cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of trauma and disease on the urinary 17-ketosteroid excretion in man.

IN 1941, in reporting a study of the normal variation in the urinary 17-ketosteroid excretion, Fraser, Forbes, Albright, Sulkowitch and Reifenstein (14) remarked upon a decrease in some of the subjects following various kinds of injury or stress. In a preliminary report a year later, Forbes (13) gave a few more examples of this phenomenon and speculated upon its possible relationship to the “Adaptation Syndrome” described by Selye (26). Since that time we have studied the problem further, and have accumulated a substantial body of data which it is the purpose of this article to present. The method of total neutral 17-ketosteroid assay employed in these studies has already been described (Fraser, et al. (14)). The sources of the steroids measured are the testis and the adrenal cortex in males, and the adrenal cortex alone in females. Hence, the test provides a chemical measurement which is an index, especially in females, of at least one aspect of adrenal function.
Artificial grammar learning in Alzheimer's disease.

Patients with early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) exhibit impaired declarative memory although some forms of nondeclarative memory are intact. Performance on perceptual nondeclarative memory tasks is often preserved in AD, whereas conceptual nondeclarative memory is often impaired. A conceptual nondeclarative learning task that has been studied in amnesic patients is the artificial grammar learning (AGL) task. Healthy participants and patients with impaired declarative memory both acquire information about an underlying rule structure in this task and exhibit the ability to identify rule-conforming items, despite the subjective experience of guessing at the response. In this study, 12 patients diagnosed with early AD were tested on the AGL task and a matched recognition task. The patients were able to reliably distinguish rule-conforming items from others, indicating successful AGL. Performance of the AD patients was impaired, relative to controls, on a similar recognition task, although they were found to use information about the grammaticality of study items in an attempt to improve their recognition performance. The AD patients showed a dissociation similar to that seen in anterograde amnesia: impaired recognition memory in conjunction with successful AGL. This finding suggests that the brain areas that support AGL are not compromised early in the course of AD. In addition, the nondeclarative memory of the AD patients acquired during AGL appeared to influence their performance on a declarative memory task, suggesting an interaction between this nondeclarative memory task and declarative memory.
The effect of cardiopulmonary bypass prime volume on the need for blood transfusion after pediatric cardiac surgery.

Objective There is increasing awareness that erythrocyte transfusions after pediatric cardiac surgery have deleterious effects. Despite reports of decreased transfusion requirements associated with smaller cardiopulmonary bypass circuits, the relationship between circuit prime volume and need for transfusion has not been systematically examined. Methods Pediatric patients at our institution who underwent cardiopulmonary bypass between January 2005 and December 2010 were reviewed. Demographics, intraoperative data, and transfusion of packed red blood cells were retrospectively recorded. Cardiopulmonary bypass prime volume was indexed by patient body surface area. Logistic regression analysis was used to correlate these variables with need for transfusion. Results In the perioperative period, 1912 patients received transfusions and 266 did not. In univariate analysis, indexed prime volume was a significant predictor of transfusion (odds ratio, 1.007; P Conclusions Perioperative need for transfusion in pediatric cardiac surgical patients is independently related to the prime volume of the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit. It therefore seems prudent to minimize circuit prime volumes to avoid unnecessary use of blood products.
Impacts of road user charges on individual welfare—A pre-inauguration exploration for Germany

This paper analyzes different road pricing schemes concerning their equity and social acceptability for Germany. Two pricing scenarios (time- vs. distance-based) and two compensation measures are assessed. The analysis is based on individual mobility diaries. In contrast to other studies, households are grouped by their equivalized disposable income levels as proxy for the household's social status and as recommended by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It is found that the distributional impact varies significantly depending on the implemented pricing scheme and the compensation measures. Assuming unchanged behavior patterns, the present study shows the potential benefits of implementing mileage-based user charges combined with compensation measures on social equity.
High‐dose‐rate brachytherapy for vaginal cancer: Learning from treatment complications

Abstract. Tyree WC, Cardenes H, Randall M, Papiez L. High-dose-rate brachytherapy for vaginal cancer: learning from treatment complications. Historically, early stage vaginal cancer has been treated with low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy with or without external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Complication rates have been low and treatment efficacious. Although high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy has been used for cervical cancer in many countries for over a decade, only more recently has it been integrated into treatment plans for vaginal cancer. This paper describes three patients treated with HDR brachytherapy who experienced significant late effects. Given the very limited amount of literature regarding the use of HDR brachytherapy in vaginal cancer, this analysis potentially contributes to an understanding of treatment-related risk factors for complications among patients treated with this modality. A focused review of hospital and departmental treatment records was done on three patients treated with HDR brachytherapy. Abstracted information included clinical data, treatment parameters (technique, doses, volume, combinations with other treatments) and outcomes (local control, survival, early and late effects). A review of the available literature was also undertaken. All patients had significant complications. Although statistical correlations between treatment parameters and complications are impossible given the limited number of patients, this descriptive analysis suggests that vaginal length treated with HDR brachytherapy is a risk factor for early and late effects, that the distal vagina has a lower radiation tolerance than the upper vagina with HDR as in LDR, and that combining HDR with LDR as done in our experience carries a high risk of late toxicity. Integration of HDR brachytherapy techniques into treatment plans for early stage vaginal cancers must be done cautiously. The etiology of the significant side effects seen here is likely to be multifactorial. For users of HDR brachytherapy in vaginal cancer, there is a need to further refine and standardize treatment concepts and treatment delivery. Ideally this will be based on continued careful observation and reporting of both favorable and unfavorable outcomes and experiences.
Effect of Dehydrated Alfalfa, Molasses and Pelleting on Utilization of Urea Rations

Abstract Digestion trials determined the effect of including in the supplement, dehydrated alfalfa and molasses and of pelleting on utilization of urea-containing rations. All possible combinations of these three variables were tested. The basal ration contained 57% corn and 25% corn cobs. The supplement supplied the total ration with 1% urea, additional vitamins and minerals and sufficient soybean meal to equilibrate ration nitrogen. Dehydrated alfalfa and molasses were each tested in the supplements to supply 5% of the total ration. Ground corn was included to complete the supplements and to facilitate pelleting. Eight steers were employed in digestion-metabolism trials according to a 2×2×2 factorial plan of two 4×4 quasi-Latin squares. Dehydrated alfalfa did not influence digestion of ration components or affect nitrogen retention. Dehydrated alfalfa tended to detract from palatability. Molasses appeared to improve acceptance of the alfalfa containing supplements whereas pelleting had no effect. Molasses tended to increase dry matter and ether extract digestibility, but had no apparent effect on digestion of other components or nitrogen retention. Pelleting significantly decreased digestibility of dry matter and crude protein and also tended to depress nitrogen-free extract digestibility but had no effect on nitrogen retention. None of the factors evaluated, nor their interactions, significantly improved utilization of the ration.
Legal Background and Significance of the May 17th Decision

7. J. Oscar Lee and Alfred S. Kramer, About Racially Inclusive Churches, New York: Department of Racial and Cultural Relations, National Council of Churches, (January, 1955). 8. "Segregation on Sunday?" Social Progress, XLX (January, 1955), 1-48. 9. Statements Adopted by Religious Groups, New York: Department of Racial and Cultural Relations, National Council of Churches (October, 1954), pp. 1-31.
Can they plan to teach with Web 2.0? Future teachers’ potential use of the emerging web

This study examined pre-service teachers’ potential use of Web 2.0 technologies for teaching. A coding scheme incorporating the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework guided the analysis of pre-service teachers’ Web 2.0-enhanced learning activity descriptions. The results indicated that while pre-service teachers were able to consider various Web 2.0 tools for teaching, the technologies regularly used in their programmes and observed at their placement schools seemed to influence their choice. Although the majority of the pre-service teachers lacked the knowledge to relate the affordances of Web 2.0 to teaching particular content, 3D-Exploring tools were more intuitive to designing learning activities across a range of subjects. The findings highlighted the importance of content-specific teaching strategies and modelling activities when assisting future teachers’ technology integration efforts.
Structural Recovery in a Model Epoxy: Comparison of Responses after Temperature and Relative Humidity Jumps

One cause of long-term dimensional changes in glassy polymers is the gradual evolution of the viscoelastic behavior through aging processes in the glassy state. Many applications involve changes in...
Sites of action of amphetamine intrinsic to catecholaminergic nuclei: Catecholaminergic presynaptic dendrites and axons

Abstract 1. 1. It is now well established that the behavioral actions of amphetamine, especially locomotor and stereotyped behaviors, are dependent in part upon the release of catecholamines in the central nervous system. 2. 2. A variety of empirical evidence has established that the release of catecholamines by amphetamine leads to changes in neuronal activity in regions postsynaptic to catecholaminergic nerve terminals. In addition, release of catecholamines is accompanied by a marked inhibition of neuronal firing in catecholaminergic neurons. 3. 3. At least two conceptions have been advanced to account for this marked decrease in catecholaminergic neuronal activity. (a) In one of these, release of catecholamines from presynaptic terminals is thought to lead to a compensatory decrease in neuronal firing rate by means of a postsynaptic neuronal feedback loop from regions innervated by catecholaminergic neurons. (b) In the other, decreased neuronal activity is hypothesized to result from local release of catecholamines onto or near catecholaminergic neuronal dendrites and somata, a phenomenon that has been characterized as self-inhibition. 4. 4. For dompaminergic neurons, recent biochemical, neuropharmacological and neuroanatomical evidence suggests that the latter process could be subserved by dopamine released from dopaminergic neuronal dendrites, i.e., “presynaptic” dendrites.
Inhibition of PDE4 phosphodiesterase activity induces growth suppression, apoptosis, glucocorticoid sensitivity, p53, and p21WAF1/CIP1 proteins in human acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

Glucocorticoids are integral to successful treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and other lymphoid malignancies. A large body of data indicates that in various model systems, elevation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) can potentiate glucocorticoid response, although this has not been well evaluated as a potential leukemia treatment. Although cAMP analogs have been studied, little data exist regarding the potential toxicity to leukemia cells of pharmacologic elevation of cAMP levels in leukemic blasts. Using MTT assays of cell proliferation on CEM ALL cells, we found that aminophylline and other nonspecific phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors suppress cell growth. This effect is replicated by the PDE4-specific PDE inhibitor rolipram, but not by specific inhibitors of the PDE1 or PDE3 classes. We found that PDE inhibitors cause increased dexamethasone sensitivity and a synergistic effect with the adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin. We observed several important cellular characteristics associated with this treatment, including elevation of cAMP, induction of p53 and p21(WAF1/CIP1) proteins, G(1) and G(2)/M cell cycle arrest, and increased apoptosis. Sensitivity to forskolin and rolipram is shared by at least 2 pediatric ALL cell lines, CEM and Reh cells. Some cell lines derived from adult-type lymphoid malignancies also show sensitivity to this treatment. These findings suggest that PDE inhibitors have therapeutic potential in human ALL and characterize the molecular mechanisms that may be involved in this response.
Estimation of diffusive resistance of bundle sheath cells to CO2 from modeling of C4 photosynthesis

Bundle sheath resistance to diffusion of CO2 (rc) is a critical component of C4 photosynthesis which allows accumulation of inorganic carbon in bundle sheath cells of C4 plants. Several analyses were made to evaluate the magnitude of rc in C4 plants. Experimental data on the O2 inhibition of photosynthesis (Dai et al. (1993) Plant Physiol 103: 83–90; (1995) Plant Physiol 107: 815–825) and rates of photorespiration (de Veau and Burris (1989) Plant Physiol 90: 500–511) in Z. mays at different stages of development were analyzed using mathematical models of C4 photosynthesis. In young and senescing leaves modeled values of rc and the CO2 partial pressure in bundle sheath cells (Cbs) were lower and fractional leakage of CO2 from bundle sheath cells (fL) was higher than in mature leaves. Diffusive resistance of bundle sheath cells of C4 plants was also evaluated by analyzing the response of photosynthetic rates to varying CO2 in Amaranthus edulis in which the C4 cycle was dysfunctional by chemical mutagenesis (Dever et al. (1995) J Exp Bot 46: 1363–1376) and in Sorghum bicolor, Panicum maximum and Panicum miliaceum in which the C4 cycle was chemically inhibited (Brown and Byrd (1993) Plant Physiol 103: 1183–1188). These analyses indicate that in mature leaves of C4 plants the values of rc are substantially lower (ca. 50–200 m2 s mol−1) than previous suggested (ca. 500–1500 m2 s mol−1) for C4 photosynthesis and that there is considerable leakage of CO2 from bundle sheath cells. Nevertheless, rc and Cbs values are sufficiently high in mature leaves to minimize photorespiration in C4 plants under normal levels of CO2.
Models of Computational Systems-Cyclic to Acyclic Graph Transformations

This paper discusses cyclic to acyclic transformations performed on graphs representing computational sequences. Such transformations are critical to the development of models of computations and computer systems for performance prediction. The nature of cycles in computer programs for parallel processors is discussed. Transformations are then developed which replace cyclic graph structures by mean-value equivalent acyclic structures. The acyclic equivalents retain the noncyclic part of the structure in the original graph by evaluating a multiplicative factor associated with the mean time required for each vertex execution in the original graph. Bias introduced in the acyclic approximation is explored.
Epigenetic drift in aging identical twins

Those of you, like this author, who have managed to stay alive for close to eight decades or more, will have had the experience of observing increasing degrees of phenotypic discordances among our identical twin friends as we age together. They may succumb to the same disease, but often the age of onset is years or even decades apart. An interesting example is a report of twins, both of whom developed histologically confirmed dementia of the Alzheimer's type; one had the diagnosis in her late 60s but the other was not diagnosed until age 83 (1). The conventional wisdom is that the bulk of these differences can be attributable to good or bad luck with one's environmental exposures, to the quality of medical and spousal care (or abuse), or to learned behavioral differences in how we exercise (perhaps mentally and physically) and what we eat, drink, or smoke, among myriad other possibilities. Many have assumed that, apart from some rare point mutations or aberrant chromosomal segregations and their impacts upon the emergence of neoplastic diseases, the differences we see are not due to heritable changes in cells. There is growing interest, however, in that class of potentially heritable change in DNA that is not associated with alterations in the primary nucleotide sequence or copy number but rather is modulated by what Joshua Lederberg (2) long ago referred to as “epinucleic.” Modern molecular genetics now points to two major classes of such alterations: methylations of cytosine at cytosine-guanine dinucleotides and covalent modifications of DNA-bound histones, notably acetylations and methylations. Cytosine methylations at regions of gene promoters rich in CpG …
Synergy brittleness in decentralized minimax decision problems

When a subset of agents achieves the optimal cost of the full system synergy is brittle. A finite horizon, decentralized, minimax decision problem is considered, necessary and sufficient conditions for synergy brittleness are derived. It is shown that synergy brittleness results in decoupled subsystems. The decoupling is used to derive necessary and sufficient conditions for a decomposition of the optimization problem. A distributed cliquing algorithm that efficiently computes the decomposition is given, and uniformly optimal policies for each subproblem are derived. The methods developed herein are applicable to the optimization of large, multiagent systems. The results are illustrated on a perimeter patrolling example.
Inorganic Polyphosphate in Vibrio cholerae: Genetic, Biochemical, and Physiologic Features

Vibrio cholerae O1, biotype El Tor, accumulates inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) principally as large clusters of granules. Poly P kinase (PPK), the enzyme that synthesizes poly P from ATP, is encoded by the ppk gene, which has been cloned from V. cholerae, overexpressed, and knocked out by insertion-deletion mutagenesis. The predicted amino acid sequence of PPK is 701 residues (81.6 kDa), with 64% identity to that of Escherichia coli, which it resembles biochemically. As in E. coli, ppk is part of an operon with ppx, the gene that encodes exopolyphosphatase (PPX). However, unlike in E. coli, PPX activity was not detected in cell extracts of wild-type V. cholerae. The ppk null mutant of V. cholerae has diminished adaptation to high concentrations of calcium in the medium as well as motility and abiotic surface attachment.
“Recurrent herpes zoster”: An unproved entity?

Physicians sometimes misdiagnose recurrent zosteriform herpes simplex virus (HSV) skin infections as "zoster" or "recurrent zoster." Misdiagnosis can lead to inappropriate therapy with potentially harmful consequences, particularly in patients with ophthalmitis or immunosuppression, in which early institution of the correct antiviral therapy may be crucial. We report three patients who were originally misdiagnosed to have recurrent herpes zoster skin infections before we cultured HSV from their vesicles. We suggest: (1) that most recurrent zosteriform eruptions are caused by HSV; (2) that "recurrent zoster" has yet to be documented; and (3) that the diagnosis of "recurrent zoster" be reserved for those patients who have laboratory confirmation of recurrent varicella zoster (VZ). Viral culture or examintion of vesicle contents by indirect immunofluorescent technic can provide definitive diagnosis of the etiology of a zosteriform eruption.
CONFIGURATION ANALYSIS OF TWO-VEHICLE REAR-END CRASHES

Light truck vehicles (LTVs), including light-duty trucks, vans, minivans, and sport-utility vehicles, are generally larger than common passenger cars and are able to take on additional tasks. LTVs usually ride higher than other common passenger cars, which likely affects the visibility of passenger car drivers. The role of LTVs in rear-end crashes was investigated. The use of statistical models of unordered multiple categories was attempted, including multinomial logit (MNL), heteroscedastic extreme value (HEV), and bivariate probit (BVP) models. Four different rear-end crash configurations (lead and following vehicles) were defined on the basis of the type of the two vehicles involved (LTV or regular passenger car). General Estimates System (GES 2000) traffic crash data were used to calibrate the three suggested models (the MNL, HEV, and BVP models). Modeling results showed that there are sight distance and discomfort problems when a driver in a regular passenger car is driving behind an LTV. The probabi...
Avoiding effective defenses: strategies employed by phloem-feeding insects.

Phytophages breach the integrity of plant tissues to recover nutrients from foliage, seeds, pollen, nectar, roots, or shoots. While many herbivores cause extensive damage, phloem-feeding insects, such as aphids and whiteflies, cause modest to barely perceptible damage, respectively. Phloem-feeding
A Guide to the Literature for Metallic Elements and Their Binary Metallic Alloys

Solid State. This monovalent metal has a fee structure. Its Fermi surface is shown schematically in the upper part of Fig. 4.1. The origin of this shape is discussed qualitatively in Section 4.1 while the most recent and detailed quantitative information about it is probably that given by Halse.1 Since the interpretation of the behavior of the Hall effect in the group 1B metals is discussed in Chapter 4, the present paragraph consists simply of a list of the available data. Those obtained for polycrystalline samples and published after 1904 are summarized in Table 7.1, while those obtained for single-crystal samples are included in Table 7.2. The temperature dependence of R for a typical polycrystalline sample (at 15.17 kG) is shown in Fig. 7.2 for the range 6–300 K, and in greater detail in Fig. 4.13 for the range up to 80 K. The field dependence of R for the same sample (at about 6 K) is also shown in Fig. 4.5. As this figure shows, and as we have pointed out in Section 4.2.1, R for a polycrystalline sample is field-independent in both the high- and low-field conditions. The field dependence occasionally reported in Table 7.1 is probably the result of the presence of trace impurities which can precipitate the high-field/low-field transition during the experiment.
Requirement of Varicella-Zoster Virus Immediate-Early 4 Protein for Viral Replication

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is an alphaherpesvirus that causes two diseases, chickenpox and zoster. VZV open reading frame 4 (ORF4) encodes the immediate-early 4 (IE4) protein, which is conserved among alphaherpesvirus and has transactivation activity in transient transfections. To determine whether the ORF4 gene product is essential for viral replication, we used VZV cosmids to remove ORF4 from the VZV genome. Deleting ORF4 was incompatible with recovery of infectious virus, whereas transfections done by using repaired cosmids with ORF4 inserted at a nonnative site yielded virus. To analyze the functional domain of IE4, we introduced a mutation altering the C-terminal amino acids, KYFKC (K443S), which was designed to disrupt the dimerization of IE4 protein. Transfections with these mutant cosmids yielded no virus, indicating that this KYFKC motif was essential for IE4 function.
Effect of Lipopolysaccharide on Indices of Peripheral and Hepatic Metabolism in Lactating Cows

Abstract Four multiparous lactating cows (175 to 220 d in milk [DIM]) were used in a 4×4 Latin square design to assess the effects of four doses (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 μ g/kg of body weight) of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; Escherichia coli 0111:B4) on performance and plasma metabolite and hormone concentrations. In addition, effects of immune activation on in vitro hepatic metabolic capacity were evaluated in 12 multiparous lactating cows (150 to 220 DIM) infused with 0 (n = 6), 1.0 (n = 4) or 2.0 (n = 2) μ g of LPS/kg. Milk production and DMI decreased linearly with LPS dose for 24h after LPS infusion. Overall mean plasma tumor necrosis factor- α , insulin, glucagon, and cortisol concentrations increased linearly with LPS dose, and plasma β -hydroxybutyrate decreased linearly by dose after LPS infusion. Infusion of LPS decreased the insulin:glucagon molar ratio, but did not affect plasma concentrations of growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1, leptin, or l-(+)-lactate. Plasma concentrations of glucose tended to increase initially and subsequently decrease, and there was a quadratic tendency for increased plasma nonesterified fatty acid concentrations after LPS administration. In vitro hepatic capacity for conversion of [1- 14 C]l-(+)-lactate and [1- 14 C]palmitate, but not [1- 14 C]propionate or [1- 14 C]l-alanine, to CO 2 increased after LPS administration. Hepatic capacity to convert [1- 14 C]propionate to glucose tended to increase, but neither esterification nor the conversion of palmitate to acid soluble products was altered by LPS. The LPS infusion resulted in significant changes of endocrine mediators responsible for regulation of energy metabolism of lactating cows and tended to alter subsequent in vitro hepatic metabolic capacity.
Biomechanical Investigations of Sound and Prosthetic Gait

We will look into the history and current techniques of the biomechanical analysis of gait. The assumptions and limitations of the modeling of the human body in motion are considered, as they should be understood to better interpret data. The architecture of gait analysis and the equipment for collecting kinematic and dynamic parameters are discussed. In the analysis of prosthetic gait, an important additional tool is the simultaneous measurement of the forces and pressures applied on an amputee’s residuum. In contrast with video-based gait analysis, the measurement of forces and pressures on the residuum is a technology of contact type, and more attention is required for the adequate interpretation of results.
Permeation and sorption in inhomogeneous polymer membranes

Restricting the discussion to isothermal transport of a single penetrant in a polymer sample, we define convection and diffusion. We distinguish carefully between diffusion in homogeneous and inhomogeneous samples. In the latter case, the diffusion flux is no longer directly proportional to the gradient of the concentration, i.e., Fick's first law does not hold. We point out, unless an external force responsible for convection can be identified, that diffusion with convection in a homogeneous medium is in many instances indistinguishable mathematically from diffusion in an inhomogeneous medium with microscopic inhomogeneities. Finally, we list a number of exact results available for permeation and sorption parameters for thin slab of a dilute inhomogeneous material. These parameters all yield the same value of the diffusion coefficient if the latter is constant. On the other hand, these parameters provide different functional information about the partition coefficient and diffusion coefficient for an inhomogeneous polymer-penetrant system.
Scalable infrastructure for peer-to-peer networks using web service registries and intelligent peer locators

Peer-to-peer networks continue to gain popularity, but the problem of locating suitable peers still remains formidable. The lack of globally accepted standards and protocols is another problem that further creates the issue of a lack of global connectivity. This paper presents a hybrid P2P infrastructure, called PSI, which uses Web Services as registries to locate peers. We also formally define the set of basic operations that are performed during peer search to determine optimized connectivity. Heuristics for locating peers are based on preference values computed using historical data. The PSI model is compared to other models with respect to suitability for integrating a set of distributed and heterogeneous peers. The mechanism for locating files depends only on discovering and using Web Services. The greatest advantage of this is the possibility of global connectivity. The understanding gained by analysis and preliminary implementation confirms that the model is highly scalable.
Tantalum oxide thin films for microelectronic applications

Over the last several years, tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) thin films have received much attention as chip integrated high permittivity, high breakdown strength dielectrics for storage capacitors for ULSI DRAMs. We have studied the properties of reactively sputtered films of Ta2O5 on silicon wafers. These films have been characterized for refractive index. X-ray diffraction studies on films annealed in oxygen ambient at 800/spl deg/C show the films to crystallize into an orthorhombic phase with an increase in refractive index with respect to the bulk value. Various capacitor configurations such as MIM, MIS (on p-type and n-type Si substrates) have been fabricated to study the nature of the Ta2O5/Si interface. The capacitors fabricated on p-type Si exhibit lower leakage. The reactive ion etching behavior of Ta2O5 is investigated in CF4+O2 and CHF3. It is observed that these films show lower etch rate as compared to Si and SiO2, however in CHF3 the etch rates of Si and Ta2O5 are comparable.
Quality of life assessment in advanced cancer

In the past 5 years, quality-of-life (QOL) assessment measures such as the McGill, McMaster, Global Visual Analogue Scale, Assessment of QOL at the End of Life, Life Evaluation Questionnaire, and Hospice QOL Index have been devised specifically for patients with advanced cancer. The developers of these instruments have tried to respond to the changing needs of this specific population, taking into account characteristics including poor performance status, difficulty with longitudinal study, rapidly deteriorating physical condition, and change in relevant issues. Emphasis has been placed on patient report, ease and speed of completion, and the existential domain or meaning of life. Novel techniques in QOL measurement have also been adapted for palliative care, such as judgment analysis in the Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life. It is generally agreed that a single tool will not cover all QOL assessment needs.
The effect of thinning and clear-cut on changes in the relative abundance of root-feeding beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Pinus taeda plantations in central Alabama and Georgia.

BACKGROUND Root-feeding beetles, particularly Hylastes spp., Hylobius pales Herbst and Pachylobius picivorus Germar, increase in abundance in stressed forest stands and vector Grosmannia and Leptographium spp. fungi, which contribute to southern pine decline (SPD) in the southeastern United States. This study examined changes in the relative abundance of root-feeding beetles in response to mechanical thinning and clear-cut of even-age loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands in central Alabama and Georgia every 2 weeks during a 30 month study in 2009–2012. RESULTS The most abundant bark beetles were Hylastes salebrosus Eichhoff, H. porculus Erichson and H. tenuis Eichhoff. The relative abundance of the Hylastes spp. significantly increased after thinning treatments at all five sites. An initial decrease in Hylastes spp. occurred in response to clear-cut in some plots, but they typically recovered 2 months later and were stable for the remainder of the study. CONCLUSION This study reports on the relative abundance responses of pathogen-vectoring root-feeding beetles to a thinning and clear-cut treatment in P. taeda stands. Thinning treatments conducted during the summer and winter may increase the relative abundance of Hylastes spp., vectors of Leptographium and Grosmannia spp., which are known to contribute to SPD by triggering plants to release defensive volatile compounds. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry
Hybrid Estimation Using Perceptional Information: Robotic Tracking of Deep Ocean Animals

An approach to estimation for hybrid systems is presented that utilizes uncertain perceptional information about the system's mode to improve tracking of its mode and continuous states. This results in significant improvements in situations where previously reported methods of estimation for hybrid systems perform poorly due to poor distinguishability of the modes. Even in applications where the modes are more easily distinguished, the approach presented can improve performance by decreasing the mode estimation delay of the estimator. Here, state tracking is achieved using a new form of Rao-Blackwellized particle filter called the mode-observed Gaussian Particle Filter. This new filter extends existing hybrid estimation algorithms to admit uncertain but discrete mode-related observations in addition to the information available from more traditional sensors. The framework for estimation using both traditional and perceptional information is applicable to any stochastic hybrid system with mode-related perceptional observations available. Furthermore, the computational efficiency of the Rao-Blackwellized particle filter is maintained, making this filter suitable for real-time implementation. An application that motivates this research is an automatic underwater robotic observation system that follows and films individual deep ocean animals. In that context, to improve tracking of agile animals, a mode-observed Gaussian Particle Filter is applied to supplement measurements of relative position and water-relative velocities of the specimen with perception of what the animal is doing (via visual cues). In addition to improving position and velocity tracking, this filter improves estimation of animal behavior modes to facilitate potentially the automated collection of behavioral data. Performance of the new filter is demonstrated using data from simulation as well as field data collected when tracking actual specimens in the ocean.
Cell cycle analysis of rat lymphocytes cultured with phytohemagglutinin in diffusion chambers.

Abstract Proliferation of rat leucocytes cultured with phytohemagglutinin in intraperitoneally implanted diffusion chambers was studied using 3 HT autoradiography. Rats bearing fifty-hour old cultures were injected with 3 HT and the cultures reaped serially. By 10–30 min after administration of 3 HT, cells synthesizing DNA were labeled (over 50 per cent) and the labeling index did not change appreciably for 120 min thereafter, indicating a pulse label was achieved. Analysis of the labeled mitoses curve provided the following estimates: cell cycle time, about 12 hr; minimum post-synthetic rest period, less than 40 min; minimum DNA-synthesis time, about 6 hr; fastest mitotic time, approximately 30 min. The T s determined in the present study was shorter than values reported for mammalian lymphocytes stimulated with PHA in vitro . Ideal growth conditions in the in vivo cultures as judged by the excellent morphology of cells and the large numbers of blasts formed, may account for the short duration of T s and other subcycle times observed.
Defects in III–V Semiconductors Studied through EPR

EPR studies of Cr impurities in GaAs and intrinsic defects in GaP are reviewed to illustrate the contributions that EPR has made to the materials science and technology of III–V semiconductors. EPR has shown how the Cr impurity acts to compensate residual shallow donors or acceptors to produce semi-insulating GaAs which is used for device substrates. EPR work has identified two intrinsic defects, the PGa antisite and the VGa vacancy, and clarified their role in electrical and stoichiometric properties of GaP.
Extreme Events: A Research and Policy Framework for Disasters in Context

Extreme events are significant determinants of the character and evolution of many natural and human systems. When extreme events occur at the interface between natural and human systems, they are often called “disasters.” Here, we use a systemic, contextual view of disasters to construct a framework for organizing research and policy. Within this framework, reduction of vulnerability is the organizing principle, and decision processes (which lead to reduced vulnerability) are the fundamental unit of analysis and action. Scientific research is connected to decision processes through knowledge—integrating activities such as prediction, observation, and heuristics. But the value of research depends on its capacity to enhance decision-making capabilities. Our goal is to define an approach by which policy—relevant research questions can be more readily recognized. and societally valuable (i.e., vulnerabilityreducing) knowledge can be more effectively created and used.
DEVIATIONS FROM PREDICTED GROWTH OF ABILITIES FOR MALE AND FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS1

126 university seniors were retested with the same battery of precollege aptitude measures administered four years earlier. To evaluate the effect of different educational experiences and orientations, college test performance, corrected for level of high school performance, was correlated with amount of work taken in specific course areas, grades awarded in these areas, and inventory items relating to background and educational philosophy. The results support the notion of greater differentiation in the residual intellectual growth of males. Deviations from predicted growth on the college test performance indices were relatively uncorrelated with each other and more correlated with specific experiences for males than for females.
Effect of Foster-Nursing upon Inborn Resistance of Mice to St. Louis Encephalitis

SummaryIn strains of mice selectively bred for resistance or susceptibility to St. Louis encephalitis virus, foster-nursing exerted no effect upon the course of disease or mortality-rate following nasal instillation of virus.
Mothers’ Identities and Gender Socialization of Daughters

Incorporating 125 mothers’ identities and communication with daughters, we met two aims. First, addressing potential identity-based impetuses for rigidity in gender socialization and culminating gender schema theory (Marks, Lam, & McHale, 2009) with identity-based theorizing prioritizing morality (Stets & Carter, 2006), we tested the intersection between mothers’ mothering, feminist, and generativity identities in relation to their socialization. Mothers' generativity identity yielded the most significance. The greater women's generativity, the more likely they were to encourage daughters’ stereotypically female behaviors and stereotypically male behaviors, and the less likely to discourage daughters’ displays of other-gender characteristics. Second, we explored mothers’ recalled messages about familiar identities of motherhood and feminism to illuminate mothers’ voiced beliefs, goals, and values for daughters and all women.
PRAGMATIC MEANING AND COGNITION. Sabine S. A. Marmaridou . Amsterdam: Benjamins, 2000. Pp. xii + 322. $65.00 cloth, $24.95 paper.

Pragmatic meaning and cognition provides an analysis of pragmatic meaning that is grounded in general cognitive linguistics. It makes use of the specific framework of “experiential realism” as put forth in the works of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, which views language as a representation of reality as it is perceived and experienced by human beings. As such, experiential realism stands in contradistinction to an objectivist framework in which language is a symbolic representation of objectively existing reality. Marmaridou's overarching goal is to demonstrate how sociocultural aspects of pragmatic meaning are integrated into cognitive structure rather than being external to it.
Editorial Comment on “Low Energy Shock Wave Therapy Ameliorates Erectile Dysfunction in a Pelvic Neurovascular Injuries Rat Model”

The authors present a novel application of shock wave therapy in rats with erectile dysfunction (ED). A rat model of ED was developed by bilateral cavernous nerve and internal pudendal bundle injuries. Forty-eight hours after nerve damage, animals were randomly treated with a low-energy shock wave (0.06 mJ/mm, 300 pulses at 3 Hz) or a high-energy shock wave (0.09 mJ/mm, 1,000 pulses at 3 Hz). Functional and histologic assessments after the intervention showed improvements in intracavernosal pressure, increased vascularization, and nerve regeneration.
INTRALYMPHATIC VS. TISSUE PRESSURE IN THE EDEMATOUS BAT WING

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the comparison of intralymphatic and tissue pressure in the edematous bat wing. The data obtained from the present study indicates that the contractile terminal lymphatics in the bat wing generate a small but significant suction upon the interstitium during the relaxation phase of their contractile cycle. The pressure gradient thus established should be adequate to move interstitial fluid into the terminal lymphatics in the process of lymph formation. This study has shown that although there is an inwardly directed pressure gradient across the lymphatic wall during part of the contractile cycle, the average pressure gradient over the entire cycle is such that net flow should be in the retrograde direction. There is considerable anatomical evidence that endothelial gap junctions in the terminal lymphatic walls may act as flap-like valves producing the necessary rectifying action. It has been shown that the lymphatic anchoring elements attach to the abluminal but not the luminal flap of the frequent overlapping gap junctions in the lymphatic wall.
A Substantial Disruption of Public Concern: Tinker, Bell v. Itawamba, and Internet Speech for High School Students

Over fifty years ago, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District established a standard for protected on-campus speech, allowing students to protest the Vietnam War by wearing black armbands during school hours.Fast-forward to the twenty-first century, and concerns about smart phones, social media, and the Internet have resulted in application of the Tinker test to off-campus speech in most of the United States circuit courts of appeals, with some dissent in the Third Circuit. Bell v. Itawamba County School District originated in rural northern Mississippi and made its way to the Fifth Circuit, where an en banc decision upheld a school board’s punishment of a student for a YouTube video, composed off-campus, full of violent rhetoric and allegations of teacher-on-student sexual impropriety. The majority of the panel of judges found that the school district’s policy banning conduct that threatens, harasses, or intimidates was constitutional, using Tinker to analyze the conduct. Originally a three-judge panel issued an opposite ruling that the student’s speech was protected and Tinker did not extend off-campus.The intermediate courts disagree over when and where Tinker applies. The current climate in public schools, where use of technology is encouraged yet boundaries and norms are constantly evolving, beckons for a new, consistently applied standard for high school student speech that takes the existence of a new online forum into account. This conflict should be resolved by the Supreme Court. Tinker is overdue for an update.
Puffer Fish Poisoning

The effects of puffer fish poisoning on peripheral nerve were investigated in 4 of 9 patients (7 adults and 2 children) treated at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
Ionic Conduction and Dielectric Response of Poly(imidazolium acrylate) Ionomers

We use X-ray scattering to investigate morphology and dielectric spectroscopy to study ionic conduction and dielectric response of imidazolium-based single-ion conductors with two different counterions [hexafluorophosphate (PF6–) or bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (F3CSO2NSO2CF3– = Tf2N–)] with different imidazolium pendant structures, particularly tail length (n-butyl vs n-dodecyl). A physical model of electrode polarization is used to separate ionic conductivity of the ionomers into number density of conducting ions and their mobility. Tf2N– counterions display higher ionic conductivity and mobility than PF6– counterions, as anticipated by ab initio calculations. Ion mobility is coupled to polymer segmental motion, as these are observed to share the same Vogel temperature. Ionomers with the n-butyl tail impart much larger static dielectric constant than those with the n-dodecyl tail. From the analysis of the static dielectric constant using Onsager theory, there is more ionic aggregation in ionomers ...
Surface self-diffusion of organic glasses.

Surface self-diffusion coefficients have been determined for the organic glass Nifedipine using the method of surface grating decay. The flattening of 1000 nm surface gratings occurs by viscous flow at 12 K or more above the glass transition temperature and by surface diffusion at lower temperatures. Surface diffusion is at least 107 times faster than bulk diffusion, indicating a highly mobile surface. Nifedipine glasses have faster surface diffusion than the previously studied Indomethacin glasses, despite their similar bulk relaxation times. Both glasses exhibit fast surface crystal growth, and its rate scales with surface diffusivity. The observed rate of surface diffusion implies substantial surface rearrangement during the preparation of low-energy glasses by vapor deposition. The Random First Order Transition Theory and the Coupling Model successfully predict the large surface-enhancement of mobility and its increase on cooling, but disagree with the experimental observation of the faster surface di...
Analysis on food poisoning events in Gansu province,2004-2010

Objective To analyze the food poisoning events reported in Gansu province in 2004-2010 and to provide evidence for the prevention and control of food poisoning.Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the data of food poisoning events reported through the public emergency network direct reporting system in Gansu province in 2004-2010.Results The number of food poisoning events reported was 68,the number of food poisoning patients was 2 143,and the number of death cases caused by the events was 47,with a fatality rate of 2.19%.Most of the events occurred from June to October,especially in September.Microorganism food poisoning occurred most frequently(28 cases),followed by chemical food poisoning(22 cases)and vegetal and animal food poisoning(13 cases).The death cases were mainly caused by poisonous pesticide/ rodenticide poisoning(25 deaths),mushroom(7 deaths),botulinum toxin(4 deaths),nitrite(3 deaths)and other poisoning(8 deaths).Conclusion For food poisoning events reported in Gansu province,microorganisms food poisoning was most frequent and the leading causes of death due to food poisoning were pesticide/rodenticide poisoning and mushroom poisoning.