surface of cells. These peptides can be used to tag or capture target cells in an assortment of detector platforms. As part of an effort to identify small-molecule ligands for advanced detectors for spores of Bacillus anthracis , the causative agent of anthrax, we are screening (or biopanning) commercial phage display peptide libraries for peptides that bind tightly and selectively to spores of several Bacillus species. In addition to B. anthracis , these species include B. cereus , B. subtilis , and B. globigii . This review summarizes the methods used in our studies, the results from the biopanning experiments, and the characterization of the spore-binding peptides identified to date. Briefly, several unique families of peptides, with consensus sequences≤seven-amino-acids long, were identified that exhibit preferential binding to spores (but not vegetative cells) of either one or only a few Bacillus species. At least one peptide family binds well to spores of multiple strains of B. anthracis , while binding poorly or not at all to spores of phylogenetically similar species. This review also discusses other points of interest regarding the use of peptide ligands for spore detection and for the detection of other types of cells.
Jamming attack detection and countermeasures in wireless sensor network using ant system

Sensors have varied constraints, which makes the network challenging for communicating with its peers. In this paper, an extension to the security of physical layer of a predictive sensor network model using the ant system is proposed. The Denial of Service (DoS) attack on sensor networks not only diminishes the network performance but also affects the reliability of the information making detection of a DoS threat is more crucial than recovering from the attack. Hence, in this paper, a novel approach in detecting the DoS attack is introduced and analyzed for a variety of scenarios. The DoS attack is dependent on the vulnerabilities in each layer, with the physical layer being the lowest layer and the first to be attacked by jammers. In this paper, the physical layer DoS attack is analyzed and a defense mechanism is proposed. Classification of the jammer under various attack scenarios is formulated to predict the genunity of the DoS attacks on the sensor nodes using receiver operating characteristics (ROC). This novel approach helps in achieving maximum reliability on DoS claims improving the Quality of Service (QoS) of WSN.
Various regulatory sequences are deprived of their uniqueness by the universal rule of TA/CG deficiency and TG/CT excess.

Abstract The universal rule of TA/CG deficiency-TG/CT excess endures the extremely high mutation rate of a retrovirus (human immunodeficiency virus type 1) as well as methylation of CAG rather than CG in a plant (maize). Among the consistently abundant nucleotide oligomers, there are two complementary pairs of palindromic nucleotide pentamers containing TG and CA. Out of the CAGTG and CACTG pair emerged the heptameric pair for the long-distance recombination of immunoglobulin genes, CACAGTG and CACTGTG. Reflecting their origin, these heptamers are found everywhere in all DNA, and a substantial fraction of them are accompanied by nonameric components properly spaced from them. It appears that, were the recombination event not confined to B cells, results of illegitimate recombinations might be disastrous. The other pentameric pair is TGCAT and ATGCA. Out of this pair emerged the complementary pair of transcription enhancer decamers: TNATTTGCAT for immunoglobulin light chains and ATGCAAATNA for immunoglobulin heavy chains. Again reflecting their origin, these decamers are found everywhere in all DNA and some genes--for example, in the 3' flanking region of immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region--are accompanied by a downstream "TATA box." It seems that even with regard to the productively recombined immunoglobulin genes, misinitiation of enhanced transcription is a real possibility.
Prospective study utilizing transdermalscopolamine in detrusor instability

Abstract Ten patients with pure detrusor instability were treated in a prospective fashion with, transdermal scopolamine. Seventy percent of patients experienced moderate to severe untoward symptoms requiring discontinuation of medication. Three of 10 patients (30 %) demonstrated subjective improvement although only 1 was able to tolerate the medication. No objective change in detrusor instability was demonstrated.
Delayed presentation of malrotation and midgut volvulus: imaging findings

Midgut volvulus presenting outside the neonatal period often manifests with less than classic findings. One must be ever vigilant for any deviation from normal when imaging the gastrointestinal tract in these patients. Plain films often are noncontributory, and gastrointestinal imaging findings frequently are subtle and not exactly the same as those seen in classic cases in the neonatal period. Cases are presented illustrating the following: abnormal but less than classic small bowel location and configuration, malabsorption and fortuitous spiraling of a nasogastric tube, viral gastroenteritis and pseudo intussusception, intractable vomiting and dehydration with abnormal cecal position, and duodenal obstruction: pseudo SMA syndrome. Fortunately, one now can confirm one’s suspicions with computed tomography and ultrasound in terms of determining whether the superior mesenteric artery and superior mesenteric vein positions are normal or reversed.
The influence of diet on ovarian maturation, mating, and pheromone production in the housefly, Musca domestica

Summary The old ‘Orlando Regular’ strain of houseflies survived equally well on both the sucrose diet or the control, protein containing diet. However, the majority of flies maintained on sucrose did not develop their eggs past stage 4, early yolk deposition. About 20% of the population from the old strain were partially or completely autogenous and autogeny was completely expressed by 5 days on the sucrose diet. The new strain was essentially anautogenous and none developed mature eggs by 6 days after emergence, but 7% were partially autogenous. The frequency of mating, for both males and females from the old strain, was depressed by 10% for insects fed only sucrose but was depressed by 40% in sucrose fed females from the new strain. The amount of the sex pheromone, Z-(9)-tricosene, on the surface lipids was not affected by diet but the amount in the internal lipids was significantly reduced by the sucrose diet. The amount of Z-(9)-heptacosene was significantly higher in the sucrose fed flies than in the...
INDOMETHACIN TREATMENT OF IDIOPATHIC, MINIMAL CHANGE NEPHROTIC SYNDROME

Six patients with idiopathic, minimal change nephrotic syndrome treated previously with Prednisone without long-term success (4 patients steroid dependent or frequent relapser, 2 steroid resistant) received Indomethacin for five weeks. The drug was given in a dose of 1 mg/kg/day during the first week and at 2 mg/kg/day therafter. Prednisone was tapered to maintenance dose (equivalent to 20 mg Hydrocortisone/m2/day) prior to the initiation of Indomethacin therapy. Urine protein excretion (Up-g/day) was measured serially before (B) and after (A) treatment with indomethacin. Indomethacin does not seem to reduce proteinuria in patients with idiopathic, minimal change nephrotic syndrome at the doaaga of 2 mg/kg/day.
Impact of Ileostomy-Related Complications on the Multidisciplinary Treatment of Rectal Cancer

Radical resection is the primary treatment for rectal cancer. When anastomosis is possible, a temporary ileostomy is used to decrease morbidity from a poorly healed anastomosis. However, ileostomies are associated with complications, dehydration, and need for a second operation. We sought to evaluate the impact of ileostomy-related complications on the treatment of rectal cancer. We conducted a retrospective study of patients who underwent sphincter-preserving surgery between January 2005 and December 2010 at a tertiary cancer center. The primary outcome was the overall rate of ileostomy-related complications. Secondary outcomes included complications related to ileostomy status, ileostomy closure, anastomotic complications at primary resection, rate of stoma closure, and completion of adjuvant chemotherapy assessed by multivariate logistic regression. Of 294 patients analyzed, 32 % (n = 95) were women. Two hundred seventy-one (92 %) received neoadjuvant chemoradiation. The median tumor distance from the anal verge was 7 cm (interquartile range 5–10 cm). Two hundred eighty-one (96 %) underwent stoma closure at a median of 7 months (interquartile range 5.4–8.3 months). The most common complication related to readmission was dehydration (n = 32–11 %). Readmission within 60 days of primary resection was associated with delay in initiating adjuvant chemotherapy (odds ratio 3.01, 95 % confidence interval 1.42–6.38, p = 0.004). Diverting ileostomies created during surgical treatment of rectal cancers are associated with morbidity; however, this is balanced against the risk of anastomosis-related morbidity at rectal resection. Given the potential benefit of fecal diversion, patient-oriented interventions to improve ostomy management, particularly during adjuvant chemotherapy, can be expected to yield marked benefits.
Effect of Emulsifiers on the Physical Properties of Native and Fermented Cassava Starches

The effect of the emulsifying agents, glycerol monostearate (GMS), sodium steroyl lactylate (SSL), and konjac flour (KF, a texture modifier which releases an aggregated glucomannan polymer in water), on the thermal and physical properties of native, naturally fermented (NF), and mixed-culture fermented (MCF) cassava starches was investigated. GMS and SSL decreased hot water-mediated granule swelling and amylose leaching thereby further increasing internal stability of the starches via formation of an emulsifier−amylose complex and granule surface coating. KF had little effect on the rheological behavior of starch pastes. Both the fermentation process and addition of the emulsifying agents would likely also influence the textural properties of cassava starch or flour pastes. Keywords: Glycerol monostearate; sodium steroyl lactylate; konjac flour; gelatinization; swelling power
A simple and convenient empirical survey method with a soil electrical conductivity meter for incineration residue-derived soil contamination

To facilitate field surveys for identifying areas of incineration residue-derived soil contamination, a simple and convenient method with a soil electrical conductivity meter was examined. First, the leaching test specified by Notification No. 13 of the Ministry of the Environment, 1973, was conducted on 506 samples of 11 types of wastes and compost, and the relationship between the concentrations of toxic elements [total Hg (T-Hg), Cd, Pb, Cr6+, and As] and values of electrical conductivity (EC) was examined. The results showed that bottom ash and fly ash were wastes with high EC values and that these wastes indicated higher levels of toxic elements. Second, an estimation method for the soil EC value of contaminated soil (ECc) was proposed based on the EC values of noncontaminated soil, and its usefulness was examined. The results of field surveys conducted at sites whose soils were suspected of contamination by dioxins and other pollutants derived from incineration residues showed that the contaminated spots and areas were identified by using ECc values. Moreover, comparison of the elemental contents of soils in terms of Cr, Ni, Zn, Na, K, Ca, Fe, Mn, and others, in addition to the above-mentioned toxic elements (excluding Cr6+), with those of the potential sources of pollution was verified to be effective for identifying the source of soil contamination.
New Worlds of Social Network Research

to build accurate models of relational data. Carter Butts discusses the conditions under which simple distance is a major predictor of total network structure in large and spatially embedded networks. Peter Hoff sets out a generalized linear mixed effects approach to modeling social networks in which depen dence among ties is attributed to unobserved attributes of vertices, which relate preferen tially to vertices with similar attribute values. Michael Ward, Peter Hoff, and Corey Lofdahl give an extended application of Hoff's mod eling approach to international relations among Central Asian countries with specific attention given to how the analysis can be used to impute missing network linkages. Finally, Nosh Contractor and Peter Monge's chapter reviews theories and theoretical mechanisms that have been proposed to gov em the formation of relations and embeds that review in a multi-theoretical, multi-level mod eling approach focused on networks of orga nizations that compete for similar resources (adversarial networks). It is worth noting that the workshop was held in 2002 and the edited volume of papers published in 2003. Research since then has advanced along many of the fronts discussed in the papers, in particular, the statistical mod eling of networks using exponential random graph models. Nevertheless, the volume remains valuable as an overview of a wide ranging set of research concerns that com poses the field of modern social network analysis. At the same time, the Office of Naval Research got its money's worth: there were papers that specifically addressed questions driven by national security concerns and the final comments by Kathleen Carley set out a clear road map by which social network analysis could better contribute to the solution of national security problems, providing new tools and techniques of analysis and, just as important, clear understanding of their limita tions in field situations.
Reaction dynamics and proton coupled electron transfer: studies of tyrosine-based charge transfer in natural and biomimetic systems

In bioenergetic reactions, electrons are transferred long distances via a hopping mechanism. In photosynthesis and DNA synthesis, the aromatic amino acid residue, tyrosine, functions as an intermediate that is transiently oxidized and reduced during long distance electron transfer. At physiological pH values, oxidation of tyrosine is associated with a deprotonation of the phenolic oxygen, giving rise to a proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) reaction. Tyrosine-based PCET reactions are important in photosystem II, which carries out the light-induced oxidation of water, and in ribonucleotide reductase, which reduces ribonucleotides to form deoxynucleotides. Photosystem II contains two redox-active tyrosines, YD (Y160 in the D2 polypeptide) and YZ (Y161 in the D1 polypeptide). YD forms a light-induced stable radical, while YZ functions as an essential charge relay, oxidizing the catalytic Mn₄CaO₅ cluster on each of four photo-oxidation reactions. In Escherichia coli class 1a RNR, the β2 subunit contains the radical initiator, Y122O•, which is reversibly reduced and oxidized in long range electron transfer with the α2 subunit. In the isolated E. coli β2 subunit, Y122O• is a stable radical, but Y122O• is activated for rapid PCET in an α2β2 substrate/effector complex. Recent results concerning the structure and function of YD, YZ, and Y122 are reviewed here. Comparison is made to recent results derived from bioengineered proteins and biomimetic compounds, in which tyrosine-based charge transfer mechanisms have been investigated. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Vibrational spectroscopies and bioenergetic systems.
Alcohol Content of Blood from Turkeys Fed Diets Containing Glucose or Starch as a Source of Carbohydrate

Abstract EXPERIMENTALLY induced pendulous crop has been reported to occur in Broad Breasted Bronze turkey poults when fed a synthetic diet with glucose monohydrate as the source of carbohydrate (Wheeler et al., 1957). When the diet was altered so that starch replaced glucose, no cases of pendulous crop occurred. An increase in the number of Saccharomyces were found in the crop contents of the glucose-fed birds when compared with that of crop contents from starch-fed birds. Subsequent studies relative to fungi in the crop and the mechanism of pendulous crop formation in turkeys were reported by Rigdon et al. (1958) and Manfre et al. (1958). The authors identified Candida albicans, Saccharomyces tellustris and Torulopsis glabrata as the predominant organisms in samples of crop contents from birds fed a synthetic diet containing glucose monohydrate as the carbohydrate source. A factor suggested as a mechanism for the experimentally produced pendulous crop was the …
What Becomes of Practicum Enrollees

Where do those who receive graduate degrees in guidance and counseling fhd employment? How many become school counselors? Are the school counselors the ones that showed promise during their supervised practicum work? To investigate such questions, a study of graduate students who had enrolled for supervised counseling in the Counseling Laboratory at the University of Michigan was undertaken in 1960, one to nine years after they had completed the practicum.
Performance Assessment of a Flettner Wind Turbine

Introduction W the renewed interest in utilizing wind energy has stimulated a number of novel ideas and brought about considerable progress in conventional wind turbine technology, a system invented about 60 years ago which may have a significant economic advantage over propeller-type and Darrius machines has apparently been overlooked by the engineering community. Anton Flettner, who is often cited in fluid mechanics texts for his utilization of the Magnus effect to propel a sailing ship, devised and constructed a wind turbine using spinning rotors for blades. With the Magnus effect providing lift, the turbine functions aerodynamically in the same way as a propeller-type device does, as indicated in Fig. 1. Other than a brief description and photograph of the prototype (the turbine was 20 m in diameter and had four blades) in Flettner's autobiographical account, however, no citation of work on the concept either by Flettner or others could be found in the literature. With the blades spun by d.c. drive motors mounted in the blades, the Flettner turbine could be operated at constant rotational speed to drive an alternator, the mode of operation generally favored now for large conventional wind turbines. Control of the spin rate of the blades would provide simple, effective control of output torque and rotational speed. This study was undertaken to provide a preliminary assessment of the performance of the Flettner wind turbine, primarily from an aerodynamic standpoint. Hopefully, the results obtained can serve as a guide in the formulation of a complete preliminary design study to obtain a quantitative measure of the merits of the device. An analysis of optimum aerodynamic configuration and power output as a function of wind speed using the classical strip formulation is outlined in what follows, together with a limited performance analysis of a hybrid configuration. Aerodynamic aspects of control system and structural design are then discussed, and specific advantages and disadvantages of the Flettner concept which should be quantitatively assessed in a design exercise to determine economic viability are summarized.
Introduction: Cacao Culture: Case Studies in History 1

An informal survey of twenty restaurants in Boston, Massachusetts reveals that each establishment includes on their menu at least one dessert that features chocolate. To celebrate the approaching V...
The hypnotic actions of the fatty acid amide, oleamide.

Oleamide is an endogenous fatty acid amide which can be synthesized de novo in the mammalian nervous system, and has been detected in human plasma. It accumulates in the CSF of rats after six hours of sleep deprivation and induces sleep in naive rats and mice. Inhibition of the primary catabolic enzyme of oleamide (fatty acid amide hydrolase) by trifluoromethyl-octadecenone reduces sleep latency and increases total sleep time when given centrally to rats and peripherally to mice. While the mechanism of action of oleamide is unclear, it has been demonstrated to increase the amplitude of currents gated by 5-HT2a, 5HT2c and GABAa receptors. Moreover, the action of oleamide most relevant to sleep induction involves, in part, cannabinergic pathways, as evidenced by the ability of the cannabinoid antagonist SR 141716 to inhibit the hypnotic actions of OA. Nonetheless, enhancement of cannabinergic function may not be the only mechanism by which OA alters sleep, as it can act synergistically with subthreshold doses of triazolam (0.125 μg) to reduce sleep latency. These findings raise the possibility that OA may be representative of a group of compounds which might be developed into clinically-used hypnotics, and are discussed in the context of fatty acid derivatives as modulators of neuronal function.
Hypnosis and the Immune System: A Review with Implications for Cancer and the Psychology of Healing

Abstract This paper presents a review of the body's immune system as an introduction to a discussion of the implications of those processes for cancer and the healing mechanisms.
Taking Your Leadership Temperature

Can you identify your administrative leadership style? The checklist pro vided here is de signed to help you do just that.
Exact results on a general lattice statistical model

Abstract Some exact results on the ‘sixteen-vertex’ lattice statistical model are given. In particular the sixteen vertex model in zero external field is shown to be equivalent to an eight vertex model with equal horizontal and vertical fields.
“It Takes a Coalition”: Coalition Potential and Legislative Decision Making

This article empirically illustrates the value of coalition formation in legislative bargaining. I argue that legislators’ potential to form powerful coalitions, their coalition potential, is essential to their ability to obtain preferred policy outcomes. Using data on the European Union's legislative process, I show that coalition potential significantly increases legislators’ success. Moreover, the value of coalition potential depends on the voting rules used to pass legislation. For example, under the unanimity voting rule, the importance of coalition potential is insignificant because of the veto power held by each legislator.
Electronic structure of alkali-metal monolayers on Cu(111)

Abstract We have studied the formation of monolayer films of lithium, sodium, potassium and cesium atoms on Cu(111) at room temperature with angle-resolved inverse and direct photoemission, and monitored the coverage-dependent changes of the empty and occupied electronic density of states of the alkali adsorbates. All alkali metals formed 2 × 2 overlayer structures with characteristic two-dimensional electronic band structures.