cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
O1 Using Comprehensive Approach to Implement Plan Shop Safe Cook Curriculum in a Low-income Hispanic Community

Objective To implement and evaluate a comprehensive approach to adult nutrition education program in a Hispanic low-income community. Use of Theory or Research Based on Social Ecological Model, nutrition education intervention is more effective when it not only focuses on individual level but also levels of interpersonal, organizational, and environmental. Plan Shop Safe Cook (PSSC) is a nutrition family and consumer science curriculum that showed evidence of increased knowledge, skills, and intention to change. Our comprehensive approach will enhance the healthy behavior change by collaborating with the administer of low-income housing authorities to make policy, system, and environment (PSE) change for participants. Target Audience CalFresh Healthy Living Program (CHLP) adult participants who are living in low-income housing authorities in a Hispanic dominated community. Program Description CHLP educators teach a 4-lesson series on meal planning, reading labels, shopping, and cooking annually at the sites. In 2018, our team collaborated with sites managers to make a PSE change by allowing us to build community gardens, give outs seeds and soil, and support container gardens outside their apartments. In Year 2019 PSSC lessons, educators adapted recipes to include vegetables that harvested in their gardens in the cooking lesson and did taste testing. Evaluation Methods Participants complete a pre- and post-test at the beginning and end of the series. The pre/post evaluation tool included 6 resource management items and 1 food security question using a 5-option Likert-type response and 1 open-end question on behavior change they have made after classes. Results Eighty-two percent of participants (n = 124, 88% female, 95% Latino, 33% age 60 years or older) increased at least 1 resource management behaviors and 44% reported greater food security. Three self-reported behavior change themes were merged: freezing their extra produce; adding more vegetables to their diets; and eating less salt and less sugar. Conclusions Building community gardens as PSE change strategy is an effective way to enhance nutrition education towards behavior change in low-income housing authorities. Funding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education.
Treatment of sellar metastases with gamma knife radiosurgery in patients with advanced cancer

Metastases should be considered in a patient with a cancer history and a sellar/suprasellar lesion, as this diagnosis can change the management strategy in such patients. Once the diagnosis is established, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) can be a safe and effective approach for these patients. This case series describes five patients with pituitary metastases managed with GKRS at a single institution, taken from our prospective registry. All patients had SRS using the Gamma Knife Perfexion or Icon (Elekta), according to our standard institutional protocol. The optic nerves and chiasm were contoured, and the plan was adjusted to restrict dose to the optic apparatus as necessary. The tumor margin doses delivered were 11 Gy, 12 Gy, 14 Gy, 18 Gy (3 sessions of 6 Gy), and 12 Gy at the 50% isodose line. In this series, all sellar metastases were treated successfully with good radiographic and clinical response. The histology of the tumors included endometrial, gastrointestinal, and lung adenocarcinomas. Typically, histology is taken into consideration when choosing the treatment dose, along with size and location. In these patients, however, the dose used for the sellar metastases was chosen primarily for visual safety. This was typically lower than the dose for brain metastases in other locations. SRS provides an alternative treatment approach for sellar/suprasellar metastases with excellent local control, symptom improvement and maintenance of systemic therapy as desired. As such, CNS failure is rarely the proximate cause of demise in pituitary metastases provided that endocrinopathies are recognized and managed appropriately.
Coopetition: How Interorganizational Collaboration Shapes Hospital Innovation in Competitive Environments

Public service innovation, defined as the adoption of new technology and methods of service delivery, is at the heart of public management research. Scholars have long studied public and private sector innovation as distinctive phenomena, arguing that private sector innovation aims to increase firms' competitive advantage, while public sector innovation purports to improve governance and performance. The public-private dichotomy overlooks the complex way how organizations interact with each other for service delivery. Public services are increasingly delivered through the web of collaborative networks, in which organizations compete and cooperate simultaneously. This Element explores how coopetition, namely the simultaneous presence of competition and collaboration, shapes innovation in the health care sector. Analyzing panel data of 4,000+ American hospitals from 2008 to 2017, this Element finds evidence that coopetition catalyzes the technology and service process innovation and offers practical implications on managing innovation in competitive environments.
Where the Grass Is Greener: Social Infrastructure and Resilience to COVID-19

Recent studies have linked the strength and type of social ties in communities to abating the spread of COVID-19. However, less attention has gone to social infrastructure, the places in neighborhoods that foster social ties and connectedness. This study highlights the role of social infrastructure in COVID-19 outcomes in Fukuoka, a major city in Southwestern Japan, drawing on mapping, modeling, and statistical simulations. I find that city blocks in Fukuoka with more social infrastructure see lower rates of COVID spread, even after controlling for social capital, vulnerability, and health care capacity. However, some kinds of social infrastructure are more beneficial than others; parks, libraries, and public educational sites are linked to lower rates of infection, likely because social distancing is easier here, while public meeting facilities and community centers see rising infections, likely because these places may facilitate transmission through gatherings. City officials should carefully inventory the amount of social infrastructure in their neighborhoods and prioritize expanding outdoor social infrastructure during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, where risk of transmission is lower.
Toward an Understanding of Cognitive Mapping Ability Through Manipulations and Measurement of Schemas and Stress

Daily function depends on an ability to mentally map our environment. Environmental factors such as visibility and layout, and internal factors such as psychological stress, can challenge spatial memory and efficient navigation. Importantly, people vary dramatically in their ability to navigate flexibly and overcome such challenges. In this paper, we present an overview of "schema theory" and our view of its relevance to navigational memory research. We review several studies from our group and others, that integrate manipulations of environmental complexity and affective state in order to gain a richer understanding of the mechanisms that underlie individual differences in navigational memory. Our most recent data explicitly link such individual differences to ideas rooted in schema theory, and we discuss the potential for this work to advance our understanding of cognitive decline with aging. The data from this body of work highlight the powerful impacts of individual cognitive traits and affective states on the way people take advantage of environmental features and adopt navigational strategies.
Family transfers in rural Mexico: An application to risk sharing and labor supply elasticity

This paper develops a new model of risk sharing that allows for permanent wage shocks, variable labor supply and non-separable consumption. This model predicts that high wage men work more, and consume fewer complements and more substitutes for leisure. I test this model with two new instruments for wages in rural Mexico. I find that men who receive a positive long-term wage shock work more, own fewer televisions, eat the same food and own more cars. Because my wage instruments use education shocks, they are also valuable to economists studying education in the developing world.
Multiple Transmitter Control of Catecholamine Secretion in Rat Adrenal Medulla

Publisher Summary Generally it is considered that excitation of splanchnic neurons during exercise and stress and so on, releases acetylcholine (ACh), which then activates the cholinergic receptors of the chromaffin cells to stimulate secretion of catecholamines (CAs) and other biochemical functions of chromaffin cells; but a number of recent studies suggests that there is convincing new evidence that in addition to ACh, several peptides released in the adrenal medullary synapse are capable of affecting CA secretion, synthesis, and differentiation of chromaffin cells. This chapter briefly covers new evidence about peptidergic innervation of the rat adrenal medulla and the contribution of the peptides released from these neurons in the secretion and synthesis of CA. A large number of experiments have been carried out in isolated perfused adrenal gland of rat. A distinct advantage of this preparation is that secretion of CA could be evoked by excitation of splanchnic neurons as well as exogenous ACh. If ACh is the only transmitter involved in the stimulation of CA secretion, then it can be anticipated that antagonists of nicotinic and muscarinic receptors would block the secretion evoked by splanchnic nerve stimulation. However, in study secretion evoked by splanchnic nerve stimulation is reduced but not blocked. This substantial secretion in the face of effective cholinergic block has been taken as a first indication that some noncholinergic transmitter released from neurons innervating the adrenal medulla is responsible for the secretion. The data also hinted that the contribution of noncholinergic substance is more prominent at lower than higher frequencies of stimulation.
Comparison of clinical features and outcomes of medically attended influenza A and influenza B in a defined population over four seasons: 2004–2005 through 2007–2008

Please cite this paper as: Irving et al. (2012) Comparison of clinical features and outcomes of medically attended influenza A and influenza B in a defined population over four seasons: 2004–2005 through 2007–2008. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(1), 37–43. Background There are few prospectively collected data comparing illnesses caused by different subtypes of influenza. We compared the clinical presentation and outcomes of subjects with primarily outpatient‐attended influenza A and B infections during four consecutive influenza seasons (2004–2005 through 2007–2008). Methods Patients were prospectively enrolled and tested for influenza following an encounter for acute respiratory illness. Influenza infections were confirmed by culture or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; subtype was determined for a sample of influenza A isolates each season. Clinical characteristics of influenza A and B infections were compared across and within individual seasons. Results We identified 901 cases of influenza A and 284 cases of influenza B; 98% of cases were identified through an outpatient medical encounter. Thirty‐six percent of patients with each strain had received seasonal influenza vaccine prior to illness onset. There were no consistent differences in symptoms associated with influenza A and B. Influenza A infection was associated with earlier care seeking compared with influenza B during the 2005–2006 and 2007–2008 seasons, when H3N2 was the dominant type A virus, and in a combined analysis that included all seasons. Twenty‐six (2·2%) of 1185 cases were diagnosed with radiographically confirmed pneumonia, and 59 (5%) of 1185 patients were hospitalized within 30 days of illness onset. Conclusions Over four influenza seasons, aside from shorter intervals from illness onset to clinical encounter for infections with the A(H3N2) subtype, clinical symptoms and outcomes were similar for patients with predominantly outpatient‐attended influenza A and B infections.
Reducing Electricity Costs By Purchasing Spare Batteries for Forklift Trucks

ABSTRACT Asimulation model for evaluating use of spare batteries for forklift trucks is developed. User-provided inputs to the model include number and sizes of forklift trucks and batteries, probability function for usage, and interchangeability of forklift trucks. The simulation output can be used for estimating costs and payback period for purchase of spare batteries.
An ultrasound-based imaging method for visualizing patterns of action potential propagation in the heart

An understanding of the patterns and characteristics of action potential propagation in the heart is crucial for the development of advanced methods for treating dangerous and lethal cardiac rhythm disorders. Unfortunately, visualization of these action potentials with existing methods, especially deep with the walls of the heart, has been problematic. We have been developing a new method whereby these patterns can be seen. The method calculates the locations of action potentials from the deformations they produce, as recorded in ultrasound images. An important step in developing an appropriate algorithm is to determine whether there exists a local function of the mechanical strains that marks the locations of the action potentials, or whether a fully three-dimensional inverse calculation must be performed. To study this question, we have examined the properties of deformations produced by action potentials propagating in: a 1-D fiber, an axisymmetric shell model of the heart and a 3-D model of a cube of cardiac tissue. The models and theory combine to show that incremental strain is a good marker of the action potentials wavefronts when the system and wave are essentially one-dimensional in nature. In contrast, higher dimensional structure in either the wave or the medium in which it travels produces an incremental strain field that extends out away from the wave. We conclude that determination of action potential locations will likely require a more complex calculation when wave propagation is not fundamentally one-dimensional.
Propeller design by numerical optimization

A computer program designed to optimize propeller characteristics was developed by combining two main programs: the first is the optimization program based on the gradient algorithm; the second is based on a propeller blade element theory and uses an aerodynamics subprogram to approximate the lift and drag characteristics of the NACA 16-series airfoil section. To evaluate the propeller program alone (with its aerodynamics subprogram), propeller characteristics were computed and compared to those from wind tunnel investigations conducted on three different NACA propellers. Although the thrust and power coefficients which were computed using the blade element theory were generally higher than the experimental results for two of the three propellers, the corresponding efficiencies showed good agreement for all three propellers. The propeller optimization program was then used to study the NACA 4-(5)(08)-03 propeller at various Mach numbers from 0.175 to 0.60. Improvements in propeller efficiency and thrust were obtained through the use of the propeller optimization program.
Further classification of ordinary chondrites from the Monnig Collection

Four ordinary chondrites from the Oscar Monnig Meteorite Collection were classified into compositional groups, petrologic types, and shock stages: Wray (b), Colorado, L5S@; Round Top (a), Texas, L5S3; Round Top (b), Texas, H4S3; Hassayampa, Arizona, H4S3.
Automatic line generalization using zero-crossings

The problem of automating the process of line generalization has been very difficult. It has not been solved yet despite the concerted effort of many private firms as well as government agencies. There does not exist an algorithm which can automatically perform this process when there is a drastic change in scale between the original and generalized maps. In this paper, an algorithm which is successful in automatically generalizing lines from any large scale to any small scale is presented. The algorthm achieves different levels of smoothing the line while preserving the overall shape of the line. The results are compared with those obtained by manual methods. It was found that the results obtained by the algorithm are very close to those obtained by cartographers using manual methods.
Multi-scale edge detection and feature binding : An integrated approach

Abstract One of the central problems in image recognition is the extraction of salient “features” in a manner robust to variation in position, orientation, and scale and suitable for further processing. Because real-world images contain distinct features at various resolutions, effective extraction may require the combination of edge and other information across several scales, which is itself a difficult problem. Our analysis suggests that these two problems are fundamentally interdependent, and can be addressed in an integrated framework. We demonstrate improved results by combining edge detection and feature binding at each scale. This is accomplished by extending elements of the Sajda–Finkel neural-network model of perceptual binding to the multi-scale feature-extraction task.
Efficient Synthesis of 1,4,5,12-Tetraazatriphenylene and Derivatives

Condensation of 5,6-diamino-4,7-phenanthroline with glyoxal provides 1,4,5,12-tetraazatriphenylene in quantitative yield. This procedure avoids the 50% loss of product inherent in previous methods. Derivatives were also prepared by using α-dicarbonyl compounds other than glyoxal. Additional derivatives were prepared from 1,4,5,12-tetraazatriphenylene-2,3-dicarbonitrile, produced by condensation of diaminomaleonitrile with 4,7-phenanthroline-5,6-dione.
Effect of factors affecting fracture energy of asphalt concrete at low temperature

ABSTRACT Low temperature cracking is considered one of the primary distress modes of asphalt pavements built in northern climates. The detrimental effects of low-temperature cracking of asphalt pavements have motivated new work in fracture testing of hot-mix asphalt (HMA). A comprehensive study was conducted to investigate the effect of various factors on the fracture resistance of asphalt mixtures at low temperatures. The Semi-Circular Bending (SCB) and Disc-Shaped Compact Tension Test (DCT) fracture tests were performed at three low temperatures to measure the fracture energy for 28 asphalt mixtures, which represent a combination of factors including binder type, binder modifier, aggregate type, asphalt content and air voids. In this study, the analysis from the experimental data indicates that fracture energy is strongly dependent upon temperature and significantly affected by type of aggregate and binder modifier. The results of the analysis show the significance of air voids in the SCB test, but no s...
Adolescents' Perceptions of Caring in Family, Media, School, Peer, and Religious Environments

Adolescents were asked to select from two-word pairs the one that was emphasized more in their experiences with the environments of school, church, family, friends, or media. One of the word pairs was an indicator of caring, the other of justice. Analysis of responses of 87 adolescents indicated school was perceived as very low in caring compared to family, church, and friends.
A field study of the relationship of information flow and maintainability of COBOL programs

Abstract This paper reports the results of a field study of the relationship of information flow to the maintainability of COBOL modules in a data processing environment. The study, which considers 238 modules from three different organizations, examines the correlation of information flow metrics and subjective maintainability ratings. Results of the study show that, for the environments included in the study, information flow does have significant correlation with maintainability, and information flow metrics can be used effectively to help identify modules with low (poor) maintainability.
Effect of ewe ovine lentivirus infection on ewe and lamb productivity

We used a previously described sensitive and specific ovine lentivirus (OLV) recombinant transmembrane (rTM) protein enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect anti-OLV antibodies and define OLV infection in breeding ewes from nine US Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) flocks. We estimated the production impacts of dam rTM ELISA seropositivity on ewe and lamb productivity in the birth-to-weaning interval using production data from 1466 breeding ewes (of which 1242 actually lambed) and their 2452 lambs born in spring 1992 using several multiple linear and logistic regression models. By adjusting for lamb weaning age, gender, type of birth and rearing, birth difficulty, dam age, and flock, the component of ewe or lamb productivity related to ewe OLV infection alone was isolated. The rTM ELISA-negative ewes produced significantly more total weight of weaned lamb per ewe-lambing (3.84 kg) and per ewe ram-exposed (4.95 kg) compared to their OLV-positive flockmates. Negative ewes also weaned 0.11 more lambs per ewe-lambing and 0.09 more lambs per ewe ram-exposed, gave birth to 0.13 more lambs per ewe ram-exposed, and were more likely to lamb after breeding (odds ratio (OR) = 1.9) compared to equivalent OLV-positive ewes. Lambs reared by OLV-negative ewes weighed 0.15 kg more at birth, gained 8 g more per day through weaning, and weighed 0.59 kg more at 56-day weaning. Preweaning mortality was lower (OR = 0.8) among lambs born to OLV-negative compared to OLV-positive ewes, although this difference was not significant. Our results suggest that subclinical OLV infection has important detrimental effects on sheep production which occur in cumulative fashion from breeding through weaning and that OLV control efforts may be financially justified in some sheep flocks.
Revisit to Stiffness of Bump Foils in Air Foil Bearings

Air foil bearings have compliant elastic foundation to provide compliance to bearing surface and damping. The most widely used elastic structure is the corrugated bump foil. All the currently available formulas for the bump stiffness [1–3] do not consider bending moments at the bump supports and within the straight contact patch which connects the bumps. However, for continuous bump foils, bending moments at the support points where contact is made with the bearing sleeve cannot be neglected. This paper introduces a set of new formulations for stiffness of bump foils considering the bending moments at the support points. All the formulas were derived using computer algebra software. The results are compared with the result from other formula [3].Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Status and the Gender Stereotyped Personality Traits: Toward an Integration

This paper integrates research findings on status and the gender stereotyped personality traits and examines the extent to which women’s lower status than men can account for two components of gender stereotyping in the United States: the belief that women and men have different personality traits and the differences in men’s and women’s perceptions of their own personality traits. In addition, it examines the extent to which status affects the evaluations associated with both genders’ self-perceived traits. Personality traits include the instrumental-assertive and expressive attributes that have been the focus of most theory and research, in addition to the instrumental-dominating, complaining, submissive, and bipolar attributes. Formulations involving the link with status are presented for each of these personality attributes.
Clinical input into designing a PACS

The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical attitudes and expectations in the implementation of a neuroradiology picture archiving and communication system (PACS). A 1-page survey of expectations and clinical attitudes toward a neuroradiology mini-PACS was distributed to 49 full-time faculty members in the departments of neurosurgery, neurology, and otorhinolaryngology at an academic center. Interest in viewing soft-copy images was moderate to very high for over 89% of clinicians. All clinicians were comfortable with phone consultations with radiologists while viewing soft-copy images. Clinicians preferred retrieving images from personal computers over workstations and film libraries by 72.9%, 27.1%, and 0%, respectively. However, 38.5% of surgeons felt the need for hard copy in the operating room. Clinicians estimated that in 18.3% of cases, patients took their in-house films to outside institutions for consultations. Clinicians were enthusiastic about implementing PACS. Although acceptance of soft-copy viewing among clinicians is high, some provision for supplying hard-copy images appears to be necessary.
Concurrent mobile on‐site and In Situ striped bass contaminant and water quality studies in the choptank river and upper chesapeake bay

In situ and mobile on-site striped bass prolarval and yearling survival studies were conducted in the Choptank River and in the Chesapeake and Delaware (C & D) Canal area of the Upper Chesapeake Bay. Extensive chemical analyses of both organic and inorganic contaminants in the habitat water were performed and water quality parameters were monitored during these experiments. Surviving yearling striped bass were subjected to histological examination. Prolarval survival data from both the in situ and mobile on-site studies were similar for each spawning area. Prolarval survival ranged from 30 to 45% after 96 h of exposure to Choptank River water in four separate experiments (two in situ, two on-site); control survival was greater than 74%. Based on a comparison of laboratory toxicity data and reported field concentrations in the Choptank River for various water quality and contaminant conditions, the following combination of conditions was potentially stressful to striped bass prolarvae: low hardness (36 to 48 mg/L CaCO3), monomeric aluminum (0.150 mg/L), cadmium (0.003 mg/L) and copper (0.040 mg/L). Yearling survival in both in situ and on-site tests ranged from 93 to 100% in both the control and Choptank River water after 9 d of exposure. Survival of striped bass prolarvae in C & D Canal water ranged from 52.5 to 70% after 96 h of exposure in four separate experiments. Control survival of prolarvae was not significantly different. Survival of yearling striped bass in on-site and in situ tests was 95% or greater in C & D Canal water and control water. Acute contaminant effects were not verified in the C & D Canal area.
On the metabolic conversion of human plasma very low density lipoprotein to low density lipoprotein

Abstract The relationship of 125I-labelled apoproteins of very low density lipoprotein to that of other lipoproteins was studied in humans during steady-state conditions and following heparin injection. Heterogeneous metabolism of very low density lipo-protein apoproteins in normal individuals was apparent during steady-state conditions. Radioactivity transferred to high density lipoprotein immediately in vivo. With time radioactivity also transferred to an intermediate density lipoprotein (d = 1.006−1.019) and thereafter to low density lipoprotein (d = 1.019−1.063). Labelled apoLP-glu and apoLP-ala, but not labelled apoprotein of low density lipoprotein (apoLDL), disappeared initially from very low density lipoprotein (10 min after the injection). At later time intervals, the rate of disappearance of labelled apoLDL from very low density lipoprotein ( t 1 2 = 2−4 h ), far exceeded that of labelled apoLP-glu and apoLP-ala ( t 1 2 = 17–18 h ). Heparin affected primarily the distribution of apoprotein radioactivity between very low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein and among very low density lipoprotein subfractions. 45 min after heparin injection, a net transfer of more than 50 % of labelled apoLP-glu and apoLP-ala from very low density lipoprotein to high density lipoprotein occurred. Almost no change in content of labelled apoLDL in very low density lipoprotein occurred during this interval. Both very low density lipoprotein mass and radioactivity accumulated in a very low density lipoprotein subtraction of Sf 20–60, which contained about twice as much 125I-labelled apoLDL as 125-labelled apoLP-glu and 125I-labelled apoLP-ala. Further decay of labelled apoLDL to lipoproteins of density 1.006–1.019 and then to low density lipoprotein, occurred later, with peak activities 6 and 24 h, respectively, after heparin injection. 6 h after heparin, when plasma triglyceride had increased toward pre-heparin levels, labelled apoLP-glu and apoLP-ala retransferred to very low density lipoprotein (mainly to triglyceride rich, newly synthesized Sf > 100 molecules). During the conversion of very low density lipoprotein molecules of Sf 100–400 (mol. wt 20 · 106-130 · 106) to low density lipoprotein (mol. wt 2.2 · 106), all apoLDL moiety of very low density lipoprotein is preserved. In contrast, more than 95% of apoLP-ser, apoLP-glu and apoLP-ala, more than 99% of triglyceride, and more than 85% of the very low density lipoprotein cholesterol and phospholipids are removed. These observations suggest that concomitant with continuous triglyceride hydrolysis, apoLP-glu and apoLP-ala leave the very low density lipoprotein density range resulting in molecules relatively poor in triglyceride and relatively rich in apoLDL. These molecules occupy a notation rate range of Sf 12–60 and are trans-formed ultimately to low density lipoprotein, presumably by a different mechanism.
Simulation of transients in natural gas pipelines using hybrid TVD schemes

The mathematical model describing transients in natural gas pipelines constitutes a non-homogeneous system of non-linear hyperbolic conservation laws. The time splitting approach is adopted to solve this non-homogeneous hyperbolic model. At each time step, the non-homogeneous hyperbolic model is split into a homogeneous hyperbolic model and an ODE operator. An explicit 5-point, second-order-accurate total variation diminishing (TVD) scheme is formulated to solve the homogeneous system of non-linear hyperbolic conservation laws. Special attention is given to the treatment of boundary conditions at the inlet and the outlet of the pipeline. Hybrid methods involving the Godunov scheme (TVD/Godunov scheme) or the Roe scheme (TVD/Roe scheme) or the Lax–Wendroff scheme (TVD/LW scheme) are used to achieve appropriate boundary handling strategy. A severe condition involving instantaneous closure of a downstream valve is used to test the efficacy of the new schemes. The results produced by the TVD/Roe and TVD/Godunov schemes are excellent and comparable with each other, while the TVD/LW scheme performs reasonably well. The TVD/Roe scheme is applied to simulate the transport of a fast transient in a short pipe and the propagation of a slow transient in a long transmission pipeline. For the first example, the scheme produces excellent results, which capture and maintain the integrity of the wave fronts even after a long time. For the second example, comparisons of computational results are made using different discretizing parameters. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury of forebrain mitochondria and protection by ascorbate.

Abstract Complete, reversible forebrain ischemia was induced with a seven-vessel occlusion rat model. Previous studies of isehemic (M. A. Sciamanna, J. Zinkel, A. Y. Fabi, and C. P. Lee, 1992, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1134, 223-232) rat brain mitochondria (RBM) showed that isehemia of 30 min caused an ∼60% decrease in State 3 respiratory rates with both succinate and NAD-linked substrates and also in energy-linked Ca 2+ transport. No significant change was seen in the State 4 rates. The inhibition of respiration could be prevented by EGTA or ruthenium red. In this paper it is shown that reperfusion (5 h) following isehemia (30 min) further impaired RBM respiratory activities (succinate and NAD-linked substrates). The presence of EGTA or ruthenium red in the assay medium did not protect against ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury. The effects of ascorbate, an oxygen radical scavenger, were studied. RBM isolated from ascorbate-treated animals (0.8 mg ascorbate/kg body weight) after ischemia (30 min) alone showed only a slight increase in State 3 (∼25%) and a decrease in State 4 (∼20%) activities with succinate, when compared to untreated 30-min isehemic animals, whereas, with glutamate + malate little or no effect was seen. The respiratory activities of RBM from ascorbate-treated, ischemic/reperfused (30 min/S h) rats were restored to ∼65% of controls levels. Ascorbate protection was dose-dependent with maximum protection at 0.8 mg ascorbate/kg body weight of rat. The k of succinate oxidase-supported Ca 2+ uptake also returned to 62% of control values. Protection by ascorbate was most effective when administered prior to the onset of ischemia and provided partial protection when administered after the onset of reperfusion. These results suggest that isehemia-induced injury is primarily mediated by disruption of cellular Ca 2+ homeostasis, and reperfusion-induced injury by peroxidative events.
Note on divergenceless currents and muon polarization in K μ3 decays

The hypothesis of conserved current in weak interaction is examined for the strangeness non-conserving decays. This hypothesis enables the unambiguous calculation of the longitudinal polarization of a muon in Kμ3 decay as a function of the pion energy. Its dependence on the muon energy is also studied. The result is compared with that of Okun and Martinyan who did not use a conserved current.
Degeneracy and discrete receiver operating characteristic rating data

Rationale and Objectives. Observer performance studies sometimes use too few cases for estimating diagnostic accuracy from binormal receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. One important problem is degenerate data sets. We compared a new algorithm, RSCORE4, with the exact-solution approach to degeneracy in ROCFIT and with the Wilcoxon statistic. Methods. Degenerate ROC solutions result from empty cells in the data matrix. We addressed this problem by adding a small constant to empty cells in a maximum-likelihood program, RSCORE4. When this method failed, the program branched to a pattern-search algorithm. We tested the program in a series of Monte Carlo studies. Results. RSCORE4 converged to nondegenerate solutions in every case and gave results closer to population values than ROCFIT or Wilcoxon. ROCFIT converged to exact-fit degenerate solutions, those with zero or infinite parameter values, in more than 40% of the samples. The Wilcoxon statistic was biased. Conclusion. RSCORE4 seems to outperform other currently recommended methods for dealing with degeneracy.
Interactive entertainment: the challenge to broadcast media

Abstract Recent developments in microelectronics, especially personal microcomputers and video discs, make possible new forms of interactive entertainment that differ significantly from the current broadcast forms. Through a detailed examination of some new forms of entertainment now possible, this article discusses possible directions for commercial entertainment and some implications of these developments.
Soil Water Content Determination by Karl Fischer Titration

Karl Fischer (KF) titration is a specific analysis for water content. We hypothesized that it may be useful in soils where volatiles besides water are present, since oven drying (OD) determines total volatile components, not water content specifically. We examined KF titration as a technique for soil water content determination. Two soils (a quartz sand separate and Barnes loam [fine-loamy, mixed Udic Haploboroll]) were prepared with varying known amounts of water (0-240 g kg ') and a non-aqueous-phase liquid (NAPL). either octane or toluene (0-128 g kg '), then analyzed for water content using both the OD and KF methods. The experimental matrix included all six possible combinations of two soils x three liquids. Soil water contents determined by the calibrated KF method (W c ) compared favorably to those determined by OD (w o ). Slopes for the six W c , vs. W o regressions ranged from 0.980 to 1.009 while intercepts ranged from 0.6 to 7.8 g kg '. Mean r 2 was 0.97 with a range of 0.93 to 0.99. The sand with octane and sand with toluene mixtures had intercepts of 6.1 ± 2.5 and 7.8 ± 5.4 g kg ' (95% confidence intervals). respectively. All other intercept confidence intervals included zero. Plots of the data show essentially a 1:1 correspondence of W c to W o . Variability was greater when toluene was present, possibly because of toluene's higher vapor pressure.
Mutagen specificity in Neurospora crassa

Abstract Tests for mutagen specificity were made on spontaneous and by X-ray, UV, 2-aminopurine (AP), nitrous-acid (NA), ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), and mesodiepoxybutane (DEB) induced ad-3 mutants of Neurospora crassa induced in wild-type strains OR 74A and 74-OR23-1A. Differences were found between the percentages of leaky ad-3A mutants and leaky ad-3B mutants as a function of mutagenic origin as well as the ratios of ad-3B mutants to ad-3B mutants. Ad-3B mutants were further characterized by means of tests for allelic complementation with a tester set of 17 strains that define a linear complementation map consisting of 17 complons. Complementation tests were made on a total of 564 ad-3B mutants. Of the 107 different complementation patterns detectable with this tester set, 52 different patterns were detected among the 530 ad-3B mutants that could be mapped. Marked differences were found in the percentages of mutants with nonpolarized or polarized complementation patterns and noncomplementing mutants as well as the average complon coverage for all of the complementing mutants in each sample. Mutants with nonpolarized patterns have an average complon coverage of 4.9 and mutants with polarized patterns of 13.4. Evidence for “hot spotting” was found in the NA- and EMS-induced samples where many of the mutants had the same type of nonpolarized complementation patterns. The highest percentage of mutants with different nonpolarized complementation patterns was found among DEB- and UV-induced mutants. The striking difference between the characteristics of the ad-3 mutants in each of the 7 samples was interpreted as evidence for mutagen specificity.
γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) mediated transmembrane chloride flux with membrane vesicles from rat brain measured by quench flow technique: Kinetic homogeneity of ion flux and receptor desensitization

Transmembrane chloride flux mediated by the GABAA receptor and the desensitization of the receptor were followed using quench flow technique with 36Cl− and a membrane preparation from rat cerebral cortex. Measurements in short times allowed these two processes to be resolved. In general the ion-flux activity was desensitized in two phases. A fast phase took place in circa 200 ms (100 μM GABA) followed by a slower phase in several seconds. A minority (10%) of the membrane preparations did not display the fast phase. It is desirable to be able to separate these two phases of desensitization to facilitate analysis of the responses of the receptor. A short preincubation with GABA removed the fast phase from a subsequent measurement. In the absence of the fast phase the whole ion-flux equilibration was seen as a single phase. The measurements presented covering a time range of 0.01 seconds to 10 seconds show a single phase of ion flux which can be described by a first order ion influx process and a single first order desensitization process with a half time of circa 1 s (100 μM GABA). The results imply a single kinetically homogeneous population of vesicles containing a single population of GABA receptor (remaining active) with a single phase of desensitization. An understanding of this homogeneity, and how to ensure it, gives a basis for quantitatively testing the effects of drugs on these responses. Ion flux measurements with quench flow technique are a suitable tool for investigation of the mechanism of action of neurotransmitter receptors from brain.
Pediatric Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders

Functional gastrointestinal disorders continue to be a prevalent set of conditions faced by the healthcare team and have a significant emotional and economic impact. In this review, the authors highlight some of the common functional disorders seen in pediatric patients (functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, functional abdominal pain) as well as one of the more intriguing (cyclic vomiting). The most recent Pediatric Rome Working Group has modified the definitions of functional gastrointestinal disorders. Current studies have used these categorizations to understand better the epidemiology, etiology, and treatment options for these disorders. As more data are available, children and their families will be offered a better understanding of the conditions and more effective treatments to overcome them. The importance of making an accurate diagnosis of a functional gastrointestinal disorder cannot be overemphasized.
A multiobjective retail service location model for fastfood restaurants

Abstract Traditionally, most existing retail location models largely ignore the behavioral aspect of locational strategies. On the other hand, a few of the existing behavioral models of retail store choice are aspatial at best. This paper designs a multiobjective retail location decision model which not only considers the behavioral and spatial aspects of location scenarios, but also takes advantage of systematic sequential decision process. The model has been applied to solve ‘real-world-like’ fastfood restaurant location problems which were based on the actual data.
A Community Services Budget: Public, Private, and Third-Sector Roles in Urban Services

Voluntary and nonprofit organizations, private firms, and public agencies provide and produce many of the same goods and services at the local level. Consequently, the adequacy, equity, and efficiency of the local public sector and the aggregate performance of the three sectors cannot be fully assessed without accounting for the effects of all sectors. A multisectoral framework or "community services budget" is proposed in this article to facilitate comparative research and achieve a better empirical and normative understanding of how the three sectors contribute to the total provision and distribution of urban goods and services in a community.
Potential explanations for control group benefit.

BackgroundEstimating effectiveness of clinical interventions depends on detecting differences between the responses of intervention and control groups. The outcome, intervention, and moderating factors all may influence the between group change. The absence of a clinically or statistically meaningful difference may also result from control group improvement due to nonspecific factors such as participants’ perception of attention, positive regard, expectations, desire to please, and therapeutic alliance with the care provider.PurposeWe examined perceived benefit and sources of benefit for control caregivers who participated in the CONNECT randomized controlled trial of a dementia caregiving intervention.MethodsAfter the final scheduled data collection in CONNECT, control group participants were asked whether they believed they benefited from study participation. Those who reported benefit were asked to describe the benefit received. Data were analyzed qualitatively.ResultsOf 60 available control caregivers...
Deuterium isotope effects in mutagenesis by nitroso compounds

Abstract Nitrosamines which have deuterium instead of hydrogen in the position alpha to the nitroso group have been reported to have reduced activity in carcinogenicity tests. This result implies that cleavage of a carbon-hydrogen bond is a limiting step in the reaction mechanism leading to tumor formation. Mutagenicity tests were undertaken with nitrosamine which require metabolic activation, and with nitrosamides, which are directly acting mutagens, to determine the effect of deuterium substitution on the activity of each type of compound. Two nitrosamides ( N -methyl- N ′-nitro- N -nitrosoguanidine and methylnitrosourea) and three nitrosamines (dimethylnitrosamine, nitrosomorpholine, and dinitrosopiperazine) and their deuterium-containing analogs were tested for reversion of a nonsense mutation in the tyr locus of Escherichia coli WU 3610 ( tyr − , leu − ). Nitrosamines activated by rat-liver microsomes, but not nitrosamides, were less active as mutagens when the deuterium atom was present. The results suggest that the metabolic activation of nitrosamines to a mutagenic species involves the loss of hydrogen, a reaction which the nitrosamides, in the absence of enzyme, do not undergo.
HELICITY STRUCTURE OF NUCLEON RESONANCE ELECTROPRODUCTION AND THE SYMMETRIC QUARK MODEL.

Abstract The symmetric quark model with harmonic forces is shown to lead to a rapid change with q2 of the helicity structure for electroproduction of the second (D13) and third (F15) nucleon resonances. Preliminary results of coincidence measurements of pi-zero electroproduction in the resonance region are found to disagree with this prediction. Some further experimental tests and theoretical consequences of this failure are discussed.
Sidechain and backbone requirements for anti-invasive activity of laminin peptide 11

Abstract The structure of laminin peptide 11 (CDPGYIGSR-NH2) contains valuable information for the design of mimetic compounds with anti-invasive and anti-metastatic properties. An alanine scan replacement experiment identified Tyr5, Ile6 and Arg9 residues as contributing significantly to anti-invasive activity. Circular dichroism spectra and NMR αH chemical shift values both supported the existence of populations of nonrandom coil solution structures for the analogs tested. A d -Ala4 for Gly4 substituted analog completely lost activity, while an l -Ala4 for Gly4 substituted analog retained half the activity of the parent peptide. These results complement our previous findings with d/l alanine substitutions at the Gly7 position, and together they suggest an ‘S’-shaped backbone as likely for the active peptide conformation. NMR-constrained molecular modeling supported a direct involvement of the Tyr5 and Ile6 sidechains in conferring bioactivity, and indicated that the Tyr5 sidechain was buried in the Ala2 for Asp2 substitution. Based on the fact that the peptide 11 sequence derives from the disulfide bonded c-loop of an LE-repeat, we synthesized the cyclic CDPGYIGSRC -NH2 peptide. This analog exhibited good anti-invasive and anti-metastatic activity. NMR modeling experiments suggested that the trans-proline cyclic peptide, would favor an ‘S’-shaped backbone conformation. Full retro-inverso analogs of peptide 11 were shown to have anti-invasive activity inferior to that of peptide 11. This weak bioactivity was probed using NMR-constrained molecular dynamics, and revealed potential conformations which limited the ability of the required sidechains to mimic the positions of those in the native peptide conformations.