cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of dsDNA wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes on the thermal and mechanical properties of polycaprolactone and polyglycolide fiber blend composites

Abstract The aim of this research is to create a stronger biopolymer/carbon nanotube composite suited for load-bearing biomedical applications. Electrospinning was used to fabricate a miscible polycaprolactone (PCL)/polyglycolide (PGA) fiber blend in order to increase the interfacial bonding of the fibers to a PCL matrix. To further increase the strength of the composite, purified single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) wrapped with double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA) were introduced to the PCL-PGA fibers. Bulk PCL was compression molded to encapsulate the PCL-PGA blended fibers as well as the PCL-PGA/dsDNA-SWNT fibers. Mechanical properties were determined with three-point bend testing to establish the composite's load transfer capabilities. It was demonstrated that incorporation of PCL-PGA/dsDNA-SWNT fibers increased the strength and modulus over that of the bulk PCL and PCL-PGA fibers alone. Furthermore, the use of blended fibers allowed load transfer from the dsDNA-SWNTs to the PCL matrix.
Vacuum polarization- and molecular-potential effects in heavy-ion scattering

The corrections to the heavy-ion scattering cross sections due to the presence of perturbing vacuum polarization and molecular potentials are evaluated. We find effects on the cross section up to 0.7% in /sup 16/O with /sup 208/Pb collisions due to vacuum polarization and up to 2.6% in U with Th collisions due to molecular- and vacuum-polarization corrections. (AIP)
Cardiovascular reactivity assessment: effects of choice of difficulty on laboratory task responses.

Abstract This laboratory study of cardiovascular reactivity was designed to examine how a choice of difficulty element in a mental arithmetic task would affect cardiovascular responses. 20 healthy male subjects were tested on a computer-controlled mental arithmetic task, designed to standardize performance across subjects by keeping constant the proportion of correct responses. This was achieved by automatic adjustment of problem difficulty according to ongoing performance. Subjects were led to believe that they could take either a ‘difficult’ or an ‘easy’ version of the mental arithmetic task and were asked to make a choice; in fact, all subjects were given the same task. Subjects who chose the ‘difficult’ mental arithmetic task ( N = 10) showed significantly greater increases in myocardial contractility, cardiac output and systolic blood pressure during task performance than those who chose ‘easy’ ( N = 10). However, subjects who chose ‘difficult’ were presented with more difficult problems presumably due to their exerting greater levels of effort during the task. The differences in cardiovascular responses associated with choice of difficulty were absent during testing on four subsequent tasks which did not incorporate any choice options (reaction-time, speech, mirror trace, cold pressor). These findings are interpreted as being provocative, rather than in any way conclusive. Nevertheless, they are suggestive of the possibility that choice of difficulty in laboratory tasks may be one strategy for improving the ecological validity of laboratory reactivity assessment procedures.
Necrotizing pneumococcal pneumonia in childhood.

We describe the rare complication of necrotizing pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal infection in 3 previously healthy pediatric patients. Lobar consolidation and pleural effusions appeared initially, followed within several days by the appearance of multiple small lucencies in the area of consolidation. In one case, necrosis progressed to a large abscess cavity. Surgical intervention was limited to treatment of pleural space complications. There were no deaths. Pulmonary parenchymal residual was limited to a thin-walled cavity in one case. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1999; 28:217–221 © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Age differences in suprathreshold sensory function.

While there is general agreement that vision and audition decline with aging, observations for the somatosensory senses and taste are less clear. The purpose of this study was to assess age differences in multimodal sensory perception in healthy, community-dwelling participants. Participants (100 females and 78 males aged 20–89 years) judged the magnitudes of sensations associated with graded levels of thermal, tactile, and taste stimuli in separate testing sessions using a cross-modality matching (CMM) procedure. During each testing session, participants also rated words that describe magnitudes of percepts associated with differing-level sensory stimuli. The words provided contextual anchors for the sensory ratings, and the word-rating task served as a control for the CMM. The mean sensory ratings were used as dependent variables in a MANOVA for each sensory domain, with age and sex as between-subject variables. These analyses were repeated with the grand means for the word ratings as a covariate to control for the rating task. The results of this study suggest that there are modest age differences for somatosensory and taste domains. While the magnitudes of these differences are mediated somewhat by age differences in the rating task, differences in warm temperature, tactile, and salty taste persist.
The validity of performance-based measures of clinical reasoning and alternative approaches.

CONTEXT The development of a valid and reliable measure of clinical reasoning ability is a prerequisite to advancing our understanding of clinically relevant cognitive processes and to improving clinical education. A record of problem-solving performances within standardised and computerised patient simulations is often implicitly assumed to reflect clinical reasoning skills. However, the validity of this measurement method for assessing clinical reasoning is open to question. OBJECTIVES Explicitly defining the intended clinical reasoning construct should help researchers critically evaluate current performance score interpretations. Although case-specific measurement outcomes (i.e. low correlations between cases) have led medical educators to endorse performance-based assessments of problem solving as a method of measuring clinical reasoning, the matter of low across-case generalisation is a reliability issue with validity implications and does not necessarily support a performance-based approach. Given this, it is important to critically examine whether our current performance-based testing efforts are correctly focused. To design a valid educational assessment of clinical reasoning requires a coherent argument represented as a chain of inferences supporting a clinical reasoning interpretation. DISCUSSION Suggestions are offered for assessing how well an examinee's existing knowledge organisation accommodates the integration of new patient information, and for focusing assessments on an examinee's understanding of how new patient information changes case-related probabilities and base rates.
Solvent effects on the solvolysis of ADPβS

Abstract Solvolysis rates for trialkylammonium and tetraalkylammonium salts of ADPβS at 25°C and ADP at 80°C in water, N,N -dimethylformamide (DMF) and water-DMF mixtures are reported. ADPβS undergoes solvolysis much faster than ADP under all conditions. The solvolysis of tris -triethylammonium ADPβS is 40-fold faster in DMF than in water at 25°C, but the solvolysis of tris -tetramethylammonium ADPβS is only slightly faster in DMF than in water. The solvolysis rate for tris -tetramethylammonium ADPβS increases whereas that for tris -triethylammonium ADPβS decreases upon addition of small percentage of H 2 O to DMF. The corresponding salts of ADP do not undergo detectable solvolysis at 25°C, but react at 80°C, where the trialkylammonium and tetraalkylammonium salts exhibit analogous but much smaller effects on solvolysis rates. The results indicate the operation of two effects of DMF in enhancing the solvolysis of ADPβS: (a) DMF decreases the acid dissociation constant of ADPβS, which leads to an increased fraction being in the solvolytically labile dianionic form. (b) The decreased polarity of DMF relative to water enhances the rate by a medium effect of destabilizing the ground state relative to the transition state in a dissociative mechanism. Comparisons of the solvolytic rates for ADPβS relative to ADP suggest that the two react by different mechanism, ADP by a S N 2 mechanism via a dissociative transition state and ADPβS by a purely dissociative mechanism via a discrete thiometaphosphate monoanion as an intermediate.
Accountability and team care.

Although we normally have no difficulty with holding individuals accountable for the effects of their actions, we are still confused about holding a health care team accountable. I argue that we can hold teams accountable in the same way that we hold individuals accountable. In constructing this argument, I first examine the nature of a “team,” then look at the consequences of team decision and action, in particular, the problem of synergistic decisionmaking. Finally I relate this philosophical discussion to patient care decisions by teams.
Crossing guard presence: Impact on active transportation and injury prevention

Abstract Evaluation of increased crossing guard presence on the likelihood children using safe active transportation (AT) was conducted during the simultaneous hiring of multiple crossing guards. The primary study aim was to determine if increased crossing guard presence was associated with (1) an increased number of children walking/biking to school, (2) diminished parental safety concerns, (3) an increased likelihood of parents allowing their child to walk/bike to school, and (4) an increased number of children utilizing supervised routes. A quasi-experimental study design was conducted at study intersections in experimental and control schools (matched by neighborhood, rate for risk of pedestrian injury, and socio-economic status). Only experimental schools received awareness campaigns and a newly positioned crossing guard. Measurements taken pre/post-guard placement assessed trends of AT rates among the school׳s population, and Parent Surveys were utilized to determine if crossing guard presence changed parental attitudes toward AT and/or perceptions of safety. Pre/post-program implementation evaluation did not reveal significant changes in trends of AT; parental safety concerns; parental attitudes towards AT. Though experimental schools showed fluctuations in travel trends, no indication of either improvement or worsening of attitudes was found. Significant (noticeable) differences in pre/post-program implementation were identified in the fourth study aim, the number of children utilizing supervised routes vs. unsupervised routes. Also the control school showed no discernible changes from pre to post-program implementation. Study findings demonstrate that increased crossing guard presence is most likely to influence safe behavior as indicated by the increased numbers of children engaging in predictable pedestrian behaviors through their use of supervised routes. Results suggest a prioritization towards engaging in and acknowledging safety before physical activity in areas with existing high rates of AT to and from school. Future studies will include longer observation periods, longer interventions, and lower rates of existing AT.
Valuing an Early-Stage Biotechnology Investment as a Rainbow Option

In an article published in this journal in 2003, Richard Shockley and three of his students presented a detailed valuation of an early-stage biotechnology investment using a binomial lattice option pricing model. The article demonstrates how investments with multiple stages can be treated as “compound sequential options”—that is, as series of options in which investments in one option provide the opportunity to invest in the next in the series. In this article, the author uses the same business case analyzed by Shockley et al. to demonstrate how to value this early-stage biotechnology investment by separately modeling the two types of risks: technology and product market. An option that has two distinct kinds of risk that develop differently over time is known as a “rainbow option.” The key adjustment to the option pricing model required to value such an option is that, instead of the standard binomial option pricing model with two outcomes at each point in time, the author uses a “quadranomial” option pricing model with four outcomes at each point in time. By distinguishing technology risks from product market risks and allowing them to develop differently over time, the author's analysis leads to a very different valuation and, indeed, a different decision about the initial investment than the one produced by Shockley's model.
Travel Time Equations for Dispersive Contaminants

Travel time estimates for contaminant fronts or plumes are often obtained using estimates of average pore velocities from Darcy's law calculations. These estimates provide information only about the travel time of the average concentration (or the peak, for contaminant pulses). Equations are developed here for other portions of the breakthrough curve for a nonreactive contaminant, which allow estimates of travel time for concentrations other than the average or the peak. These travel time equations provide a simple method for calculating early arrival times for low concentrations.
Neurochemical differences between three pairs of rat strains differing in maze performance

Abstract 1. 1. The in vitro activities of aromatic L -amino acid decarboxylase and glutamic acid decarboxylase were higher in the brains of three strains of rats reported to be good maze-performers as compared to three corresponding strains of rats reported to be poor maze-performers. 2. 2. Acetylcholinesterase and cholinesterase activities were different in two of the pairs of strains but not in the third pair or in relation to reported maze-performance. 3. 3. Monoamine oxidase activity was without variation for any of the three pairs of strains. 4. 4. 5-Hydroxytryptamine concentration was different in one of the pairs of strains but not in the other two pairs of strains.
Payment generosity and physician acceptance of Medicare and Medicaid patients.

Using 2008 physician survey data, we estimate the relationship between the generosity of fees paid to primary care physicians under Medicaid and Medicare and his/her willingness to accept new patients covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or both programs (i.e., dually enrolled patients). Findings reveal physicians are highly responsive to fee generosity under both programs. Also, their willingness to accept patients under either program is affected by the generosity of fees under the other program, i.e., there are significant spillover effects between Medicare and Medicare fee generosity. We also simulate how physicians in 2008 would have likely responded to Medicaid and Medicare payment reforms similar to those embodied in the 2010 Affordable Care Act, had they been permanently in place in 2008. Our findings suggest that “Medicaid Parity” for primary care physicians would have likely dramatically improved physician willingness to accept new Medicaid patients while only slightly reducing their willingness to accept new Medicare patients. Also, many more primary care physicians would have been willing to treat dually enrolled patients.
Different effects of hypothermia on amino acid incorporation and on amino acid uptake in the brain in vivo.

The temperature dependence of the incorporation of amino acids into cerebral proteins and that of the transport of amino acids through the blood-brain barrier were studied. We measured the protein synthesis rate in vivo over a wide temperature range (14°C–38°C) in male Sprague-Dawley rats using a flooding dose of labeled valine. There was a linear dependence of the protein synthesis rate on temperature. The temperature quotient expressed as per cent decrease per 1°C was somewhat lower at the lower temperatures, a decrease from 7.8% in the 37.7–32.5°C range to 6.7% in the 25.5–14°C range. The transport of the three amino acids phenylalanine, lysine, and alanine, representing there transport systems, through the blood-brain barrier showed no temperature dependence in vivo. The results show that in hypothermia cerebral metabolic rates are lowered to a great extent, while some aspects of metabolic transport are not affected.
Free-exciton energy spectrum in GaAs

The exciton energy spectrum in GaAs has been studied by photoluminescence and reflection. The photoluminescence was excited using a krypton laser (6471 \AA{}). We observed for the first time the spectra for the excited states of the free exciton in GaAs and also the spectra for the ground states in zero field and in the field range from 12 to 40 kG. The value for the exciton binding energy was determined to be (4.20 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.3) \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ eV from which the band-gap energy of 1.5195 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.0005 eV has been deduced. The values for the Zeeman splitting factors for electron ($g$ factor) and hole ($\ensuremath{\kappa}$ parameter) were deduced from these measurements to be ${g}_{c}=\ensuremath{-}0.50\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$ and $\ensuremath{\kappa}=1.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2$, respectively. A phenomenological description for the free-exciton energy spectrum in the intermediate-field regime is used to explain the experimental measurements.
On the Asymptotic Solution of the Singularly Perturbed Boundary Value Problems Posed by Bohé

Abstract Asymptotic solutions to two-point boundary value problems for certain equations of the form ϵẍ = g(x)f(ẋ) on 0 ≤ t ≤ 1 are obtained featuring an interior shock layer where the solution jumps from nearly x(0) to nearly x(1).
The Delay Line Readout Technique Applied to Proportional Chambers Using Electronegative Gas Mixtures

The delay line readout technique was adapted to proportional chambers using electronegative gas mixtures. This requires lines with improved rise time, but allows somewhat shorter delays; at the same time, we improved the two-pulse resolution. Our new line is 55cm long, has a delay to rise time ratio of 50 for a delay of 2.1 ?s; two pulse resolution in the middle of the line is of the order of 15mm for equal amplitude pulses. We also investigated aluminum core and printed circuit delay lines. We found that the first ones are well suited for low to medium delays with medium two pulse resolution; the second ones are adapted to low delays and may have extremely good delay to rise time ratio in the differential stripline configuration.
Can Avatars Fight Fraud? How Virtual Business Environments Facilitate Learning More About Fraud Investigation and Prevention

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses how virtual business environments can accelerate the advancement of research in fraud investigation and mentions two topics within the issue including fraud in virtual world and role of Embodied Conversational Agents in interviews.
Personhood and disease in Alcoholics Anonymous: A perspective from the anthropology of religious healing

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the most widely known therapy for excessive drinking or alcoholism, yet little is understood about how AA 'works'. Clues to AA's therapeutic mechanisms can be uncovered when the fellowship is approached from the perspective of the anthropology of religious healing. This article examines AA's vision of the alcoholic as a kind of person, or agent-in-society, and a member of a moral community. Conceptualizing alcoholism as a 'disease' works to create a sense of consubstantiality or kinship among AA members. Sobriety is shown to be more than abstinence from beverage alcohol, and abstinence is itself value-bearing, meaningful conduct. AA's view of the alcoholic as an example of 'self-will run riot,' and of certain emotions as indicative of self-centredness are explored. 'Therapy' for 'self-centredness' that leads back to drinking is shown to be prayer and service to the community. AA does not 'treat' the suffering alcoholic self but the self-centred alcoholic person.
Structure and use of signaling in B-ISDNs

Signaling in a communication network is the collection of procedures used to dynamically establish, maintain, and terminate connections, which require information exchange between the network users and the switching nodes, and, between switching nodes. This paper rewiews the UNI signaling architecture.
Space transportation system interactive conceptual design/cost/economics model

Abstract A computer-aided procedure is described that aids in creating and analyzing conceptual transportation system designs. The program assists the designer by developing an optimal transportation vehicle design, analyzing the design's performance characteristics, performing a mass properties analysis of the vehicle, and estimating the total cost of the system. The program is of modular construction and is hosted on an IBM-PC microcomputer. The program architecture is outlined. The individual program modules and their input and output parameters are described, and example results obtained in using the program are presented. The model is designed to deal with most kinds of transportation systems (up to four stage vehicles), including expendable, partially-reusable, and fully-reusable, vehicle configurations. It serves as a prototype for a second-generation model that will be hosted on a VAX minicomputer.
Glutamate- and aspartate-induced extracellular potassium and calcium shifts and their relation to those of kainate, quisqualate and N-methyl-D-aspartate in the isolated turtle cerebellum.

Abstract Ion-selective microelectrodes can be used to evaluate the characteristics and laminar distribution of excitatory amino acid agonist-induced K + . and Ca 2+ shifts in the extracellular environment of brain cells. This report describes the pattern of K + increases and Ca 2+ decreases elicited by glutamate and aspartate at 100 μm intervals in the isolated turtle cerebellum. These responses were compared to ion shifts evoked by kainate, quisqualate and N -methyl- d -aspartate. Glutamate and aspartate produced indistinguishable laminar patterns of ion shifts, with the greatest [K + ] o and [Ca 2+ ] o shifts in the granular layer. The average maximum granular and molecular layer increases in [K + ] o were, respectively, 130% and 24% larger than the increase in the Purkinje cell layer. Kainate-induced increases in [K + ] o also followed this granular > molecular > Purkinje cell layer pattern; however, the corresponding [Ca 2+ ] o decreases were smaller and more variable. Quisqualate-evoked ion shifts in the molecular layer closely mimicked the shape of glutamate- and aspartate-induced responses. In the granular layer, however, quisqualate caused little ion change during iontophoresis followed by large [K + ] o and [Ca 2+ ] o shifts after the end of the pulse. The minimal ion shifts induced during quisqualate application in the granular layer gave this agonist the distinction of being the only agent tested to have its greatest direct effect in the molecular layer. N -Methyl- d -aspartate caused large, two-phase [K + o and [Ca 2+ ] o , shifts in the granular layer, only small [K + ] o rises in the Purkinje cell and ventral molecular layers, and no response in the dorsal molecular layer. The lack of similarity between glutamate- and aspartate-induced ion shifts in the granular layer and those of any one agonist demonstrate the mixed agonist action of glutamate and aspartate in the cerebellum. These studies provide new information about the dynamics of excitatory amino add receptor activation that is complementary to autoradiographic receptor mapping data and to single cell electro-physiological studies.
Correction of timing errors in photomultiplier tubes used in phase-modulation fluorometry.

Abstract The measurement of fluorescence lifetimes is known to be hindered by the wavelenght-dependent and photocathode area-dependent time response of photomultiplier tubes. A simple and direct method is described to minimize the effects in photomultiplier tubes for phase-modulation fluorometry. Reference fluorophores of known lifetime were used in place of the usual scattering reference. The emission wavelenghts of the reference and sample were matched by either filters or a monochromator, and the use of a fluorophore rather than a scatter decreases the differences in spatial distribution of light emanating from the reference and sample. Thus photomultiplier tube artifacts are minimized. Five reference fluorophores were selected on the basis of availability, ease of solution preparation, and constancy of lifetime with temperature and emission wavelenght. These compounds are p-terphenyl, PPO, PPD, POPOP and dimethyl POPOP. These compounds are dissolved in ethanol to give standard solutions that can be used over the temperature range from −55 to +55°C. Purging with inert gas is not necessary. The measured phase and modulation of the reference solution is used, in conjunction with the known reference, lifetime, to calculate the actual phase and modulation of the exictation beam. The use of standard fluorophores does not require separate experiments to quantify photomultiplier effects, and does not increase the time required for the measurement of fluorescence lifetimes. Examples are presented which demonstrate the elimination of artifactual photomultiplier effects in measurements of the lifetimes of DADH (0.4 ns) and indole solutions quenched by iodide. In addition, the use of these reference solutions increases the accuracy of fluorescence lifetime measurements ranging ranging to 30 ns. We judge this method to provide more reliable lifetime measurements by the phase and modulation method. The test solutions and procedures we describe may be used by other laboratories to evaluate the performance of their phase fluorometers.
Growth Response and Selenium and Boron Distribution in Broccoli Varieties Irrigated with Poor Quality Water

Abstract Selenium (Se), and boron (B), and salinity contamination of agricultural drainage water is potentially hazardous for water reuse strategies in central California. This greenhouse study assessed tolerance and Se, B, and chloride (Cl−) accumulation in different varieties (Emerald City, Samurai, Greenbelt, Marathon) of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) irrigated with water of the following different qualities: (1) non‐saline [electrical conductivity (EC) of <1 dS m−1]; (2) Cl−/sulfate salinity of ∼5 dS m−1, 250 µg Se L−1, and 5 mg B L−1; and (3) non‐saline and 250 µg Se L−1. One hundred and ten days after transplanting, plants were harvested and dry weight (DW) yields and plant accumulation of Se, B, and Cl− was evaluated in floret, leaf, and stem. Irrespective of treatments floret yields from var. Samurai were the lowest among all varieties, while floret yields from var. Marathon was the only variety to exhibit some sensitivity to treatments. For all varieties, plant Se concentrations were greatest i...
Alternative Baseline Models and Their Implications for Understanding Coalition Behavior in Congress

While it is important to compare actual behavior against a baseline model in determining when behavior is significant, the choice of baseline model affects the decision as to what behavior is significant. An appropriate baseline model incorporates as much as possible of what we know about the behavior being studied, except for what we want to test. Employing a baseline model which takes into account the overall propensity of members of Congress to vote "yes" modifies some of Hammond and Fraser's conclusions as to the significance of particular coalitions.
Genetic Structure in Populations of Baetis tricaudatus in the San Bernardino Mountains

Abstract. To examine genetic structure in populations of the mayfly Baetis tricaudatus and make inferences about its dispersal abilities, I analyzed 3 microsatellite regions in individuals collected from 14 locations in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California. Genotypes separate into 2 strongly differentiated clusters, suggesting that B. tricaudatus as currently recognized consists of more than one species. Within each cluster, there is significant genetic differentiation among collection sites, but no significant trend of genetic isolation by distance. Heterozygote deficiencies exist at various sites for all loci. Gene flow appears to prevent isolation by distance across the 60-km stretch of the San Bernardino Mountains under consideration. Wahlund effects may account for the observed heterozygote deficiencies.
Use of PRZM‐3 to validate a laboratory to field degradation conceptual model

The test substance, boscalid, was applied at two field sites, but, depending on how kinetic calculations were performed, the time required for 50% of the initial compound concentration to dissipate (half-life) ranged from 27 to 200 days. Laboratory aerobic soil studies indicated that the DT50 for the compound was about 108 days, and since compound dissipation rates are typically shorter in the field than those observed in the laboratory, confidence in the field half-life calculations was questioned. Researchers have asked whether exposure models might be useful for relating laboratory to field behavior, especially when results are difficult to reconcile between the two systems. In order to determine how realistic field dissipation-time kinetic calculations were, a 60-day DT50 (some masked data), 150-day DT50 and a 196-day rate constant (t1/2) kinetic result were entered into the Pesticide Root Zone Model (PRZM-3) for a California site. A 27-day DT50, and a 200 day t1/2 kinetic result were also entered into the model for a Florida site. Results indicate that using the shortest DT50 solution in PRZM-3 provided the best fit to actual field data. Results from this study suggest that PRZM-3 can be used successfully to address uncertainty between a laboratory conceptual understanding of a compound's behavior and the actual behavior observed in the field.
Effects of methylmercury on brain biogenic amines in the developing rat pup.

Abstract Neonatal rat pups were dosed ip with methylmercury chloride, 5 mg/kg/day, on Days 5, 6, and 7 after birth. Peak brain concentrations of methylmercury were observed 1–3 days after the last injection. The t 1 2 of methylmercury in the brain was 6.6 days. This nonlethal dose produced an initial decrease (on Day 8) in brain 5-HT, 5-HIAA, NE, and DA in the rat pups. Subsequently, the concentrations of these brain constituents increased toward, and then exceeded, control values by Day 15. The initial decreases in the monoamine concentrations were associated with high amounts of methylmercury in the brain, while increased concentrations were seen when the amount of the poison was low. After Day 15 no consistent trends were observed in brain catecholamine concentrations after methylmercury treatment; large deviations from control were noted. Serotonin, on the other hand, continued to rise above control and remained elevated until the end of the experiment (Day 60). This monoamine was further studied with respect to early methylmercury exposure. Methylmercury-treated rat pups displayed decreases in brain tryptophan content, tryptophan hydroxylase activity, and serotonin turnover rate on Day 8 of the experiment. The rat pups matured normally, and no overt signs of the early poisoning were observed.
Cross-sensory cuing drives cross-frequency neural coupling, dramatically altering performance of a taxing visual-detection task

Functional networks are comprised of neuronal ensembles bound through synchronization across multiple intrinsic oscillatory frequencies. Various coupled interactions between brain oscillators have been described (e.g., phase–amplitude coupling), but with little evidence that these interactions actually influence perceptual sensitivity. Here, electroencephalographic recordings were made during a sustained-attention task to demonstrate that cross-frequency coupling, driven by cross-sensory cuing, has significant consequences for perceptual outcomes (i.e., whether participants detect a near-threshold visual target). Our results reveal that phase-detection relationships at higher frequencies are entirely dependent on the phase of lower frequencies, such that higher frequencies alternate between periods when their phase is strongly predictive of visual-target detection and periods when their phase has no influence whatsoever. These data thus bridge the crucial gap between complex oscillatory phenomena and perceptual outcomes. Accounting for cross-frequency coupling between lower (i.e., delta and theta) and higher frequencies (e.g., beta and gamma), we show that visual-target detection fluctuates dramatically as a function of pre-stimulus phase, with performance swings of as much as 80%.
Nano‐Raman Spectroscopy and Imaging with a Near‐Field Scanning Optical Microscope

Raman spectroscopy was performed using a near-field scanning optical microscope. This avoids the diffraction limit inherent in conventional optical microscopy techniques involving far-field optical components, and allows volumes significantly smaller than the cube of the wavelength to be investigated. The small sample volume coupled with the light-starved nature of the Raman effect itself makes such nano-Raman studies difficult. A near-field Raman microscope is described and results showing near-field effects in an investigation of Rb-doped KTP are presented. An image taken within a Raman feature demonstrates that nano-Raman imaging is indeed possible if the near-field instrument has considerable long-term stability, and that several unique aspects of the near-field data recommend this approach.
COMING TO TERMS WITH GLOBAL RETAILING

The article attempts to synthesise major developments in global retailing and presents a scenario of important global trends since the 1960s. Implications are also offered for international retailers.
Mouse Middle Ear Ion Homeostasis Channels and Intercellular Junctions

Hypothesis The middle ear contains homeostatic mechanisms that control the movement of ions and fluids similar to those present in the inner ear, and are altered during inflammation.
Exposure-Duration Relationships: The Risk Assessment Process for Health Effects Other Than Cancer

AbstractThe development of the risk assessment process over the past 10 years not only has provided us with a framework to carry out an important regulatory function, but also has aided in the identification of major gaps in our knowledge and the scientific database. One of those gaps is the influence of the duration of exposure on the toxicity of an agent. Currently, approaches to estimating short-duration exposure limits are only generally defined, assuming a constant relationship between the level of an exposure and its duration with respect to the response that can be expected. Within developmental toxicology, even this type of exposure duration adjustment is generally not carried out, the risk assessment being based on the overall daily exposure, regardless of the actual timing, duration, or frequency of exposure or the physicochemical properties of the agent. This article summarizes several current approaches to estimating short-duration exposure limits and outlines preliminary model development tha...
Higher Basal Cortisol Predicts Verbal Memory Loss in Postmenopausal Women: Rancho Bernardo Study

BACKGROUND: In animals, higher endogenous or exogenous corticosteroids cause neuronal dysfunction, damage, and loss, especially in the hippocampus. In humans, high cortisol levels have been linked to memory impairment. OBJECTIVE: To prospectively examine the relation between morning basal cortisol level and change in cognitive performance during an average follow-up of 2 years. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort. SETTING: Geographic community in southern California. MEASUREMENTS: Between 1984 and 1987, blood for basal morning cortisol was obtained along with pertinent medical, behavioral, and physical covariates from 749 postmenopausal women, mean age 72 years, who were not taking corticosteroids or postmenopausal hormones. Cognitive function was assessed in 502 women in the period from 1988 to 1991 and repeated in 136 women in the period from 1991 to 1993. RESULTS: In both age- and multiply adjusted linear regression models, higher baseline cortisol was a significant predictor of worsened category fluency. No other cognitive domain tested was related to cortisol. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis that subtle dysregulation of cortisol axis is related to memory loss. Interventions that block this pathway may provide new therapeutic options to prevent cognitive decline.
Greater Epoetin alfa (EPO) doses and short-term mortality risk among hemodialysis patients with hemoglobin levels less than 11 g/dL

SUMMARY Purpose WeexaminedtheassociationbetweenhighdosesofEpoetinalfa(EPO),whichareusedtoraiseandmaintainhemoglobin(Hb)levelswithin target ranges for hemodialysis patients, and short-term mortality risk using multivariable regression and an instrumental variable (IV)analysis.Methods We identiﬁed 32734 patients receiving hemodialysis in 786 facilities from a large US dialysis provider between July 2000 andMarch2002whoreceivedcarefor>4consecutivemonths,andhadanHb 25%(instrument). Weassessed deathsduring the subsequent 90 days and evaluated the EPO dose-mortality association using conventional linear and IV regression.Results Thestudypopulationhadamean(SD)ageof60.4(15.0)years;48%werewhite,42%wereblackand51%weremale.Inunadjustedanalyses,highEPOdoseswereassociatedwith90-daymortalityrisk(RiskDifference,RD¼3.0per100persons,95%CI:2.3–3.6);mortalityrisk was attenuated after adjustment for confounding (RD¼1.5 per 100 persons, 95%CI:0.8–2.2) and not associated with high EPO dose inthe pooled IV analysis, though conﬁdence intervals (CI) were wide (RD¼ 0.4 per 100 persons, 95%CI:-3.2-2.4).Conclusions The difference in risk estimates between the adjusted linear regression and the IV regression suggests that the short-termmortality related to EPO dosing may be largely attributable to confounding-by-indication for higher doses. The IV method, which wasemployed to address the possibility of residual confounding, yielded near null though imprecise effect estimates. Copyright # 2009 JohnWiley & Sons, Ltd.key words—Epoetin alfa; hemodialysis; anemia; mortality; confounding-by-indicationReceived 27 November 2008; Revised 15 May 2009; Accepted 1 June 2009
Experimental determination of carbon isotope fractionation between CaCO3 and graphite

Abstract Carbon isotopic exchange between graphite and three polymorphs of CaCO3 was investigated at temperatures of 600–1400 °C and at pressures from 1.4 to 2.3 GPa. Fractionation factors at all temperatures were determined by the partial exchange treatment of Northrop and Clayton (1966) . Graphite starting material for the majority of the experiments was milled in water for 20–25 h, producing aggregates of nanosheets. The sheets range in width from 50 to 1000 nm and in thickness from 20 to 30 nm, and they retain hexagonal symmetry. Isotopic exchange appears to be the sum of surface exchange and interior exchange. At 1100–1400 °C, interior exchange exceeded surface exchange, probably by a combination of grain growth, as determined by increase in crystallite size, recrystallization, as observed in FESEM images, and diffusion. In some runs at 1200 and 1400 °C with an isotopic contrast between the initial graphite and calcite of close to 50‰, equilibrium fractionation was actually overstepped due to a kinetic effect. A weighted regression of fractionation factors from the high-temperature runs yields the line of equilibrium interior exchange: 1000 ln α carbonate – graphite = 3.28 ( 0.07 ) × 10 6 / T 2 . Our calibration lies between the empirical geothermometers of Kitchen and Valley (1995) and Valley and O’Neil (1981) and, accordingly, with a substantial body of data from granulite-facies metamorphic rocks. At 600–700 °C surface exchange greatly exceeded interior exchange, with a much lower activation energy. Interior exchange was slight to nonexistent because there was no crystal growth, no recrystallization, and, probably, little diffusion. Fractionation factors are ∼1‰ higher than the interior exchange factors. Surface exchange probably occurred in the outer one or two unit cells of nanosheets. In previous experimental studies, similar surface-dominated fractionations apparently were measured, even at high temperatures. At 750–1000 °C, exchange rates and fractionation factors followed the low-temperature surface trends. But higher progress toward equilibrium indicates that exchange may also have occurred along rapidly-migrating subgrain boundaries. At those temperatures, crystallite size decreased, but the physical appearance of nanosheets did not change, indicating internal rearrangement of the grains.
Total wave force on cylinder considering free surface fluctuation

Past studies have shown that, in a wave field, fluctuation of the water surface has a profound influence on the wave induced force on objects placed close to the still water level. A recent study examined the effects of free surface fluctuation on the total wave force on a rigid vertical cylinder of small diameter extending from sea floor to beyond the still water level. The waves were considered long-crested, stationary and linear with a narrow-band spectrum and the wave force was evaluated using the Morison formula. In this study, the waves are treated as second order nonlinear Stokes waves with narrow-band characteristics. The effects of wave nonlinearity and free surface fluctuation on the mean and standard deviation of total wave force on a rigid vertical cylinder are examined.
Detection of interspecies idiotypic cross‐reactions associated with antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen

A common idiotype was defined by a rabbit anti-idiotypic antiserum generated against human antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs). This idiotype was detected in anti-HBs from eight different individuals who had been previously infected with hepatitis B virus and is referred to as the CHBs idiotype. The CHBs idiotype was also identified in sera from rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, swine, goats and chimpanzees that had been immunized with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Expression of the CHBs idiotype in sera from other species was associated with anti-HBs molecules. These results suggested that variable-region genes responsible for the CHBs idiotype have been conserved through long periods of evolution. It was noteworthy that the CHBs idiotype was not detected in the sera of a nonmammalian species, chickens, that had been successfully immunized with HBsAg.
Wear of Spur Gears Having a Dithering Motion and Lubricated With a Perfluorinated Polyether Grease

Gear contact surface wear is one of the important failure modes for gear systems. Dedicated experiments are required to enable precise evaluations of gear wear for a particular application. The application of interest for this study required evaluation of wear of gears lubricated with a grade 2 perfluorinated polyether grease and having a dithering (rotation reversal) motion. Experiments were conducted using spur gears made from AISI 9310 steel. Wear was measured using a profilometer at test intervals encompassing 10,000 to 80,000 cycles of dithering motion. The test load level was 1.1 GPa maximum Hertz contact stress at the pitch-line. The trend of total wear as a function of test cycles was linear, and the wear depth rate was approximately 1.2 nm maximum wear depth per gear dithering cycle. The observed wear rate was about 600 times greater than the wear rate for the same gears operated at high speed and lubricated with oil.
Transport into brain of buthionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of glutathione synthesis, is facilitated by esterification and administration of dimethylsulfoxide

Abstract Buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of glutathione synthesis, is poorly transported into the brain of adult mice, and only a slight decrease(∼ 10%) in the level of brain glutathione is found 30–60 min after intraperitoneal administration of BSO. When BSO is given as the ethyl ester, the brain level of BSO increases substantially after 5–15 min, and the glutathione level decreases by about 25% after 30–60 min. When BSO or its ester is given in 15% dimethylsulfoxide solution the brain levels of BSO are increased significantly and the brain glutathione levels are decreased by 20–35%. These observations suggest procedures that may be useful in decreasing the glutathione levels of the brains of adult animals. The finding that administration of BSO ethyl ester led toabout a 25% decrease in the brain level of glutathione within 15 min suggests that a fraction of brain glutathione turns over very rapidly and may therefore be of special physiological significance.
Parsing the Results of the Second Drag Prediction Workshop

Drag data from the second AIAA drag prediction workshop (DPW2) are examined from the primary viewpoint of mesh resolution. The single point DPW2 cases for a wing/body and a wing/body/nacelle/pylon were computed by the workshop participants on meshes of three different sizes. Applying Richardson extrapolation to the drag values on these three meshes reveals useful information about the rate of error reduction as well as providing extrapolated drag values. This approach offers one yardstick by which the comparative accuracy of the DPW2 results can be assessed.
A Cross-Cultural Study of Aggression and Crime:

The relationships of agression and crime to variables of childhood experience, adult behavior, and social structure were studied cross-culturally. The expression of aggression and crime was rated for many cultures. These ratings were then correlated with ratings of ego strength and sub-groups of the ego strength scale (Allen, 1963), variables of childhood experience (Whiting & Child, 1953; Barry, Bacon, & Child, 1967), and variables of social structure (Barry, Bacon, & Child, 1967; Ethnology, 1962, 1963). The results of the correlations are discussed with reference to some theories of aggression, crime, and suicide.
Integration of geographic information systems and a computer model to evaluate impacts of agricultural runoff on water quality

: This study integrates an Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution Model (AGNPS), the Geographic Resource Analysis Support System (GRASS) (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1987), and GRASS WATERWORKS (a hydrologic modeling tool box being developed at the Michigan State University Center for Remote Sensing) to evaluate the impact of agricultural runoff on water quality in the Cass River, a subwatershed of Saginaw Bay. AGNPS is used to estimate the amounts, origin, and distribution of sediment, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in the watershed. GRASS and GRASS WATERWORKS are used to generate parameters needed for AGNPS from digital maps, which include soil association, land use, watershed boundaries, water features, and digital elevation. Outputs of the model include spatially distributed estimates of volume and peak runoff, overland and channel erosion, sediment yields, and concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus. Management scenarios are explored in the AGNPS model to minimize sedimentation and nutrient loading. Scenarios evaluated include variations in crop cover, tillage methods, and other agricultural management practices. In addition, areas vulnerable to erosion are identified for best management practices.
The double lambda system: a new workhorse for quantum optics?

We review the status of the double–lambda system of cavity QED and mention unexpected recent applications in which deterministic and unitary control of quantum states is exploited.