cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modified technique for EUS-guided drainage of pelvic abscess (with video).

Background We previously described a technique for EUS-guided drainage of pelvic abscess by means of transrectal catheter placement. However, drainage catheters are prone to accidental dislodgement, and their management has mandated a prolonged inpatient hospital stay. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of a combined technique by using EUS-guided transrectal drainage catheter and stent placement for management of patients with pelvic abscesses. Design An observational study. Setting Academic tertiary-referral center. Patients Four patients underwent EUS-guided drainage of pelvic abscesses that were not amenable for drainage by US and/or CT guidance. Interventions A 10F drainage catheter and one or two 7F double-pigtail stents were deployed in the abscess cavity under EUS guidance. Subsequently, the drainage catheter was periodically flushed and aspirated for 36 hours until improvement in size of the abscess was confirmed by CT imaging. The drainage catheter was then discontinued, and the patients were discharged from the hospital. If resolution of the abscess was noted on outpatient CT at 2 weeks, then the stents were retrieved by sigmoidoscopy. Main Outcomes Measurements Short-term treatment success was defined as improvement in clinical symptoms and a decrease in size of the pelvic abscess on postprocedure CT obtained at 36 hours. Medium-term treatment success was defined as resolution of clinical symptoms and pelvic abscess on follow-up CT at 2 weeks. Results The procedure was technically successful in all 4 patients. The mean size of the abscess was 93 × 61 mm. No procedural complications were encountered. Treatment was successful both in the short and medium term in all 4 patients, and the mean duration of the postprocedure hospital stay was 2 days. At a mean follow-up of 221 days (range, 65-416 days), all 4 patients were doing well, without any symptoms of pelvic-abscess recurrence. Limitations The small number of patients and the absence of a comparative treatment group. Conclusions The combined placement of a transrectal drainage catheter and a stent under EUS guidance was a technically feasible, safe, and effective technique for management of patients with pelvic abscess. This technique minimized the possibility of accidental dislodgement of the drainage catheter and facilitated earlier patient discharge from the hospital.
Opioids, Iatrogenic Harm and Disclosure of Medical Error

The safety of patients in U.S. hospitals is a serious problem, with adverse events because of medical error affecting a significant proportion of hospitalized patients. Patients at the end of life are particularly vulnerable and are at risk of potential adverse events. This article presents a case in which opioids were rapidly titrated to neurotoxic doses in a patient who was terminally extubated. The patient was profoundly sedated and was noted to have Cheyne-Stokes breathing. The possibility of opioid-related iatrogenic harm is raised, and a discussion of what counts as medical error in these circumstances is explored. Palliative care specialists have a unique responsibility to provide guidance and establish a standard of care that clinicians should adhere to. Prevention of harm in dying patients should be a priority in the hospital setting.
River-Stream Connectivity Affects Fish Bioassessment Performance

Stream fish bioassessment methods assume that fish assemblages observed in sample sites reflect responses to local stressors, but fish assemblages are influenced by local factors as well as regional dispersal to and from connected streams. We hypothesized that fish movement to and from refugia and source populations in connected rivers (i.e., riverine dispersal) would weaken or decouple relations between fish community metrics and local environmental conditions. We compared fish-environment relations between streams that flow into large rivers (mainstem tributaries) and streams that lack riverine confluences (headwater tributaries) at multiple spatial grains using data from the USEPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program in the mid-Atlantic highlands, USA (n = 157 sites). Headwater and mainstem tributaries were not different in local environmental conditions, but showed important differences in fish metric responses to environmental quality gradients. Stream sites flowing into mainstem channels within 10 fluvial km showed consistently weaker relations to local environmental conditions than stream sites that lacked such mainstem connections. Moreover, these patterns diminished at longer distances from riverine confluences, consistent with the hypothesis of riverine dispersal. Our results suggest that (1) the precision of fish bioassessment metrics may be improved by calibrating scoring criteria based on the spatial position of sites within stream networks and (2) the spatial grain of fish bioassessment studies may be manipulated to suit objectives by including or excluding fishes exhibiting riverine dispersal.
On the property of balance and the pattern op c-matrdc in block designs

The alternative ways of defining balance in experimental designs, e.g. variance, efficiency, and X-1balance are discussed, A condition is derived for a design to estimate the given set of contrasts with specified variances and covariances. This condition is based upon the C-matrix of block designs. The usefulness of the results presented in the construction of designs is discussed with the help of examples.
Textual Scaffolds for Developing Fluency in Beginning Readers: Accuracy and Reading Rate in Qualitatively Leveled and Decodable Text

This study examined first graders' accuracy and reading rate in highly decodable and qualitatively leveled texts. The study inspected accuracy and rate by different levels of practice (practiced vs. unpracticed) and at different times of the year (October, January, and May). Seventy-four first graders read both leveled and decodable texts with and without practice and then reread the same texts throughout the year. The accuracy results were inconclusive, favoring decodable texts in one analysis and leveled texts in another analysis. However, participants were significantly more fluent (words per minute) in practiced readings of leveled texts. Across the first-grade year, first graders were also more fluent in leveled texts although differences diminished throughout the year. Specific text features that facilitated fluency in leveled texts are discussed.
Corporate planning and Corporate Collapse

Abstract In this article John Argenti describes what he found during a year's investigation into company failure that he undertook for a recently published book ‘Corporate Collapse’. At first it was difficult to see any pattern but certain conclusions gradually emerged as he discussed the causes and symptoms of failure with more and more people. Many of the lessons are of particular significance for bankers, shareholders, accountants and others but John Argenti believes there are a number of extremely important lessons for corporate planners as well—especially as ‘defective response to change’ turns out to be one of the prime causes of failure in mature companies.
The richness of the child-pet relationship: a consideration of both benefits and costs of pets to children

The present study was aimed at identifying meaningful and sensitive measures of the potential social-emotional benefits and costs that children report as associated with their involvement with companion animals. The sample consisted of 213 children in grades 3 through 7 who had pets and another 44 who did not. The high percentage of pet ownership found is not unusual. Two questionnaires measuring pet benefits and pet costs were administered. The benefits identified were mutuality, enduring affection, self-enhancing affection, and exclusivity of relationship. The costs identified were distress stemming from pet death or pet rejection, unfair grief, dissatisfaction with pet's needs, worry about pet safety, “getting into trouble,” and distress at not being allowed to care for pet needs.
Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine, Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, and the (De)Mythologizing of the American West

Abstract “Fighting; his way with knife and gun,” the Texas cowboy was evolved, a fearless rider, a workman of sublime self-confidence, unequaled in the technique and tricks of “cowpunching,” the most accurate on the trigger and the last to leave untasted the glass which the bartender silently refilled. When the northern trails became an institution the Texan was trail-boss and straw-boss; and as boss he was a dictator. As an underling he was not so successful in the north; with a Yankee boss, or worse yet an Englishman, he cherished a studied disregard for authority, and an assured satisfaction in the superiority of is own ways.
An Assessment of Global Demand for U.S. Agricultural Products to the Year 2000: Economic and Policy Dimensions

The dramatic turnabout in the agricultural outlook since 1981 has generated new interest in the longer-term prospects for growth in the global demand for U.S. farm products. Concerns about resource constraints and rising real prices, so widespread in the 1970s, have given way to renewed worries over surpluses, low prices, and depressed farm incomes. The agricultural export boom of the 1970s can now be seen more clearly as a temporary event resulting from an unusual combination of favorable factors. Demand from the oil-
Interdiffusion with multiple precipitation/dissolution reactions: Transient model and the steady-state limit

Abstract A transient model based on a continuum description of diffusional mass transport coupled to multiple, reversible precipitation/dissolution reactions is applied to a description of water/rock interactions in a porous medium. The model permits calculation of positions and spatial distributions of minerals within any number of reaction zones as a function of distance and time. A unified description of internal precipitation and dissolution within reaction zones and reaction at zone boundaries is given. Included in the model is provision for moving reaction fronts across which occur jump discontinuities in the solute flux and volume fractions of the reacting phases. At steady-state the reaction fronts are stationary and the solute flux is continuous across each front. Partial differential equations representing conservation of mass are solved numerically using an implicit finite difference technique based on the weak formulation of the moving boundary problem. The model is applied to interdiffusion of a hypothetical two-component aqueous solution. The approach to steady-state and sensitivity of the spatial distribution of the reaction zones on the solute diffusion coefficients is investigated. Good agreement is obtained between the steady-state limit of the transient solution and a corresponding exact solution. Finally, results of the model are compared to a quasi-stationary approximation applied to a simplified example of hydrothermal alteration in the system MgCl 2 SiO 2 -H 2 O-HC1 at 390°C.
A Unified Framework of Recruiter Behavior With Implications for Using the Best to Recruit the Rest

Prior recruitment research offers little in the way of a unified framework explicating the various roles and exchanges involved throughout the recruitment process. Moreover, little is known regarding what types of individuals should be involved in recruitment, why, and what possible implications their involvement might have for the organization’s recruitment outcomes. In this paper, we integrate prior recruitment research and exchange theory to develop a framework outlining the various roles, exchanges, and processes that recruiters are involved in throughout all three stages of recruitment. We also draw on research on star performers to offer propositions regarding the implications of their involvement within in each stage of the recruitment process. We propose that recruiters adopt three different types of roles during recruitment. They function as promoters, gatekeepers, and salespersons. Each type of role involves a different type of exchange with the organization (as well as applicants). Further, we ...
Efficient fine-grained binary instrumentationwith applications to taint-tracking

Fine-grained binary instrumentations, such as those for taint-tracking, have become very popular in computer security due to their applications in exploit detection, sandboxing, malware analysis, etc. However, practical application of taint-tracking has been limited by high performance overheads. For instance, previous software based techniques for taint-tracking on binary code have typically slowed down programs by a factor of 3 or more. In contrast, source-code based techniques have achieved better performance using high level optimizations. Unfortunately, these optimizations are difficult to perform on binaries since much of the high level program structure required by such static analyses is lost during the compilation process. In this paper, we address this challenge by developing static techniques that can recover some of the higher level structure from x86 binaries. Our new static analysis enables effective optimizations, which are applied in the context of taint tracking. As a result, we achieve a substantial reduction in performance overheads as compared to previous works.
Predicted regional impacts of climate change on the geographical distribution and diversity of tropical forests in Costa Rica

Aim Spatial models generated in a geographical information system (GIS) are utilized to predict shifts in the distribution and diversity of tropical forests in Costa Rica in response to climate change. Location Analyses were conducted using the Holdridge life zone classification system for the Central American country of Costa Rica. Methods Mean annual precipitation and temperature ranges were varied to reflect different magnitudes of climate change and then used to predict the distributions of nineteen forest types (life zones). Holdridge et al.'s (1971) field survey data of species richness and endemism for ten Costa Rican life zones were also analysed and considered in view of the climate change scenarios. Results The scenarios indicated that shifts in the distribution of tropical forest life zones are likely to occur as a result of climatic changes. High elevation life zones were shown to be more sensitive to changes in temperature, while lower elevation life zones tended to be more sensitive to changes in precipitation. Regional life zone diversity was greatly reduced in an extreme wet and warm climate scenario. Three elevation-associated life zones (lower montane rain forest, montane rain forest, and premontane rain forest) ranked in the top four in percentage number of endemic species. The lowland seasonally dry forest life zone ranked second in this group, suggesting that this life zone has a unique species composition in comparison with other lowland Holdridge life zones. Of the nineteen life zones, these four life zones displayed particular sensitivity to the climate changes modelled here. Main conclusions Elevation-associated life zones may be particularly vulnerable to future climatic changes. This is also true of lowland seasonally dry forest. Geographical regions in Costa Rica that contain these life zones are likely to warrant special management and conservation attention in the event of predicted climate change.
PrEServD - Privacy Ensured Service Discovery in Mobile Peer-to-Peer Networks

In mobile peer-to-peer networks, proposed service discovery protocols disregard the exposure of the participating peers’ privacy details (privileged information). In these methods, the participating peers must provide their identities during the service discovery process to be authorized to utilize services. However, a peer may not be willing to reveal its privileged information until it identifies the service providing peer. So these peers face a problem, should the service requesting or the service providing peer reveal the identity first. The protocol presented in [12] solves this problem to some extent and discover the services available in the service requester’s vicinity in a single-hop time sync peers only. In this paper, we propose a privacy-preserving model based on challenged/response idea to discover the services available in the mobile peer-to-peer network even when the moving service requester and the service provider are at a multi-hop distance away. The performance studies shows that our protocol does preserve the privacy in a communication efficient way with reduced false positives in comparison to one other recently proposed protocol.
Adaptive Service Workflow Configuration and Agent-Based Virtual Resource Management in the Cloud*

Cloud computing represents a viable approach for hosting scalable applications and services. As business processes and scientific jobs become more intricate, users may have unbalanced and evolving requirements that are associated to the specific underlying sub-job or service. In this paper, we investigate the problem of managing virtual resources for service workflows in a cloud environment and propose an agent-based framework that makes resource management decisions that are customized to optimize different levels of the application. To facilitate the management process, we introduce and evaluate an adaptive workflow configuration algorithm to assign virtual machines to services (composed within a workflow) while aggregating virtual machines on appropriately-resourced physical machines. We use simulations of real-world networked cluster traces to evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm.
DILEMMA POSED BY URANIUM-SERIES DATES ON ARCHAEOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT BONES FROM VALSEQUILLO, PUEBLA, MEXICO.

Abstract In an attempt to date stone artifacts of Early Man excavated from several sites at the Valsequillo Reservoir, a few kilometers south of Puebla, Mexico, Szabo applied the uranium-series method on bone samples known to be either from the same geologic formation as the sites or in direct association with the artifacts. The geologic context of the bones was studied by Malde, and the archaeological sites were excavated by Irwin-Williams. A date determined for bone associated with an artifact (Caulapan sample M-B-6, see below) agrees with a radiocarbon date for fossil mollusks in the same bed and indicates man's presence more than 20 000 years ago. However, some of these bone dates exceed 200 000 years. Because such dates for man in North America conflict with all prior archaeological evidence here and abroad, we are confronted by a dilemna — either to defend the dates against an onslaught of archaeological thought, or to abandon the uranium method in this application as being so much wasted effort. Faced with these equally undesirable alternatives, and unable to decide where the onus fairly lies (if a choice must be made), we give the uranium-series dates as a possible stimulus for further mutual work in isotopic dating of archaeological material. A sample from the Lindenmeier archaeological site north of Fort Collins and another from a Pleistocene terrace along the Arkansas River, both in Colorado, were also dated.
A simple, efficient, standard-dilution method for cloning hybridomas

A simple standard-dilution method which obviates routine use of viable cell counts, feeder layers and time-consuming scale-up procedures is described. This method can be used to clone monoclonal antibody-producing hybridomas 9–14 days post-fusion. Each cloning cycle takes 5 min. Approximately 60% of the positive, monoclonal antibody-producing hybridomas were successfully cloned and established.
Ultrastructural changes in hamster lung four hours to twenty-four days after exposure to elastase

A single endotracheal instillation of elastase initiates a series of changes in animal lungs that results in a condition resembling human panlobular emphysema. An ultrastructural examination of this series of changes was conducted on the lungs of male golden hamsters exposed to 3H-methylated pancreatic elastase and sacrificed at intervals between 4 hour and 24 days after exposure to enzyme. Lung tissue between 4 and 48 hours showed evidence of hemorrhage and progressive degradation of elastic fibers. Very little indication of epithelial cell damage accompanied these changes. Four days after exposure to elastase, synthesis of new elastic fibers began with the appearance of small clumps of microfibrils in close association with interstitial cells, fibroblasts, and smooth muscle cells. There was also evidence of alterations in alveolar type II cells at this time. Small fibrillar elastic fibers continued to be present in the lung through twenty-four days and may represent a slow repair process or may indicate a structural difference in elastic fibers synthesized after exposure to elastase. Evidence of the continued degradation of elastic fiber could be found up to 16 days after exposure to elastase, revealing that repair processes were occurring in some areas of the lung while destructive process still predominated in other areas.
Tolerance of Channel Catfish Fry to Abrupt pH Changes

Abstract Fry survival in the catfish industry is variable, and failure to survive cannot be completely attributable to diseases, fertilization practices, or lack of zooplankton abundance. The variability in fry survival may be related to current handling and stocking methods. When stocked, fry are transferred relatively quickly from hatchery water to pond water. Generally, temperature differences are monitored between hatchery water and pond water, but little attention is paid to pH differences. We conducted studies to determine the tolerance of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus fry to pH changes. Catfish fry showed a high tolerance for decreasing pH values but a relatively low tolerance for increasing pH values. We estimate that an increase in pH of 0.7 units will cause 10% mortality in 8-d-posthatch catfish fry, and an increase of 1.4 pH units will cause 50% mortality. We recommend that farmers monitor pH before stocking fry and stock ponds that tend to increase in pH throughout the day early in the m...
The differential effect of two free ride dissemination procedures on bus ridership

Abstract In an attempt to isolate the operating variables that increase transit ridership under conditions of free transit, the following experimental conditions were instituted on a university campus bus system: (1) dissemination of free transit tokens regardless of the subject's bus riding behavior (non-contingent free transit), (2) dissemination of one free token for each bus ride made by the subject (one-for-one contingent free transit), and (3) dissemination of three free transit tokens for each bus ride made by the subject (three-for-one contingent free transit). It was found that the requirement of a response contingency (i.e. a subject must ride to get additional free transit) produced greater transit usage than the dissemination of free transit regardless of the subject's bus riding behavior. Of the two response contingent conditions, the one-for-one contingent free transit condition produced ridership levels greater than the three-for-one contingent free transit condition. Additionally, trading of free transit tokens was highest under the non-contingent free transit condition.
Adriamycin-induced changes in the surface membrane of sarcoma 180 ascites cells

Abstract Adriamycin increases (a) the rate of agglutination of Sarcoma 180 cells by concanavalin A after brief exposure of 2–3 h and (b) membrane fluidity as measured by ESR within 30 min of exposure at concentrations of the anthracycline of 10 −7 –10 −5 M. The effect of adriamycin on agglutination is not due to an increase in the number of surface receptors for concanavalin A, since the extent of binding of the lectin is not altered by adriamycin and no change occurs in the rate of occupancy of the concanavalin A binding sites by the lectin in cells treated with the antibiotic. The order parameter, a measurement of membrane fluidity, decreases in cells exposed to adriamycin and is dose-related. The results indicate that adriamycin can induce changes in the surface membrane of Sarcoma 180 cells within a brief period of exposure to a low but cytotoxic level of this agent.
Network Reliability and Borel's Paradox

Borel's paradox is a paradox in probability theory with implications in modeling and inference. The paradox arises when we induce probabilities from a high-dimensional, nondiscrete space to its lower dimensional subspace using conditioning arguments that are ill defined. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the fact that when assessing the reliability of a network there are circumstances under which the paradox comes into play, and to show the consequences of the paradox on the calculated reliability. In particular, we are able to establish the counter-intuitive result that the reliability of a series system of n components, whose life-lengths are independent, converges to a half (and not to zero), as n increases.
Functional mapping of cell surface proteins with localized stimulation of single cells

This paper describes the development of using individual micro and nano meter-sized vesicles as delivery vessels to functionally map the distribution of cell surface proteins at the level of single cells. The formation of different sizes of vesicles from tens of nanometers to a few micrometers in diameter that contain the desired molecules is addressed. An optical trap is used to manipulate the loaded vesicle to specific cell morphology of interest, and a pulsed UV laser is used to photo-release the stimuli onto the cell membrane. Carbachol activated cellular calcium flux, upon binding to muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, is studied by this method, and the potential of using this method for the functional mapping of localized proteins on the cell surface membrane is discussed.
Types and mechanisms of host plant resistance to insect attack

A keen appreciation of the types and mechanisms of resistance must be attained in order to fully understand and utilize resistant cultivars as effective tools in today’s pest management schemes. A historical account of plant resistance terminology is presented. Resistance can be classified as to intensities: immunity; high, moderate and low resistance; or types of resistance: vertical or horizontal resistance. The mechanisms of resistance include: non-preference, antibiosis and tolerance. Examples of the effects of both non-preference and antibiosis resistance on insect numbers are given.
On the intrinsic transient capability and limitations of solid oxide fuel cell systems

Abstract The intrinsic transient performance capability and limitation of integrated solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems is evaluated based on the system balance-of-plant response and fuel cell operating requirements (i.e., allowable deviation from nominal operation). Specifically, non-dimensional relations are derived from conservation principles that quantify the maximum instantaneous current increase that a solid oxide fuel cell system can safely manage based on (1) the desired fuel cell operating point, (2) the maximum allowable fuel utilization, (3) the maximum average fuel cell temperature deviation, (4) the response delay and (5) the operating requirements of the system balance-of-plant components. New non-dimensional numbers representing the ratio of species or thermal convection to volumetric capacitance in the fuel cell during balance-of-plant delay have been developed. The analyses indicate: (1) SOFC intrinsic transient performance is largely limited by fuel processor flow delays that can cause fuel depletion in the anode compartment and (2) that with proper system actuators and control design transient operation of SOFC systems should be possible while maintaining SOFC average temperature within a degree. The SOFC system fuel processor lag appears to be the cause of SOFC load following limitation, while lag in air handling appears to be manageable. To demonstrate methods to avoid fuel depletion limitation a fuel flow lead compensator is developed. Integrated system simulations with proper control demonstrate significant SOFC transient performance within fuel cell operating requirements.
From Mobilization to Civil War: The Politics of Polarization in the Spanish City of Gijón, 1900–1937

Introduction 1. A turning point: the city in 1900 Part I. Patterns of Life in Working-Class Gijon: 2. The structural context: economy, demography and urban space, 1900-1936 3. Culture and community in working-class Gijon Part II. Institutional Forces of Opposition: Republicans and Anarchosyndicalists: 4. The republican parties and municipal politics, 1900-1930 5. The republicans in power: municipal politics, 1931-1936 6. The trade union movement, 1900-1936 Part III. Defining an Oppositional Culture: The Struggle over the Public Sphere: 7. Republican culture: a nation of citizens 8. Labour movement culture: 'the brotherhood of workers' Part IV. The Urban Battlefield: Conflict and Collective Action, 1901-1936: 9. Conflict and collective action, 1900-1923 10. Conflict and collective action during the Republic, 1931-1936 Conclusion.
Coronary artery stent fracture

Coronary stent fracture is a rare but potentially serious complication of coronary artery stenting. In light of the non-specific presentation of stent fracture, it is also an easily missed complication. In order to ensure rapid recognition and treatment of this entity, physicians must be aware of its existence and its possibility under the right circumstances. We present the case of a 61-year-old Guyanese male who presented with unstable angina secondary to a stent fracture within two weeks of elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for in-stent restenosis.
Thermodynamic limits on drug loading in nanoparticle cores

Abstract Recently, biodegradable nanoparticles based on block copolymers have attracted attention as effective drug delivery vehicles. Maximizing the amount of drug loaded into particle is the desired goal, but loadings of only between 3 to about 25 wt% drug (for paclitaxel) are found experimentally. The reasons for the low loading and variability in loading have not been fully explained. In this study, a model is presented that quantitatively explains the observed phenomena. The thermodynamic model of drug loading is based on the molar free energy of the drug, which depends on the block copolymers size (entropic term), the interaction parameter between the drug and the hydrophobic core (enthalpic term), and the pressure–volume work to load the particle. The pressure–volume work, related directly to the interfacial tension between the core and the corona region, has not been previously considered with respect to drug loading. To validate the model, calculations were compared with experimental results for organic solutes, including paclitaxel, loaded into poly(ethylene glycol)‐ b ‐poly(e‐caprolactone), PEG‐ b ‐PCL block copolymer micelles. The model developed was found to predict the loading values in close agreement with experiments reported in the literature. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 97:4904–4914, 2008
A novel approach to measuring heat flux in swimming animals

We present a design for long-term or removable attachment of heat flux sensors (HFSs) to stationary or swimming animals in water that enables collection of heat flux data on both captive and free-ranging pinnipeds. HFSs were modified to allow for independent, continuous, and long-term or removable attachment to study animals. The design was tested for effects of HFSs and the attachment mechanism on resultant heat flux. Effects were insulative and consistent across water temperatures and flow speeds, resulting in a correction factor of 3.42. This correction factor was applied to all measurements of heat flux from animal experiments to account for the thermal resistance of HFSs and insulative effects of the attachment mechanism. Heat flux and skin temperature data were collected from two captive Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) as they swam in a large habitat tank over time periods ranging from approximately 4 to 9 min. Of the 72 HFSs deployed using the attachment mechanism, data were successfully retrieved from 70. The HFS attachment mechanism was also used on two wild free-ranging Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) off Ross Island, Antarctica, for up to 7 days. Heat flux data were retrieved from all eight sensors deployed. These results, along with those from Steller sea lions, suggest that HFSs can be deployed with success on captive and wild animals using the designed attachment mechanism. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Skin Breaking Strength in Chickens: Comparisons Among Genetic Combinations

Skin breaking strength was measured in lines of chickens divergently selected for high (H) and low (L) juvenile body weight, their F1 reciprocal crosses (HL and LH), and an F2 generation derived from HL X HL matings. In both lines, skin covering the breast had higher breaking strength than that covering the thigh. Skin of chicks from the LL line had the lowest breaking strength, that from HH and LH matings the greatest, and that from HL and F2 matings was intermediate. Percentage heterosis for breaking strength was significantly positive while percentage recombination was not significant.
Free Radical-Mediated Aryl Amination: A Practical Synthesis of (R)- and (S)-7-Azaindoline α-Amino Acid

Two nonnatural proline derivatives, (S)- and (R)-7-azaindoline a-amino acid have been prepared and isolated as their trifluoro- acetate salt on gram scale. The convergent sequence (6 steps from 2-bromopyridine) employs a combination of enantioselective phase trans- fer catalyzed glycine alkylation and free radical-mediated aryl amination. Implementation of the solid-liquid phase transfer conditions requires manual pulverization of cesium hydroxide, efficient mechanical stirring, and effective low temperature control. This large scale free radical cyclization protocol replaces benzene solvent with toluene without complication, and the crystalline nature of the intermediates and final product enables straightforward purification at each stage, including enantiomeric enrichment (89% to >99% ee for 4b, Scheme 1).
Blood pressure regulation across pregnancy: evidence of a paradigm shift in gene expression.

Objectives: The authors aimed to provide evidence for a major gene effect on blood pressure across normal pregnancy. Methods: Blood pressure measurements from 265 patients of Mexican descent derived from medical records were grouped into 4-week blocks by gestational age. Analyses of normality in the distribution of measurements for each block were applied to determine the emergence of a major gene effect and identify the gestational age at which that occurs. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were used to determine median and percentile values for each block. Results: There was a shift from normal to non-normal distribution in systolic blood pressure between 12 and 15 weeks' gestation. This was similar for diastolic blood pressure. Median blood pressure values increased from 10 to 40 weeks' gestation without evidence of a decline during the second trimester of pregnancy. Conclusion: Genetic regulation of blood pressure across pregnancy is dynamic, as demonstrated by the emergence of a major gene effec...
Engineering Academic Diversity: It’s the Nondiverse Who Need to Participate

It is contended here that success comes from integrating many ideas, viewpoints, and concepts into a solution that is better than any smaller, narrower group could achieve. Diversity is not restricted to including individuals with particular ethnic, racial, or gender backgrounds on a team or in a program. Rather it comes through having a wide variety of experiences, an openness to new ideas, and a willingness to accept someone else's solution as better than your own. The author stresses the importance of acknowledging that everyone knows something that is worth learning. Diversity is described here as a necessary strength in engineering. Its benefits are demonstrated through the creativeness and success of solutions to engineering problems. Diversity is central to expanding the capabilities of engineers and enabling them to overcome their limitations.
Electrohydrodynamic Pressure of the Point-to-Plane Corona Discharge

In this article we discuss the electrohydrodynamics of the point-to-plane discharge, which is geometrically somewhat simpler than the wire-plate electrode arrangement
Using an Adjoint Approach to Eliminate Mesh Sensitivities in Computational Design

An algorithm for efficiently incorporating the effects of mesh sensitivities in a computational design framework is introduced. The method is based on an adjoint approach and eliminates the need for explicit linearizations of the mesh movement scheme with respect to the geometric parameterization variables, an expense that has hindered practical large-scale design optimization using discrete adjoint methods. The effects of the mesh sensitivities can be accounted for through the solution of an adjoint problem equivalent in cost to a single mesh movement computation, followed by an explicit matrix-vector product scaling with the number of design variables and the resolution of the parameterized surface grid. The accuracy of the implementation is established and dramatic computational savings obtained using the new approach are demonstrated using several test cases. Sample design optimizations are also shown.
Freezing avoidance and the distribution of antifreeze glycopeptides in body fluids and tissues of Antarctic fish

The distribution of antifreeze glycopeptides (AFGPs) in the body fluids and tissues of antarctic notothenioid fish was determined. In Dissostichus mawsoni (Norman), the peritoneal, pericardial and extradural fluid, like the blood, contained all eight AFGPs and in concentrations sufficient to depress freezing points below that of sea water (-1.9 degree C). Secreted fluids including urine, endolymph and aqueous and vitreous humour either lack all AFGPs or have very low concentrations of only the low molecular weight forms and have freezing points of about -1.0 degree C, and are therefore undercooled with respect to environmental temperature. Fluids with high concentrations of AFGPs also contain high levels of proteins similar to plasma proteins. Systemic administration of tritiated AFGPs in the closely related species Trematomus bernacchii (Boulenger) yielded a distribution pattern similar to that of the native AFGPs in D. mawsoni. This suggests passive distribution of AFGPs into the various fluid compartments following secretion from the liver; a pattern typical of secreted blood proteins. Tissue distribution of AFGPs was determined by comparison with that of the extracellular space marker [14C]polyethylene glycol. AFGPs were found in the interstitial fluid of all body tissues examined except brain tissue. No tissue showed any intracellular accumulation of tritiated AFGPs from the blood.
Effects of carbohydrates on uric acid metabolism

Abstract The rapid infusion of fructose, but not of glucose or galactose, to normal male volunteers produced a 30% rise in serum uric acid. All three hexoses increased the renal excretion of uric acid, phosphate, bicarbonate, and glucose. While only fructose clearly increased uric acid production, all three hexoses appeared to diffusely inhibit renal proximal tubular function. Data are presented that suggest that fructose infusions may concomitantly stimulate the conversion of preformed adenine nucleotides to uric acid while inhibiting de novo uric acid synthesis. Chronic ingestion of a fructose-rich diet did not alter serum or urinary uric acid.
Help-seeking and access to mental health care in a university student population.

Background: University students represent an important population in which to study access to mental health care. Understanding their unmet needs will enhance efforts to prevent and treat mental disorders during a pivotal period in life. Objective: To quantify mental health service use and estimate how various factors are associated with help-seeking and access in a university student population. Design: A Web-based survey was administered to a random sample of 2785 students attending a large, public university with a demographic profile similar to the national student population. Nonresponse bias was accounted for using administrative data and a nonrespondent survey. Measures: Mental health was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire screens for depressive and anxiety disorders. Mental health service utilization was measured as having received psychotropic medication or psychotherapy in the past year. Results: Of students with positive screens for depression or anxiety, the proportion who did not receive any services ranged from 37% to 84%, depending on the disorder. Predictors of not receiving services included a lack of perceived need, being unaware of services or insurance coverage, skepticism about treatment effectiveness, low socioeconomic background, and being Asian or Pacific Islander. Conclusions: Even in an environment with universal access to free short-term psychotherapy and basic health services, most students with apparent mental disorders did not receive treatment. Initiatives to improve access to mental health care for students have the potential to produce substantial benefits in terms of mental health and related outcomes.
Fractal Dimension Analysis of YBaCuO Thin Film Clusters

In a recent paper, we reported the observation of the growth of YBaCuO thin film clusters on SiTi3O substrate. These clusters were formed in the sputter-deposited YBaCuO thin film with strong composition variation. Here we will give an auto-correlation function analysis of the fractal dimension of these clusters at different growth stages. The results will be compared with diffusion limited aggregation model, and implications of the cluster growth of the YBaCuO thin film will be discussed.
Virgin birth, genetic variation and inbreeding

[Watts et al. (2006)][1] and [Chapman et al. (2007)][2] recently reported facultative parthenogenesis in Komodo dragons ( Varanus komodoensis ) and hammerhead sharks ( Sphyrna tiburo ), respectively. In both cases, the parthenogenic events resulted in progeny homozygous for all loci, suggesting
Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures are predominantly seen in women: potential neurobiological reasons

There is a predominance of female gender among patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). Reasons for this preponderance are not entirely explained in the literature yet. The evidence shows that there exist sex-dependent intrinsic functional connectivity differences in brain areas responsible for emotional and cognitive processing. As a consequence, women and men may differ in vulnerability to physical or emotional trauma. An abnormal connectivity between brain areas involved in emotional processing, cognitive integration systems, motor and premotor regions and/or other related regions may explain the ictal events seen in patients with PNES. The intrinsic brain connectivity differences between men and women may be one reason for the predominance of female gender among patients with PNES. In addition, some early life experiences associated with PNES (e.g., childhood sexual abuse) are more prevalent among female gender. These lifetime experiences affect and alter brain connectivity in women differently compared with men and more often predispose female gender to psychopathology. These neurobiological, social and vulnerability differences may explain why PNES is predominantly seen in female gender.
Shattuck Lecture--biomedical research enters the steady state.

Two and a half years ago, when I was still a private citizen working at the University of California, San Francisco, my colleagues, Mike Bishop and Marc Kirschner, and I offered advice to our new President in Science magazine.1 The first of our 11 recommendations was to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by 15 percent per year, in order to double the NIH budget in five years and restore the success rate for grant applications to at least 30 percent. A year later, just after I had been called to Washington to work for that President . . .
The Formation of Social Conventions in Real-Time Environments.

Why are some behaviors governed by strong social conventions while others are not? We experimentally investigate two factors contributing to the formation of conventions in a game of impure coordination: the continuity of interaction within each round of play (simultaneous vs. real-time) and the stakes of the interaction (high vs. low differences between payoffs). To maximize efficiency and fairness in this game, players must coordinate on one of two equally advantageous equilibria. In agreement with other studies manipulating continuity of interaction, we find that players who were allowed to interact continuously within rounds achieved outcomes with greater efficiency and fairness than players who were forced to make simultaneous decisions. However, the stability of equilibria in the real-time condition varied systematically and dramatically with stakes: players converged on more stable patterns of behavior when stakes are high. To account for this result, we present a novel analysis of the dynamics of continuous interaction and signaling within rounds. We discuss this previously unconsidered interaction between within-trial and across-trial dynamics as a form of social canalization. When stakes are low in a real-time environment, players can satisfactorily coordinate ‘on the fly’, but when stakes are high there is increased pressure to establish and adhere to shared expectations that persist across rounds.
Approaches to Improving Laboratory Test Reporting

A laboratory report that effectively communicates to the ordering physician is an essential component of the total testing process. The design of effective reports, while properly within the scope of medical informatics and clinical pathology, is still as much an art as a science. Nevertheless, some basic principles and techniques are becoming apparent. This article examines the state of the art in laboratory reporting, focusing on both printed reports and computer-generated graphic reports. We conclude that currently used reporting methods need to be improved, and users of laboratory information systems can make some of these improvements themselves while encouraging the Laboratory Information System vendor community to assist with others.
Assessment of Effluent Contaminants from Three Facilities Discharging Marcellus Shale Wastewater to Surface Waters in Pennsylvania

Unconventional natural gas development in Pennsylania has created a new wastewater stream. In an effort to stop the discharge of Marcellus Shale unconventional natural gas development wastewaters into surface waters, on May 19, 2011 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) requested drilling companies stop disposing their wastewater through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This research includes a chemical analysis of effluents discharged from three WWTPs before and after the aforementioned request. The WWTPs sampled included two municipal, publicly owned treatment works and a commercially operated industrial wastewater treatment plant. Analyte concentrations were quanitified and then compared to water quality criteria, including U.S. Environmental Protection Agency MCLs and “human health criteria.” Certain analytes including barium, strontium, bromides, chlorides, total dissolved solids, and benzene were measured in the effluent at concentrations above criteria. Analyte concent...