cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the factor structure of symptoms in patients with schizophrenia

Considering the widespread use of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and its factors around the world in clinical trials, it is clearly necessary to perform a transcultural validation of the factor structure of the PANSS. The purpose of the present study was to examine the PANSS factor structure in a Korean sample of subjects with schizophrenia. A total of 150 outpatients were assessed using the PANSS and other clinical rating scales. Principal component analyses revealed five factors, i.e., negative, cognitive/disorganization, positive, excitement, and depression/anxiety dimensions, which accounted for 64.1% of the total variance. All five factors showed good internal consistency, suggesting that the reliability of the factors extracted was adequate. Significant correlations were found between the five components of the PANSS and the corresponding clinical rating scales. The results of the present study indicate that the five-factor model best fit the data from our patients and that it was validated transculturally. The factor structures should be further validated using various neurobiological methods to ultimately help in clarifying the heterogeneity and pathogenesis of symptomatology in schizophrenia.
Improving information-network performance: reliability versus invulnerability

As the information revolution continues, those who depend upon secure information-networks but cannot adequately protect them will become more vulnerable to tampering by an adversary. Prescriptive models used to recommend improvements to networks usually use reliability or flow as the Measure Of Effectiveness (MOE). Such measures will not give value to efforts that make a network component more difficult to exploit. Similarly, Risk Assessment Models (RAMs) are used to quantify the importance of a component to overall network performance (again measured in terms of reliability or flow) but do not prescribe improvement strategies. This study develops a prescriptive RAM that includes an MOE called invulnerability. This gives value to efforts that make a component more difficult to exploit. Results show that including the vulnerability MOE as a second criterion to complement the reliability MOE allows one to formulate component-hardening strategies. Furthermore, the Pareto-efficient frontier generated by trading off these two MOEs is very small. This helps to pinpoint specific components that should be improved or hardened for information security.
Part 3 Specialized aspects of GIS and spatial analysis

GIS and spatial analysis is suited mainly for static pictures of the landscape, but many of the processes that need exploring are dynamic in nature. Dynamic processes can be complex when put in a spatial context; our ability to study such processes will probably come with advances in understanding complex systems in general. Cellular automata and agent-based models are two prime candidates for exploring complex spatial systems, but are difficult to implement. Innovative tools that help build complex simulations will create larger user communities, who will probably find novel solutions for understanding complexity. A significant source for such innovations is likely to be from the collective efforts of hobbyists and part-time programmers, who have been dubbed “garage-band scientists” in the popular press.
Optimal Subcube Embeddability in Hypercubes with Additional Dimensions

Subcube embeddability of the hypercube can be enhanced by introducing an additional dimension. A set of new dimensions, characterized by the Hamming distance between the pairs of nodes it connects, is introduced using a measure defined as the magnitude of a dimension. An enumeration of subcubes of various size is presented for a dimension parameterized by its magnitude. It is shown that the maximum number of subcubes for a Qn can only be attained when the magnitude of dimension is n-1 or n. It is further shown that the latter two dimensions can optimally increase the number of subcubes among all possible choices.
Hypothesis testing in noninferiority and equivalence MRMC ROC studies.

Rationale and Objectives Conventional multireader multicase receiver operating characteristic (MRMC ROC) methodologies use hypothesis testing to test differences in diagnostic accuracies among several imaging modalities. The general MRMC-ROC analysis framework is designed to show that one modality is statistically different among a set of competing modalities (ie, the superiority setting). In practice, one may wish to show that the diagnostic accuracy of a modality is noninferior or equivalent, in a statistical sense, to that of another modality instead of showing its superiority (a higher bar). The purpose of this article is to investigate the appropriate adjustments to the conventional MRMC ROC hypothesis testing methodology for the design and analysis of noninferiority and equivalence hypothesis tests. Materials and Methods We present three methodological adjustments to the updated and unified Obuchowski-Rockette (OR)/Dorfman-Berbaum-Metz (DBM) MRMC ROC method for use in statistical noninferiority/equivalence testing: 1) the appropriate statement of the null and alternative hypotheses; 2) a method for analyzing the experimental data; and 3) a method for sizing MRMC noninferiority/equivalence studies. We provide a clinical example to further illustrate the analysis of and sizing/power calculation for noninferiority MRMC ROC studies and give some insights on the interplay of effect size, noninferiority margin parameter, and sample sizes. Results We provide detailed analysis and sizing computation procedures for a noninferiority MRMC ROC study using our method adjusted from the updated and unified OR/DBM MRMC method. Likewise, we show that an equivalence hypothesis test is identical to performing two simultaneous noninferiority tests (ie, either modality is noninferior to the other). Conclusion Conventional MRMC ROC methodology developed for superiority studies can and should be adjusted appropriately for the design and analysis of a noninferiority/equivalence hypothesis testing. In addition, the confidence interval of the difference in diagnostic accuracies is important information and should generally accompany the statistical analysis and any conclusions drawn from the hypothesis testing.
Metabolism of 13-cis-retinoic acid: Identification of 13-cis-retinoyl-and 13-cis-4-oxoretinoyl-β-glucuronides in the bile of vitamin A-normal rats

Abstract The metabolism of 13-cis-[11-3H]retinoic acid has been examined in vitamin A-normal rats. Within 24 h after intravenous administration of the parent retinoid (15 μg/kg) to animals with biliary fistulas, 69 ± 9% of the dose was detected in the bile with 9 ± 6% being found in the urine. Analysis of the bile by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography demonstrated that the retinoic acid was being metabolized to several more polar compounds. A number of these compounds were sensitive to incubation with β-glucuronidase as evidenced by a change in their chromatographic behavior after treatment with the enzyme. Two of the metabolites have been identified as 13-cis-4-oxoretinoyl-β-glucuronide (8.1 ± 1.0% of the dose during the first 4 h after administration of the parent compound) and 13-cis-retinoyl-β-glucuronide (7.0 ± 4.4% of the dose). A comparison of the chromatographic profiles of bile from 13-cis- versus all-trans-retinoic acid-treated rats indicated a difference in their metabolism, with a greater proportion of the all-trans-retinoic acid being converted to compounds that eluted in the more polar regions of the column effluent.
Wearable Devices as Facilitators, Not Drivers, of Health Behavior Change

Several large technology companies including Apple, Google, and Samsung are entering the expanding market of population health with the introduction of wearable devices. This technology, worn in clothing or accessories, is part of a larger movement often referred to as the “quantified self.” The notion is that by recording and reporting information about behaviors such as physical activity or sleep patterns, these devices can educate and motivate individuals toward better habits and better health. The gap between recording information and changing behavior is substantial, however, and while these devices are increasing in popularity, little evidence suggests that they are bridging that gap. Only 1% to 2% of individuals in the United States have used a wearable device, but annual sales are projected to increase to more than $50 billion by 2018. 1 Some of these devices aim at individuals already motivated to change their health behaviors. Others are being considered by health care organizations, employers, insurers, and clinicians who see promise in using these devices to better engage less motivated individuals. Some of these devices may justify that promise, but less because of their technology and more because of the behavioral change strat
Biochemical evidence for diverse etiologies in biotin-responsive multiple carboxylase deficiency.

Biotin-responsive multiple carboxylase deficiency can be categorized by clinical criteria into a neonatal-onset disorder and a distinct syndrome of infantile onset. Pedigrees in each instance are consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance. For a neonatal-onset proband, the sensitivity to relative biotin deprivation and the rapid clinical response to biotin supplementation are reflected by in vitro studies. Specific activities of biotin-dependent pyruvate carboxylase, propionyl CoA carboxylase, and 3-methylcrotonyl CoA carboxylase are 0.8 to 16% of mean control values after growth of fibroblasts in intermediate and very low biotin concentrations. Following relative biotin depletion, pyruvate carboxylase activity returns to normal after only 14 hr of growth in biotin-supplemented medium. In contrast, carboxylase activities in fibroblasts of an infantile-onset proband remain normal at very low biotin concentrations, even when avidin is added to the growth medium. The clinical heterogeneity, taken together with the distinct responses of cultured skin fibroblasts to biotin deprivation in vitro, probably reflect fundamentally different etiologies for the two categories of biotin-responsive multiple carboxylase deficiency.
Preliminary Radar Climatology of Central Pennsylvania

Abstract Grid analysis of radar films at one hour intervals over two convective seasons was performed to assess the role of the synoptic situation and local topography on the pattern of showers in central Pennsylvania. Diurnal variations in extent and distribution of echoes are traceable to air motions that result from the nature of the local topography. Correlations between synoptic variables and the amount and nature of showers show that surface dew-point depression is the best indicator of scope coverage as well as size and development of showers. It was also found that the superimposition of a favorable vertical motion field on a region of convective precipitation allows showers and squall lines to undergo greater development.
Role of laminin in the attachment of PAM 212 (epithelial) cells to basement membrane collagen

Measurements of the attachment of the PAM 212 line of mouse epithelial cells to various collagen substrates show that these cells adhere preferentially to type IV, basement membrane collagen. Neither serum nor fibronectin stimulated the attachment of these cells (unlike fibroblasts) to type IV collagen. Preincubation of the PAM 212 cells with cycloheximide prevented attachment. Thus these cells do not attach by means of a macromolecule present inserum, but instead synthesize an attachment factor. Extracts of the EHS tumor, which produces an extracellular matrix containing basement membrane components, were tested for their ability to promote attachment to cycloheximide-treated PAM 212 cells. Saline extracts of the tumor stimulated the attachment of the PAM 212 cells to type IV collagen in the presence of cycloheximide. Laminin, a high molecular weight glycoprotein constituent of basement membrane, was purified from the salt extract and was found to be the active species at concentrations as low as 1-5 microgram/ml. When laminin was preincubated on plates coated with either type I, II, III, IV, or V collagen and the plates subsequently washed, high levels of attachment were seen only on type IV collagen-coated plates. Affinity purified antibody directed against laminin inhibited the attachment of PAM 212 cells to a type IV collagen substrate. Laminin appears to be a specific attachment protein for epithelial cells since it did not stimulate the attachment of fibroblasts to type I or to type IV collagen substrates. These data suggest that lamin is produced and utilized by these epithelial cells to attach to basement membrane collagen.
Pyruvate metabolism of chorioallantoic membrane infected with influenza A.

Abstract The initial rate of pyruvate uptake from the liquid medium by an explant of chorioallantoic membrane infected with influenza A PR8 strain is 30–50% higher than the rate of the pyruvate uptake by a noninfected membrane. This difference is statistically significant.
Relationship of atopy and anaphylactic sensitization: a bee sting allergy model

Summary This study attempts to determine if atopy predisposes to, or affects the severity of, bee sting allergy. 119 consecutive patients with definite systemic reactions to Hymenoptera stings and 119 matched controls without a history of Hymenoptera allergy were interviewed and evaluated. These patients with a definite systemic reaction to Hymenoptera had a mean age of 27 years with an age range of 2-73 years; 38% (forty-five out of 119) were 12 years of age or younger. The frequency of atopy (asthma/allergic rhinitis) was 25% (thirty out of 119), and resembles that found in a general population. In the eighty-nine patients (75%) without a personal history of atopy, only 8% had positive scratch tests to pollens, danders or molds, 44% had a positive family history of atopy and a majority had normal serum total IgE levels. Results of the RAST for specific IgE to venoms of honey bee, yellow jacket, hornet, wasp and to phospholipase A were obtained. Patients with asthma had a significantly more severe reaction to their Hymenoptera sting than non-atopic patients, 65%vs 38%, with P <0.05. The severity of sting reaction in those patients with allergic rhinitis without asthma resembled that of the non-atopic patients. Although atopy does not appear to predispose patients to Hymenoptera allergy, asthmatics’Who also have Hymenoptera allergy do have a significantly more severe reaction to a bee sting.
D-dimer, P-selectin, and microparticles: novel markers to predict deep venous thrombosis. A pilot study

Current plasma markers for diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) allow for exclusion of the diagnosis, but lack adequate specificity to establish the diagnosis. Thus, a prospective study was performed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of plasma assays for D-dimer, soluble P-selectin (P-selectin), and total microparticles in patients with documented DVT by duplex ultrasound.Three groups of individuals were examined: 30 normals; 22 positive for DVT on duplex ultrasound (Group 2); and 21 symptomatic,but negative on duplex ultrasound for DVT (Group 3). Group 1 individuals had D-dimer values of 1.53±0.12 mg/l and P-selectin values of 0.34±0.05 ng/mg total protein. Group 2 vs. Group 3 individuals had D-dimer values of 7.57±2.03 vs. 3.19±0.79 mg/l, p=0.02; P-selectin values of 0.98±0.11 vs. 0.55±0.08 ng/mg total protein, p
Catheter Ablation: A Personal Perspective

Catheter Ablation. Catheter ablation for control of cardiac arrhythmias was introduced 20 years ago. Since then, this technique has been applied successfully to virtually all cardiac rhythm disturbances. In this essay, some of the newer applications of ablative techniques for patients with AV nodal reentrant tachycardia, atrial flutter, and atrial fibrillation are emphasized. “AV nodal reentrant tachycardia” may involve a nodofascicular tract. A new classification of atrial flutter is proposed and various causes of atrial fibrillation are discussed.
Criminal Prosecution of the Mentally Disordered: A Descriptive Analysis

While the mentally disordered defendant has garnered notable attention recently, little empirical research has been conducted in this area. In an attempt to fill this void, the research effort reported here examines prosecutorial and judicial decisions concerning this type of defendant. Emphasis is placed on the postures (punitive or therapeu tic) assumed by these court officials and the impact of various factors on these postures. Data were gathered on all adult criminal defendants identified as mentally disordered by the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mental Health Screening Unit from 1981 through 1983. The results clearly indicate that criminal justice officials are at least as interested in therapy as they are in punishment. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the court views these defendants as inappropriate subjects for criminal sanctioning but under certain conditions mandates treatment for individuals who likely would not be subject to such involuntary treatment under civil law.
Hiring Practices for Human Resource Professionals: Implications for Counseling and Curriculum Development

Employers of human resource professionals described their hiring practices. This information is especially useful for counselors and for developing curricula for nonbusiness majors interested in human resource careers.
Our Elderly. Who Are They

Why are today's elderly remarkable? They are the small minority who represent the survivors of Americans and immigrants born during the period 1870-1913. The mortality experience during that period shows the dramatic changes that have occurred. The future populations of the elderly are developing with an ever-increasing number of people kept alive by the mass use of vaccines, the application of new medical, surgical and psychologic diagnoses and therapies, effective antibiotics, rapid communication, proper nutrition, safe water, a high level of health insurance coverage, and available education at all levels for those who want to participate.
Astronomical coronagraphy with high-order adaptive optics systems

Space surveillance systems have recently been developed that exploit high order adaptive optics systems to take diffraction limited images in visible light on 4 meter class telescopes. Most astronomical targets are faint, thus driving astronomical AO systems towards larger subapertures, and thus longer observing wavelengths for diffraction limited imaging at moderate Strehl ratio. There is, however, a particular niche that can be exploited by turning these visible light space surveillance systems to astronomical use at infrared wavelengths. At the longer wavelengths, the Strehl ratio rises dramatically, thus placing more light into the diffracted Airy pattern compared to the atmospheric halo. A Lyot coronagraph can be used to suppress the diffracted light from an on axis star, and observe faint companions and debris disks around nearby, bright stars. These very high contrast objects can only be observed with much higher order adaptive optics systems than are presently available to the astronomical community. We describe simulations of high order adaptive optics coronagraphs, and outline a project to deploy an astronomical coronagraph at the Air Force AEOS facility at the Maui Space Surveillance System.
Unequivocal demonstration that malondialdehyde is a mutagen

Malondialdehyde (MDA), a product of lipid peroxidation and prostaglandin biosynthesis, has been reported to be mutagenic and carcinogenic. Recent evidence suggests, however, that strongly mutagenic impurities are generated during the preparation of MDA that may contribute to the observed biological activity. Since MDA is widely produced in animal tissue it is important to establish whether it is actually mutagenic and carcinogenic. We have utilized three complementary methods for the preparation of highly purified MDA for biological testing. These are chromatographic purification of the sodium salt of MDA, sublimation of the free acid of MDA, and basic hydrolysis of beta-(p-nitrophenoxy)acrolein. The latter is a unique method that we have developed specifically to generate MDA under non-acidic conditions where it is stable. MDA prepared by each method induced approximately 5 revertants/mumol in Salmonella typhimurium his D 3052. This unequivocally demonstrates that MDA is a weak mutagen.
Neuronal injury from cardiac arrest: aging years in minutes

Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death and permanent disability. Most victims succumb to the oxidative and inflammatory damage sustained during cardiac arrest/resuscitation, but even survivors typically battle long-term neurocognitive impairment. Although extensive research has delineated the complex mechanisms that culminate in neuronal damage and death, no effective treatments have been developed to interrupt these mechanisms. Of importance, many of these injury cascades are also active in the aging brain, where neurons and other cells are under persistent oxidative and inflammatory stress which eventually damages or kills the cells. In light of these similarities, it is reasonable to propose that the brain essentially ages the equivalent of several years within the few minutes taken to resuscitate a patient from cardiac arrest. Accordingly, cardiac arrest-resuscitation models may afford an opportunity to study the deleterious mechanisms underlying the aging process, on an accelerated time course. The aging and resuscitation fields both stand to gain pivotal insights from one another regarding the mechanisms of injury sustained during resuscitation from cardiac arrest and during aging. This synergism between the two fields could be harnessed to foster development of treatments to not only save lives but also to enhance the quality of life for the elderly.
The differential effects of cell density and NGF on the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine β-hydroxylase in PC12 cells

Expression of neurotransmitter phenotype during development of the nervous system is determined by several micro-environmental factors including cell aggregation. In order to delineate the role of cell aggregation and nerve growth factor (NGF) in regulating catecholamine expression, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) mRNA levels were examined in PC12 cells at different cell densities with and without NGF treatment. Upon plating of PC12 cells from low density (0.3-1.0 x 10(5) cells/cm2) to high density (0.5-2.0 x 10(6) cells/cm2) TH mRNA levels increased 4-fold within 1 day and remained at this level for several days. In cells replated from high to low density, TH mRNA returned to original levels within 1 day. In addition to TH mRNA, TH protein and dopamine levels were also found to increase in high-density cultures. In contrast to the increase in TH mRNA, DBH mRNA decreased about 40% in cells plated from low to high density. Hence, cell density differentially regulated TH and DBH mRNA levels. Unlike cell density, NGF treatment led to a decrease in both TH and DBH mRNA levels. However, when NGF treated cells were replated from low to high density, TH and dopamine levels increased. Thus NGF did not alter the density dependent regulation of TH. Similarly, TH mRNA levels increased in F4 cells, a mutant PC12 cell line unresponsive to NGF, when plated from low to high density. DBH mRNA decreased to undetectable levels when NGF treated PC12 cells were plated to high density, demonstrating a synergetic effect of cell density and NGF treatment on DBH mRNA levels.
Determination of the calcium antagonist SIM6080 in plasma by high-resolution gas chromatography

A sensitive and selective gas chromatographic method for the determination of the calcium antagonist SIM6080 in plasma has been developed and validated. A three-step extraction procedure is employed followed by capillary gas chromatographic analysis using nitrogen-selective detection and the programmed temperature vaporizer injection technique. The defluorinated analogue was used as the internal standard. The analysis of spiked plasma demonstrated the good accuracy and precision of the method with limit of detection of 1 ng/ml. The method has been used for pharmacokinetic studies in laboratory animals.
A Cost Function for the Natural Gas Transmission Industry

This article estimates the parameters of a cost function for the process of gas transmission based on the two basic capital inputs to the process: pipe and compressors. This in turn allows us to assess the combination of capital, operating, and maintenance costs that minimize the total cost of a natural gas transportation system. We further show that the industry's production technology exhibits increasing returns to scale. That is, we find that the long-run marginal cost is lower than the long-run average cost per unit. The natural gas transmission cost function derived is consistent with the engineering aspects of the industry and may be used to find the minimal cost of a system to transport natural gas.
A simplified method of determining synovial fluid chondroitin sulfate chain length

Summary Objective To determine whether dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB) analysis, when combined with agarose gel filtration chromatography (Superose 6), can be performed instead of fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE) to determine chondroitin sulfate (CS) chain length in synovial fluid (SF). Methods SF was obtained from (1) normal horses after 8 weeks of rest, (2) the same horses after 9 months of treadmill training, and (3) horses with osteochondral (OC) injury from racing. SF CS concentrations and chain lengths were determined by gel chromatography and DMMB analysis and compared with previous results determined by FACE analysis on the same samples. Results DMMB analysis showed that SF CS peak chain length in the OC injury group increased significantly (18.7kDa) when compared to rested and exercised normal horses (15.6kDa). The assay had a positive predictive value of 71% and a negative predictive value of 75% for discriminating between normal and injured joints. Conclusions We report a simple and inexpensive DMMB analysis of SF CS chain length, which, when coupled with Superose 6 chromatography, discriminates between normal and post-injury joints. Similar to our previous FACE analysis results [Brown MP, Trumble TN, Plaas AHK, Sandy JD, Romano M, Hernandez J, et-al. Exercise and injury increase chondroitin sulfate chain length and decrease hyaluronan chain length in synovial fluid. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2007;15], our DMMB results show an increase in the chain length of the CS in the SF of injured joints.
Continued assessment of the combined Collis-Nissen operation

The combined Collis-Nissen operation has been performed in 353 patients. Forty-five percent had reflux esophagitis without stricture; 20%, peptic stricture; 72%, a sliding hiatal hernia; 17%, a paraesophageal hernia; 21%, previous antireflux operation; 15%, esophageal spasm; 8%, scleroderma; and 32%, marked obesity. There were 4 postoperative deaths (mortality rate, 1.1%). Complications occurred in 28 patients (8%) and included wound infection (2.2%), esophageal or gastroplasty tube leak (1.7%), bleeding (1.1%), splenic injury, gastric atony, and crural repair dehiscence (each less than 1%). Follow-up includes personal interview, esophageal manometry, and standard acid reflux testing. The average length of follow-up for 261 patients (74%) followed at least 12 months is 43.8 months. Fifty-eight percent have been followed at least 36 months; 41%, 48 months; and 29%, 60 months or longer. Subjectively, in these 261 patients, reflux has been eliminated in 75%, is mild in 11%, is moderate in 9%, and is severe in 5%. Eight percent have postthoracotomy pain; 3%, early satiety ("bloats"); and 1%, postvagotomy diarrhea. Seventeen percent require either periodic or regular esophageal dilations for dysphagia. Objectively, intraesophageal pH studies show good reflux control in 91% and poor reflux control in 9%. Twenty-six patients (10%) have required reoperation for recurrent reflux or dysphagia. These results substantiate satisfactory reflux control using the Collis-Nissen operation in patients at risk for recurrence after standard repairs, but also emphasize that, like other antireflux procedures, the Collis-Nissen operation is not without some degree of postoperative adverse symptoms.
Are International Monetary Fund quotas unfavorable to less-developed countries? A normative historical analysis

Abstract The International Monetary Fund criterion of economic size receives normative justification as the determinant of quotas, but size must be represented by appropriately measured income, reserves, and trade. The Fund's income measure is deficient because it uses exchange rates rather than purchasing power parities to convert figures to a common currency. If a favourable quota disparity is defined as an actual quota above the quota predicted by economic size, less developed countries had adverse disparities early in IMF history but increasingly favorable disparities over time. Given the inertia of relative quotas, members would do well to maximize their initial quota.
Trading off: the ecological effects of dam removal

Dam removal is gaining credibility as a viable management option for dams that have deteriorated physically and are no longer economically practical. However, the decision to remove or repair a dam is often contentious and emotionally charged. Part of the acrimony arises from our limited scientific knowledge of the effects of dam removal. We believe that the ecological consequences are best understood by viewing the removal process as a disturbance. Ecological outcomes will include changes that are both environmentally costly, such as invasion of exotic species, and environmentally beneficial, such as increasing access to spawning habitats for migratory fish. It has also become apparent that the wholesale aging of the US dam infrastructure will make dam removal even more common in the future. The challenge ahead is to better understand and manage the consequences of these removals.
Between imagination and delusion: Cosmopolitan postcolonial critique in Ken Walibora’s Ndoto ya Amerika [The American Dream]

This paper reads Ken Walibora’s Kiswahili children’s book Ndoto ya Amerika [The American Dream] as a critical intervention in the politics of the imagination in Kenya. I argue that although the story is radical in its subtle criticism of the West, its main focus is the disillusionment with the post‐independence dispensation in Africa. By tracking the story’s imaginative engagements with the Kiswahili language, the African American diaspora, and the disciplinary apparatus of the postcolonial Kenyan state, I find that Walibora promotes “rooted cosmopolitanism” as a framework for literary and political development. Despite its artistic innovativeness in addressing the problems that African nations face, Ndoto ya Amerika has received little critical attention. It behoves the postcolonial critic to consider popular and children’s texts in indigenous languages of the Global South, as texts like Ndoto ya Amerika offer an energetic critique of universalized notions of cosmopolitanism while proposing alternative c...
MICROSURGICAL DENERVATION OF THE SPERMATIC CORD AS PRIMARY SURGICAL TREATMENT OF CHRONIC ORCHIALGIA

Purpose: We evaluate the effectiveness of microsurgical denervation of the spermatic cord for treatment of chronic orchialgia.Materials and Methods: Patients referred to our clinic diagnosed with chronic orchialgia are evaluated with a thorough medical and psychiatric history, physical examination and scrotal ultrasound when indicated. A total of 27 patients with chronic orchialgia refractory to nonsurgical management who had temporary pain relief after undergoing outpatient cord block were candidates for denervation. There were 6 patients who had bilateral pain, therefore, 33 testicular units were denervated. Followup ranged from 1 to 74 months (mean 20).Results: Complete pain relief was noted in 25 (76%) testicular units, partial relief in 3 (9.1%) and no relief in the remaining 5 (15%), with a mean followup of 19, 24 and 10 months, respectively. There was no significant difference in outcome when evaluated by the etiology of orchialgia.Conclusions: When conservative treatment fails, microsurgical dener...
Model Development and Code Verification for Simulation of Electrodynamic Tether System

We develop a numerical model of an electrodynamic tether system composed of two finite end bodies and a flexible tether. The equations of motion of the system are presented along with two methods of discretizing the partial differential equations governing the tether vibrations. The first method is the assumed modes method in which the tether displacements are represented as series of generalized coordinates and assumed mode functions, and the second is a finite element method in which displacements and slopes at points along the tether are interpolated by shape functions. The method of manufactured solutions is used to verify that the computer codes written to simulate the system motion implement the discretization methods properly. Both the assumed modes method and the finite element method perform well for relatively low discretization levels; however, as the number of longitudinal assumed modes is increased, the mass matrix for the longitudinal vibrations becomes poorly conditioned, resulting in numerical errors that can cause the tether vibrations to improperly diverge. This behavior is not seen in the finite element method because the mass matrices for both the transverse and longitudinal vibrations are always well-conditioned.
Competing in Advanced Manufacturing: The Need for Improved Growth Models and Policies

Abstract The United States has underinvested for several decades in a set of productivity-enhancing assets necessary for the long-term health of its manufacturing sector. Conventional characterizations of the process of bringing new advanced manufacturing products to market usually leave out two important elements: One is “proof-of-concept research” to establish broad “technology platforms” that can then be used as a basis for developing actual products. The second is a technical infrastructure of “infratechnologies” that include the analytical tools and standards needed for measuring and classifying the components of the new technology; metrics and methods for determining the adequacy of the multiple performance attributes of the technology; and the interfaces among hardware and software components that must work together for a complex product to perform as specified. If the public–private dynamics are not properly aligned to encourage proof-of-concept research and needed infratechnologies, then promisin...
A Drosophila mutant defective in extracellular calcium-dependent photoreceptor deactivation and rapid desensitization

CALCIUM is involved in the adaptation of vertebrate photoreceptors to light1,2 and may have a similar role in invertebrate phototransduction3,4. But the molecular mechanisms mediating this stimulus-dependent regulation are not well understood in any G protein-coupled transduction system. We have developed a preparation of isolated Drosophila photoreceptors that has allowed us to carry out an electrophysiological characterization of the light-activated response in these sensory neurons using patch-clamp techniques. We report here that extracellular calcium entering through the light-activated conductance is a key regulator of both the activation and deactivation phases of the phototransduction cascade, and that inaC mutant photoreceptors5 are specifically defective in the calcium-dependent deactivation mechanism. These data suggest that the light-dependent calcium influx inactivates this cascade through a biochemical pathway that requires the inaC gene product, and that this mechanism represents a molecular basis for stimulus-dependent regulation of visual transduction in Drosophila photoreceptors.
MEASURING SOCIAL-COMMUNICATIVE ANXIETY: SOCIAL DESIRABILITY AND THE FAKABILITY OF SCALE RESPONSES

Three studies are reported that examine the social desirability and fakability (transparency) of a number of self-report measures of social-communicative anxiety. Results indicate that social desirability, assessed as a personality dimension, is generally unrelated to measures of social and communicative anxiety. However, virtually all measures of the anxiety were transparently fakable. When asked to portray themselves positively, subjects consistently responded as low-anxious; when asked to look undesirable, subjects completed the measures to suggest high anxiety.
Growth of three established cell lines on glass microcarriers

Three established cell lines were examined for growth on a newly developed microcarrier which consists of glass beads. The cells were simultaneously examined for growth on commercially available microcarriers made from DEAE-dextran and from plastic. Cell yields on the glass microcarriers were comparable to the cell yields on the commercially available products. Cells grown on the glass microcarriers were easily separated from the substratum by trypsinization (as were the cells grown on the plastic substratum) while the cells grown on the DEAE-dextran particles were much more trypsin resistant. After removal of cells from the glass microcarriers, the cells reattached and spread out in plastic flasks as readily as cells harvested from monolayer. Scanning electron microscopy revealed dramatic differences in the appearance of the cell grown on the glass microcarriers and cells grown on the DEAE-dextran microcarriers. On the glass microcarriers, cells attached to the substratum through lond, slender filopodia while on the DEAE-dextran microcarriers, the entire edge of the cell appeared to be in contact with the substratum. This dissimilarity in attachment could underly the difference in sensitivity to trypsin-mediated detachment. Finally, the glass microcarriers were washed after being used once and retested for their ability to support cell growth a second time. Nearly identical results were obtained with the reprocessed beads as with previously unused ones.
Service Delivery in Substance Abuse Treatment: Reexamining “Comprehensive” Care

Substance abuse treatment clients present with an array of service needs in various life domains. Ideal models of addiction treatment incorporate provision or linkages to services to meet clients’ multiple needs; in turn, these wraparound and supportive services are associated with improvements in client retention and treatment outcomes. Using data from large samples of specialty addiction treatment providers in the public and private sectors, this article examines the extent and organizational correlates of the comprehensiveness of service delivery. Multivariate models indicate that private sector treatment facilities offer more “core” medical and treatment services, whereas public sector programs offer more wraparound and supportive services. However, both sectors fall short of the ideal model of service comprehensiveness in terms of absolute number of services offered. These findings raise concerns regarding the quality and availability of needed services for treatment of addiction.
A Brief Overview of Carbon Sequestration Economics and Policy

This article provides an overview of the issues and challenges involved in analyzing the costs and program design for carbon sequestration. The first section examines some of the pitfalls of comparing the results of carbon sequestration cost studies and suggests some simple ways in which analysts could make their results more useful. The pitfalls in comparing studies include different definitions for the summary statistic “dollars per ton,” differences in the type of costs that are estimated, and differences in underlying assumptions regarding program design and implementation. Future cost studies will benefit from improved treatment of leakage, general equilibrium interactions, and public finance interactions. The second section reviews issues related to the implementation of a carbon sequestration program, including which policy tools are available and which have received the most attention, some of the challenges for using those policy tools, and one alternative that has received little attention, but may become necessary. The discussion also provides an overview and analysis of the bills introduced in the last two congresses and considers the general policy implications of those proposals.
A comparison of temperament and social skills in predicting academic performance in first graders.

Abstract This study examined the relationship between temperament, social skills, academic competence, and reading and math achievement in a group of rural first grade children. At the beginning of first grade, parents and teachers rated 104 children with the Temperament Assessment Battery and the Social Skills Rating System. At the end of first grade, the children were administered the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery (Reading and Math). Results showed that the teacher ratings of persistence and approach/withdrawal along with parent ratings of activity were the best predictors of academic competence. These variables accounted for 61% of the variance in teacher's ratings of academic competence. Teacher and parent ratings of persistence accounted for 24% of the variance on Woodcock-Johnson reading scores. Adaptability and persistence had the highest correlations with social skills. Teacher ratings of temperament were better than parent ratings at predicting classroom success. Practical implicatio...
Molecular sieving of red cell membranes during gradual osmotic hemolysis

Rat red blood corpuscles were held stationary with respect to a continuously flowing solution in either a specially constructed centrifuge or in glass filters. The concentration of the solution was gradually decreased to cause the swelling and subsequent gradual osmotic hemolysis of the cells. The passage of the intracellular molecules —potassium, adenylate kinase, and hemoglobin—across the cell membranes and into the flowing solution was determined as a function of time. Ions and molecules begin passage across the membranes in the order of increasing molecular size. The initial flow of potassium is followed by the initial flows of hemoglobin and adenylate kinase. The flow of hemoglobin has been interpreted as the flows of hemoglobin monomers, dimers, and tetramers such that the time sequence is: potassium; hemoglobin monomer; adenylate kinase/hemoglobin dimer; and finally, hemoglobin tetramer. It is concluded that the stressed cell membrane has molecular sieving properties and that the exclusion limit (effective hole size) increases as a function of time during the initial stages of gradual osmotic hemolysis. The process of gradual osmotic hemolysis is discussed in terms of molecular sieving through stress-induced effective membrane holes. It is suggested that a portion of the membrane protein might form an elastic network which would account for the gradual increase in size and apparent homogeneity of the effective holes.
Accurate and precise determination of Li isotopic compositions by multi-collector sector ICP-MS

Abstract A new method is presented for the preparation of geological materials (water and rock) and their accurate analysis, by multiple collector magnetic sector ICP-MS, for the isotopic composition of lithium. Based on multiple duplicate and replicate measurements over an 8-month period, the precision of this technique is conservatively estimated to be ±1.1‰ (2σ population), which is similar to the precision of other methods in current use. The δ 7 Li ( 7 Li / 6 Li relative to the L-SVEC standard) determined for Pacific seawater is +31.8. The δ 7 Li of the basalt standards JB-2 and SRM-688 are +5.1 and +2.8, respectively. The new technique has additional advantages over other methods in small sample size (∼40 ng Li), rapid analysis (∼2 samples/h) and relative insensitivity to trace element contamination of analyte solutions.
Physiological response of the mud crab,Eurypanopeus depressus to cadmium

Although there is an increasing interest in heavy metals as pollutants in the marine environment, relatively little work has been done to determine the effect of such metals on marine organisms (Katzet al. 1971, 1972; Reish 1970, 1971, 1972; Selleck 1970, 1971). Most of these studies have dealt with lethal effects of copper and mercury on fouling organisms (Bryan 1971). Several investigators have reported heavy-metal effects on adult decapod crustaceans (Eisler 1971; Eisleret al. 1972; Raymont and Shields 1964; Vernberg and O'Hara 1972). There is, however, a paucity of information on the effects of cadmium on this group. The present study was undertaken to determine the toxicity of acute exposure of cadmium to the mud crab,Eurypanopeus depressus, as evidenced by mortality and by differential oxygen consumption occurring at non-lethal levels of this contaminant.E depressus was chosen for study because its estuarine habitat is likely to be polluted with heavy metals in the heavily industrialized areas of the Northeast. Cadmium was chosen as the test metal because of the growing awareness of its toxic properties, its persistent nature and its increasing occurrence in the environment. (U. S. Council on environmental quality 1971).
Reproduction, growth and feeding of the mesopelagic fish Tactostoma macropus (Melanostomiatidae)

Over 5 000 specimens of the common mesopelagic fish Tactostoma macropus Bolin, 1939, collected in the upper 1 000 m over the outer continental slope off Oregon, USA from 1961 through 1978 with 2.4, 5.4 or 50 m2 (mouth area) pelagic trawls, formed the basis for this study of its biology. T. macropus spawns off Oregon mainly during the summer months. Females are mature at around 300 mm SL (standard length). The number of ripening oocytes ranged from approximately 24 000 to over 66 000 per female. One batch of oocytes apparently matures each year. Larvae were most abundant greater than 150 km offshore in the California Current. Larvae undergo metamorphosis during the fall and winter, and small juveniles (50 to 70 mm SL) were consistently found in midwater trawl catches in the winter. Growth curves derived from length-frequency analysis, otolith aging and back-calculation from otoliths were similar. Average length at 1, 2 and 3 yr of age was about 110, 165 and 200 mm, respectively. Extrapolation of growth curves gave a predicted average age at first spawning of females of at least 6 yr. Smaller specimens of T: macropus (51 to 150 mm) fed mainly on euphausiids (especially Euphausia pacifica), and larger specimens (>200 mm) fed mainly on fishes (especially myctophids) and shrimp (Sergestes similis).
In-Flight Performance of the Cassini Hemispherical Quartz Resonator Gyro Inertial Reference Units

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a flagship class NASA/ESA mission to the planet Saturn. Launched in 1997, Cassini is still successfully operating after 16 years of flight and the telemetry from the attitude control hardware on Cassini has produced an immense dataset that allows the Cassini operations team to report on the long-term performance of several commercially available GNC hardware components in the space environment. This investigation summarizes the in-flight performance of the two inertial reference units aboard Cassini. Each of the two Cassini inertial reference units contains four hemispherical quartz resonator gyros. The Cassini operations team previously reported on the performance of the inertial reference units in 2007, and this paper provides an update with an additional 6 years of flight experience at Saturn.