cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low temperature heat capacity study of Fe3PO7 and Fe4(P2O7)3

Abstract The low temperature heat capacities of Fe3PO7 and Fe4(P2O7)3 have been measured using a Quantum Design Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS) over the temperature range from (2 to 300) K. Phase transitions due to Fe3+ magnetic ordering have been determined in the heat capacities at temperatures of (164.5 and 47.6) K for Fe3PO7 and Fe4(P2O7)3, respectively, which agrees well with the magnetic measurements reported in the literature. Also, another small transition occurring at around 27 K for Fe4(P2O7)3 has been found for the first time. The thermodynamic functions and magnetic heat capacities have been calculated based on the curving fitting of the experimental heat capacity values. Using the fitted heat capacity results, the standard molar entropies have been calculated to be (219.73 ± 2.42) J · K−1 · mol−1 and (561.03 ± 6.17) J · K−1 · mol−1 for Fe3PO7 and Fe4(P2O7)3, respectively. The calculated magnetic entropy of Fe3PO7 using the magnetic heat capacity suggests that the five 3d-electrons in the Fe3+ are in the t2g orbital with a low spin state according to crystal field theory.
Measles Virus Infection of Human T Cells Modulates Cytokine Generation and IL-2 Receptor Alpha Chain Expression

Abstract Measles virus (MV) suppresses specific functions in cells of the immune system and causes a generalized immunosuppression by mechanisms which remain undefined. It has been previously established that mitogen-induced proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) is suppressed by infection with MV. Our current study demonstrates that MV infection inhibits antigen-specific proliferation of T lymphocytes. The inhibition of proliferation was not due to a decrease in IL-2 production. IL-2 production in cultures of infected and uninfected antigen-specific T cells was similar. In contrast, we found that expression of the IL-2Rα subunit was decreased in mitogen-stimulated, MV-infected PBMC and antigen-stimulated, MV-infected T lymphocytes compared to stimulated but noninfected T cells. However, the expression of the IL-2Rβ subunit was not altered in MV-infected T cells. We also examined the influence of MV infection on the production of the cytokines IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-γ by T lymphocytes. By comparing infected versus uninfected antigen-specific T cell lines, we found that MV infection of antigen-specific activated T cells caused no substantial change in generation of IFN-γ, IL-6, or IL-10. There was a 50% reduction in IL-4 generation following MV infection. These data indicate that the immunosuppression by acute MV infection is not associated with a generalized inhibition of cytokine production. One mechanism for the suppression of proliferation following acute MV infection may be a block in the expression of the IL-2Rα subunit by activated T cells.
Prisoner Citizen: Carl Upchurch, Labeling Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism

ABSTRACT The life of Carl Upchurch offers a personal example of labeling theory and symbolic interactionism in action. According to labeling theory, behaviors are explained by the reactions received from audiences. Three of the audiences that respond to the behavior of an individual are society at large, agents of social control, and significant others. Upchurch demonstrated how deviant behavior became normal and how being labeled deviant made normal behavior difficult. Symbolic interactionism stresses the importance of learning and social interaction and sees people as being proactive rather than reactive, active and not passive. Through his love of books, Upchurch took charge of his life and moved from being a prisoner citizen to an educator.
Implicit Membrane Investigation of the Stability of Antimicrobial Peptide β-Barrels and Arcs

Previous simulations showed that the β-hairpin antimicrobial peptide (AMP) protegrin-1 can form stable octameric β-barrels and tetrameric arcs (half barrels) in both implicit and explicit membranes. Here, we extend this investigation to several AMPs of similar structure: tachyplesin, androctonin, polyphemusin, gomesin, and the retrocyclin θ-defensin. These peptides form short β-hairpins stabilized by 2–3 disulfide bonds. We also examine synthetic β-sheet peptides selected from a combinatorial library for their ability or inability to form pores in lipid membranes. When heptameric, octameric, and decameric β-barrels and tetrameric arcs of these peptides were embedded in pre-formed neutral or anionic lipid pores (i.e., pores in neutral or anionic membranes, respectively), a variety of behaviors and membrane binding energies were observed. Due to the cationic charge of the peptides, more favorable transfer energies and more stable binding were observed in anionic than neutral pores. The synthetic peptides bound very strongly and formed stable barrels and arcs in both neutral and anionic pores. The natural AMPs exhibited unfavorable or marginally favorable binding energy and kinetic stability in neutral pores, consistent with the lower hemolytic activity of some of them compared with protegrin-1. Binding to anionic pores was more favorable, but significant distortions of the barrel or arc structures were sometimes noted. These results are discussed in light of the available experimental data. The diversity of behaviors obtained makes it unlikely that the barrel and arc mechanisms are valid for the entire family of β-hairpin AMPs.
Second order sensitivity analysis of lumped mechanical systems in the frequency domain

This paper presents a method for determining the second order sensitivity matrix and logarithmic sensitivity functions in the frequency domain. The procedure described is applicable to any discrete and viscously damped mechanical system. A definition of the second order logarithmic sensitivity function has been proposed. The examples shown indicate that logarithmic sensitivity functions of the second order preserve the qualitative character of first order sensitivity functions and are more sensitive to changes of system parameters. The influence of large parameter changes on second order sensitivity functions has also been investigated.
High Prepregnancy BMI Increases the Risk of Postpartum Anemia

BODNAR, LISA M., ANNA MARIA SIEGA-RIZ, AND MARY E. COGSWELL. High prepregnancy BMI increases the risk of postpartum anemia.Obes Res. 2004;12:941–948. Objective: To assess the independent effect of prepregnancy BMI on the risk of postpartum anemia. Research Methods and Procedures: Pregnant women from North Carolina who enrolled in the Iron Supplementation Study at their first prenatal visit at 20 weeks gestation and who delivered a live infant were followed to the postpartum visit (n 439). BMI had a curvilinear relation in the logit of postpartum anemia; therefore, a restricted quadratic spline with three knots at the inflection points was used to specify BMI. Multiple log binomial regression was used to quantify the relation between prepregnancy BMI and postpartum anemia after adjusting for maternal ethnicity/race, education, smoking, initial hemoglobin concentration, and prenatal iron supplementation. Results: Prevalence of postpartum anemia was 19.1%. After adjusting for confounders, we found that risk of postpartum anemia was similar for women with BMI values from 17 to 24 compared with women with a BMI of 20. Adjusted relative risk increased as BMI increased from 24 to 38. Women with a BMI of 28 had 1.8 times the postpartum anemia risk of a woman with a BMI of 20 (95% confidence interval 1.3, 2.5), and obese women with a BMI of 36 had 2.8 times the risk (95% confidence interval 1.7, 4.7). Discussion: These data suggest that high prepregnancy BMI substantially increases the risk of postpartum anemia. Postpartum anemia screening and iron supplementation of overweight and obese women may be warranted.
Sexual differentiation of urogenital ducts of Ambystoma tigrinum

Adult salamanders of Ambystoma tigrinum show a high degree of sexual dimorphism. The normal growth of the urogenital ducts system in relation to the development of the gonads is traced from the sexually indifferent period preceding metamorphosis to sexual maturity at 1 year. Differentiation and growth of secondary sex characters is correlated with spermatogenesis in the male and with growth of ovocytes in the female. Testicular hormone manifests its initial appearance in male differentiation of the wolffian and urinary collecting ducts following metamorphosis. Growth of ovocytes and oviducts begins before metamorphosis and may be assumed to indicate the initial appearance of the ovarian hormone. Females retain the larval arrangement of wolffian and urinary ducts. The oviducts of the male regress during the period of rapid male differentiation. This suggests the possibility of antagonistic activity of the male hormones in Ambystoma.
Coastal cliff ground motions from local ocean swell and infragravity waves in southern California

[1] Ground motions atop a southern California, USA coastal cliff are compared with water level fluctuations observed at the cliff base, and with ground motions observed 10 km inland. At high tide, cliff top ground motions in three frequency bands were generated locally by ocean waves at the cliff base: (1) high-frequency (>0.3 Hz) “shaking” caused by waves impacting the cliff, and (2) gravitational loading-induced “swaying” at the frequency of the incident sea swell waves (0.05–0.1 Hz), and (3) slow “swaying” at infragravity frequencies (0.006–0.05 Hz). At high tide, at infragravity and incident sea swell wave frequencies, cliff top vertical ground displacement and cliff base water level fluctuations are coherent and oscillate in phase (with occasional deviation at sea swell frequencies), and spectral levels at the cliff top are much higher than at the inland seismometer. In contrast, at “double frequencies” (0.1–0.3 Hz) spectral levels of vertical motions are nearly identical inland and at the cliff top, consistent with a common (distant or spatially distributed) source. At low tide, when ocean waves did not reach the cliff base, power levels of vertical ground motions at the cliff top decreased to inland levels at incident wave frequencies and higher, and only infragravity-band motions were noticeably forced by local ocean waves.
Concurrent page migration for mobile systems with OS-managed hybrid memory

Mobile systems are executing applications with increasingly large memory footprints on more processor cores. New execution paradigms for quickly suspending and resuming an application have also become common. Energy consumption remains a paramount concern. Consequently, phase-change memory (PCM) has been suggested for main memory to increase capacity, provide non-volatility for suspend/resume and decrease energy consumption. Because it has limitations for writes, a large PCM is often used along with a small DRAM for good performance. The two memory types may be managed by the operating system, which selects where to allocate pages and schedules background migrations between memory types to move data. To ensure correctness, an application that writes to a migrating page must be paused until the migration completes. Because PCM has long write latency, this situation happens frequently in hybrid memory, leading to long pauses that hurt application responsiveness and performance. This paper describes concurrent page migration (CPM) to alleviate the pauses by buffering writes to migrating pages through the last-level cache. CPM improves performance by up to 22% for single-programmed workloads (17% average) and 13% for multi-programmed workloads (8% average). The technique also preserves the energy and non-volatility benefits of hybrid main memory.
A BIRTH IN THE HOSPITAL: THE EFFECT ON THE SIBLING

To determine how young children respond to separation from their mothers hospitalized for the birth of a second child, 19 mothers and their first born children (age 1-3 years) were observed 14 days before and 8 days after the mother's confinement. Data included two 90 minute naturalistic observations in the home, detailed questionnaires and filmed analyses of a standardized reunion at discharge. 8 days after discharge, the children showed many problems not present before maternal hospitalization. Changes occurred in both eating(p<.001) and sleeping(p<.005) patterns. Thumb sucking and temper tantrums increased(p<.001) and girls remained closer to their mothers (p<.05). The mothers' behavior also changed; they issued more angry commands to their first borns(p<.001). During reunions, children were interested in the newborns but clearly avoided or ignored their mothers. Thus, behavior changes may have been due to the separation rather than the arrival of a new baby Mothers commented sadly that their children did not miss them; their requests for hugs were repeatedly rebuffed. Yet, many mothers had not taken advantage of the opportunity to have their first child visit, fearing it would be too upsetting. These observations challenge the folklore that jealousy is the primary cause of disturbances following a sibling's birth. It is possible that the older child's distress can be diminished by increasing awareness of the impact of separation and developing maternity policies which decrease it.
Polysynthetic twin width distributions in anorthoclase

The widths of just under 7000 Albite and Pericline lamellae were measured in a suite of 20 polysynthetically twinned anorthoclase megacrysts collected at two sites in New Mexico. The majority of the twins were formed during the inversion of the anorthoclase crystals from their high-temperature monoclinic modification to their present triclinic form. Textural evidence suggests that a few of the lamellae postdate the transformation and are mechanical in origin. Twin density is exceedingly inhomogeneous on all scales and the related black and white lamella sets are unequally developed within even a single crystal. This type of inhomogeneity is probably a common feature of all inversion twinning since it arises as a natural consequence of the complex and rapidly changing conditions within a crystal undergoing transformation.
Qualitative research methods in international organizational change research

Purpose – The central purpose of the research presented in this paper is to synthesize the current state of the field in qualitative methods in international organizational change research and to provide a call to researchers to use this type of methodology more frequently. The intent is to provide readers with an overview of how and when qualitative research methods should be used for investigating important theoretical and empirical questions in management research.Design/methodology/approach – The authors developed several working hypotheses based on their own experiences in using an extensive array of qualitative methods in organizational change research. They coupled this with an extensive literature search to understand how these methodologies have been used to date. The findings from the literature search were analysed to uncover where there are gaps in the work and how organizational change and other management scholars can effectively use qualitative methods to advance their understanding of inte...
Traumatic avulsion of the skin of penis and scrotum

I T wouId be difhcuh to contempIate a more terrifying accident than the sudden Ioss of the skin of the penis and scrotum. Indeed, when the victim of such a mishap presents himseIf in the emergency ward, the equiIibrium of the most experienced observer may suffer a transient disturbance. The recent admission of two such patients in cIose order prompted a study of the probIem. Review of the Iiterature reveaIed a wide range of injuries which produce this type of avuIsion. The mechanism may seem rather triviaI, as evidenced by the case reported by Vernon and KeIIy,5 in which the patient, a saiIor, was engaged in friendIy scufhe on shipboard. During the activity, his adversary Iifted him from the deck by grasping him by the neck and by the cIothing in the pubic region. There was no great pain but the victim Iater noticed bIood stains on his cIothing. It was then discovered that the skin of the dorsum of the penis had been torn I inch (2.5 cm.) from the pubis and avuIsion had extended toward the head of the penis. FortunateIy, a Iong prepuce existed and it was possible to utiIize this to cover the defect. Veseen and O’NeiIP reported a case in which a man was brought to the hospita1 in a drunken stupor, unabIe to recaI1 what events had transpired. The penis was found to be denuded over the entire shaft except for one smal1 area posterior to the glans. In addition, the integument was missing from part of the anterior surface of the scrotum. In this case, it was possibIe to transpIant the penis into the scrotum, Ieaving the gIans free. Dissection was carried out two weeks Iater. This ahowed the Section on Laryngology, Oral and Plastic Surgery, Mayo Clinic
Subunit Interface Selectivity of the α-Neurotoxins for the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

Peptide toxins selective for particular subunit interfaces of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor have proven invaluable in assigning candidate residues located in the two binding sites and for determining probable orientations of the bound peptide. We report here on a short alpha-neurotoxin from Naja mossambica mossambica (NmmI) that, similar to other alpha-neurotoxins, binds with high affinity to alphagamma and alphadelta subunit interfaces (KD approximately 100 pM) but binds with markedly reduced affinity to the alphaepsilon interface (KD approximately 100 nM). By constructing chimeras composed of portions of the gamma and epsilon subunits and coexpressing them with wild type alpha, beta, and delta subunits in HEK 293 cells, we identify a region of the subunit sequence responsible for the difference in affinity. Within this region, gammaPro-175 and gammaGlu-176 confer high affinity, whereas Thr and Ala, found at homologous positions in epsilon, confer low affinity. To identify an interaction between gammaGlu-176 and residues in NmmI, we have examined cationic residues in the central loop of the toxin and measured binding of mutant toxin-receptor combinations. The data show strong pairwise interactions or coupling between gammaGlu-176 and Lys-27 of NmmI and progressively weaker interactions with Arg-33 and Arg-36 in loop II of this three-loop toxin. Thus, loop II of NmmI, and in particular the face of this loop closest to loop III, appears to come into close apposition with Glu-176 of the gamma subunit surface of the binding site interface.
Exactly solvable systems and the quantum Hamilton–Jacobi formalism

Abstract We connect quantum Hamilton–Jacobi theory with supersymmetric quantum mechanics (SUSYQM). We show that the shape invariance, which is an integrability condition of SUSYQM, translates into fractional linear relations among the quantum momentum functions.
Polyene constructions via palladium couplings of activated triflates with stannylated enynes

Abstract Polyenes of defined olefin geometries can be prepared in high yields conjugated enol triflates and enyne linchpins under the influence of catalytic amounts of Pd(0).
Light and X-ray scattering by polystyrene glasses

Polarized and depolarized components of the light scattered by atactic polystyrene samples prepared from monomer of varying purity were investigated at 25 °C. In addition, small angle X-ray measurements were made on a well purified sample. These investigations show that the angular dependence and the magnitude of the scattered intensity are strongly influenced by dust-like solid impurities. The scattering observed with polystyrene glasses prepared from the purest monomer is consistent with a model in which the glass is a structureless liquid-like material. No evidence for any ordered regions is seen in these clean glasses by either light or X-ray scattering.
Facilitated habituation: Strychnine dose-response effects on neural and behavioral habituation

The effects of two doses of strychnine sulfate (0.125 mg/kg and 0.500 mg/kg) on mouse neural and behavioral habituation were assessed. Reliable alterations in concurrent neural (spontaneous and evoked) activity and spontaneous behavioral activity were obtained as the result of training. Neural habituation was characterized by higher frequency, lower amplitude EEG activity, reduced hippocampal theta activity, increased amplitudes in early components of visual evoked responses, and transient increases followed by progressive decreases of late component amplitudes of the visual evoked responses. Behavioral habituation appeared as decreased gross activity and changes in mouse orientation to cogent features of the test chamber. Low strychnine doses (0.125 mg/kg) reliably facilitated habituation to light flashes and produced lessened sensitivity to dishabituation stimuli. High strychnine doses (0.500 mg/kg) disrupted habituation and produced heightened sensitivity to dishabituation stimuli. The results were accommodated by a modified dualprocess theory of habituation; single process views of habituation were inadequate. The significance of these results to drug facilitation was discussed in terms of optimal arousal and the mediation of pro- and retroactive influences on learning. The characterization of processes underlying memory storage seems amenable to further clarification using CNS stimulants known to operate on such processes.
The Interplay of Cell-Cell and Cell-Matrix Interactions in the Invasive Properties of Brain Tumors

Impairment of tissue cohesion and the reorganization of the extracellular matrix are crucial events during the progression toward invasive cell phenotype. We studied the in vitro invasion patterns of nine brain tumor cell lines in three-dimensional collagen gels. Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions were quantified and correlated with the expression level of specific molecules: N-cadherin, matrix metalloproteinases, and their inhibitor. Pattern evolution was studied as a function of time and collagen concentration. Cells with low metalloproteinase expression or high tissue cohesion showed limited invasive potential. Higher metalloproteinase expression and intermediate tissue cohesion resulted in configurations with hypercellular zones surrounding regions mostly devoid of cells and with digested collagen, akin to pseudopalisades in surgically removed malignant astrocytoma specimens. In physical terms, these configurations arise as the result of competition between cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Our findings suggest specific ways to characterize, control, or engineer cell migratory patterns and hint at the importance of the interplay between biophysical and biomolecular factors in the characterization of invasive cell behavior and, more generally, in epithelial-mesenchymal transitions.
Linear Gravitational Instability of Filamentary and Sheetlike Molecular Clouds with Magnetic Fields

We study the linear evolution of small perturbations in self-gravitating fluid systems with magnetic fields. We consider wavelike perturbations to nonuniform filamentary and sheetlike hydrostatic equilibria in the presence of a uniform parallel magnetic field. Motivated by observations of molecular clouds that suggest substantial nonthermal (turbulent) pressure, we adopt equations of state that are softer than isothermal. We numerically determine the dispersion relation and the form of the perturbations in the regime of instability. The form of the dispersion relation is the same for all equations of state considered, for all magnetic field strengths, and for both geometries examined. We demonstrate the existence of a fastest growing mode for the system and study how its characteristics depend on the amount of turbulence and the strength of the magnetic field. Generally, turbulence tends to increase the rate and the length scale of fragmentation. While tending to slow the fragmentation, the magnetic field has little effect on the fragmentation length scale until reaching some threshold, above which the length scale decreases significantly. Finally, we discuss the implications of these results for star formation in molecular clouds.
Behavior Problems in Toddlers with and without Developmental Delays: Comparison of Treatment Outcomes.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of an in-home parent management program for toddlers with behavior problems and developmental delays by comparing outcomes for a group of toddlers with developmental delays (n = 27) and a group of toddlers without developmental delays (n = 27). The majority of children lived in single parent, low-income homes. Results suggest that the parent management program is equally effective for children with and without developmental delays. Parents from both groups reported clinically significant improvement in their children's behavior and parenting practices. Clinical implications regarding the importance of these findings for improving outcomes for toddlers with behavior problems and developmental delays living in poverty were discussed.
Pineal parenchymal tumors. Clinical, pathologic, and therapeutic aspects.

Background. Pineal parenchymal tumors are rare; therefore, only limited clinical data regarding their behavior is available. This study was performed to provide further information regarding the pathologic features, clinical behavior, and response to therapy of these tumors. Methods. This study includes data concerning 30 patients (15 male and 15 female patients) with pineal parenchymal tumors (PPT) diagnosed between 1939 and 1991. Based on gross and microscopic features, tumors were divided into four groups: pineocytomas (9); PPT with intermediate differentiation (4); mixed PPT exhibiting elements of both pineocytoma and pineoblastoma (2); and pineoblastomas (15). At the time of diagnosis, four patients had evidence of spinal seeding (two with pineoblastoma, two with PPT with intermediate differentiation). Twenty-two patients received radiation therapy (RT): 6 were treated to local fields, 7 to the whole brain, and 9 to the craniospinal axis. Results. For patients who received RT and had a minimum follow-up of 6 months, local failure occurred in one of four patients with pineocytomas, zero of four patients with PPT with intermediate differentiation, one of two with mixed PPT, and four of nine (44%) with pineoblastomas. In patients receiving ⩾ 50 Gy to the primary tumor, 0 of 12 had local failure compared with 6 of 7 (86%) patients receiving lesser doses. Leptomeningeal failure occurred in zero of four patients with pineocytomas, zero of four patients with PPT with intermediate differentiation, one of two with mixed PPT, and four of nine with pineoblastomas. All leptomeningeal failures occurred in patients with persistent primary tumor. Of the patients with seeding tumors (PPT other than pineocytomas) one of seven (14%) developed leptomeningeal failure when treated with craniospinal irradiation, compared with four of eight (50%) treated to lesser volumes. The projected 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates of patients with pineocytomas were 100%, 100%, and 67%, and were 88%, 78%, and 58% for those with the other forms of PPT, respectively. Conclusions. RT recommendations are described in detail and include the use of doses of ⩾ 50 Gy to areas of gross disease and the administration of craniospinal irradiation in patients with tumors prone to seeding. Surgical, chemotherapeutic, and pathologic considerations are discussed.
Uncommon features of giant colonic diverticula

Two patients with giant colonic diverticula were operated upon within one week. Uncommon features of this rare condition were observed in both patients: 1) the diverticulum was located outside the sigmoid colon, 2) smooth-muscle fibers and ganglion cells were present in the wall of the diverticulum, and 3) free perforation into the peritoneal cavity was the presenting symptom. Barium enema in one patient showed no communication between the diverticulum and the colonic lumen, despite evidence of such communication on histologic examination. Both patients were successfully treated by simple excision of the diverticulum without colonic resection.
Absorption and Raman spectroscopy of mass-selected scandium tetramers in argon matrices

Abstract We examine the absorption and resonance Raman spectra of mass-selected Sc clusters, and obtain the spectra of tetramers of Sc. Tetramers are produced in a sputtering source and mass filtered with a Wien filter, then neutralized and deposited in an Ar matrix. The absorption spectrum indicates several new optical transitions at 350, 451, 538, and 563 nm. Raman resonances were excited at 488 nm with transitions at 222, 166, and 103 cm −1 . These indicate a tetrahedral (T d ) geometry, and we assign the observed frequencies to a singly degenerate totally symmetric stretch ω 1 (a 1 ), a triply degenerate mode ω 2 (t) and a doubly degenerate ω 3 (e) mode.
Scapholunate dissociation from a fall on the elbow.

We report an undescribed mechanism of injury that caused scapholunate dissociation. Scapholunate dissociation has been previously described as resulting from a fall on the outstretched hand. In this case injury was caused by a fall on the elbow. The mechanism is compared to that of an axe' head that is repositioned by butting the handle of the axe on the ground. Recognition of this mechanism may help in the diagnosis of this injury.
A new growth instability in colloidal crystallization

SUSPENSIONS of monodisperse colloidal particles are useful model systems for studying order–disorder transitions. The bright iridescence of colloidal crystals, resulting from diffraction of visible light, is well-known1–5. We have shown recently that this diffraction process depolarizes light sufficiently to reveal the orientation of the primary diffraction planes through the colours observed in a polarizing microscope6,7. In the course of these investigations we have observed a new crystallization instability that can be explained, in part, by a diffusion-limited crystallization process. Although it is analogous to the mechanism of pattern formation in molecular systems, here the instability occurs for particles interacting solely by repulsive forces. We provide a qualitative explanation of the process using a classic Mullins–Sekerka8 stability analysis. Our observations suggest that colloidal suspensions can provide a useful model not only for the study of crystallization thermodynamics but also for investigations of ordering dynamics.
Circulating Concentrations of Chemokines in Cord Blood, Neonates, and Adults

Chemokines are critical for the movement of leukocytes. Chemotaxis is deficient in neonates, particularly those delivered prematurely, and this likely contributes to their increased vulnerability to sepsis. The concentrations of circulating chemokines in neonates have not been reported, nor is it known whether low chemokine concentrations contribute to their defective chemotaxis. We hypothesized that serum concentrations of chemokines 1) would be lower in preterm than term neonates, and 2) would be lower in preterm and term neonates than adults. Samples were obtained from preterm and term neonates with normal neutrophil and eosinophil counts, umbilical cord blood samples from pregnancies without clinical evidence of intra-amniotic infection, and healthy adult volunteers. The concentrations of epithelial neutrophil activating peptide-78, growth-related oncogene-alpha, eotaxin, RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted), and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha were measured using specific ELISA. Serum concentrations from preterm infants were either similar to or higher than those measured in term neonates and adults. We conclude that the chemotactic defect observed in premature neonates is not the result of diminished circulating concentrations of any of the specific chemokines we measured.
Histological and Biochemical Characteristics in Right Atrium vs. Left Atrium in Patients with Valvular Atrial Fibrillation

Background: It has been known that dominant drivers of atrial fibrillation (AF) exist on left atrium (LA), but the arrhythmogenic foci of ectopic atrial tachycardia commonly exit on right atrium (RA). Therefore, we compared the histologic and biochemical characteristics of LA and RA by analyzing atrial tissues from the patients with valvular AF.Methods and Results: We analyzed immunohistochemical staining of LA appendage tissues and RA appendage tissues taken from 20 patients with valvular AF. The degree of myocardial fibrosis (Sirius-red stain), thickness of subendocardial smooth muscle (SSm) layer (α-SMA stain), and expression of mRNA for multiple biomarkers were quantified.Results: 1. Atrial fibrosis was significantly higher in LA tissues (36.48±12.22% vs. 29.38±9.90%, p<0.0304), and thickness of SSm layer (0.16±0.17 mm vs. 0.01±0.01 mm, p<0.0002) was significantly greater than those in RA tissues. 2. In tissue of LA, relative NCX mRNA expression level was significantly higher (0.012±0.012 vs. 0.005±0.005, p<0.0165), but relative HCN4 mRNA expression level was significantly lower (0.011±0.010 vs. 0.024±0.013, p<0.0123) than those RA tissue.Conclusion: The amount of matrix fibrosis and thickness of SSm layer were greater in LA tissue than in RA tissue. In contrast NCX expression, which is related with triggered activity, was higher in LA, automaticity related HCN4 expression was higher in RA.
Integrating Climate Change Mechanics Into a Common Pool Resource Game

The topic of climate change offers unique challenges to simulation game designers largely because standard game mechanics fail to capture the complexity of this real-world problem. Climate change dynamics are characterized by the second-order delayed effects of carbon emissions on global temperatures and by political actors, who often have unique individual goals and asymmetrical abilities. However, many climate change games exhibit mechanics such as immediate and first-order delayed effects, zero-sum collaborative play, zero-sum competitive play, and players with symmetrical abilities and goals. By examining variants of an asymmetrical three-player common pool resource game, this research illustrates how inclusion or omission of mechanics found in real-life climate change impact the outcome of simulations and gameplay.
Effects of melatonin implants in pony mares 1. Acute effects

Abstract The effects of melatonin implant treatment over a four week period on LH, estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) secretion during the breeding season were studied in ovary-intact and ovariectomized pony mares. Mares with melatonin implants had significantly higher daytime melatonin concentrations than mares with sham implants (P=0.0065). In ovariectomized mares, LH secretion did not differ between mares with melatonin and sham implants. In ovary-intact mares, melatonin implants altered the pattern of LH secretion (P=0.0023) in such a way that an increase in LH secretion was observed during the periovulatory period. Estradiol and P4 secretion were unaffected by melatonin implants. These results suggest that constant administration of melatonin may enhance the secretion of LH during the periovulatory surge but does not adversely affect E2, P4or basal LH secretion in mares during the breeding season.
Application of the Recursive Approaching Signal Filter (RASF) to VSP (vertical Seismic Profiling) Data Processing

The Recursive Approaching Signal Filter (RASF) is a newly developed filtering technique which combines many advantages of linear, non-linear and adaptive filters. It not only allows step functions to pass without altering them, but also removes noise, such as Gaussian and Laplacian distributed noise fairly well. When applied to Vertical Seismic Profiling (VSP) data processing, the RASF emphasizes the abrupt discontinuities which originate or terminate at discrete depth points. By simply changing a parameter, the RASF may be transformed into a desired filter in order to achieve the maximum utilization of VSP field data, especially if the application requires an analysis of upgoing primary reflection waves. When evaluated with synthetic VSP modeling data and the same data corrupted by additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), the RASF compares favorably to the ƒ-k velocity filtering and median filtering with regard to noise removal, while keeping step functions and achieving computational simplicity.
Test-Retest Reliability of the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment (PAPA)

ABSTRACT Objective To examine the test-retest reliability of a new interviewer-based psychiatric diagnostic measure (the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment) for use with parents of preschoolers aged 2 to 5 years. Method A total of 1,073 parents of children attending a large pediatric clinic completed the Child Behavior Checklist 1 1/2-5. For 18 months, 193 parents of high scorers and 114 parents of low scorers were interviewed on two occasions an average of 11 days apart. Results Estimates of diagnostic reliability were very similar to those obtained from interviews with parents of older children and adults, with kappas ranging from 0.36 to 0.79. Test-retest intraclass correlations for DSM-IV syndrome scale scores ranged from 0.56 to 0.89. There were no significant differences in reliability by age, sex, or race (African American versus non-African American). Conclusions The Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment provides a reasonably reliable standardized measure of DSM-IV psychiatric symptoms and disorders in preschoolers for use in both research and clinical service evaluations of preschoolers as young as 2 years old. J. AM. ACAD. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 2006;45(5):538-549
Neural processing of a cocaine-associated odor cue revealed by functional MRI in awake rats

Using an olfactory conditioning procedure, brain stimulation reward threshold measurements, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated brain stimulation reward threshold change and fMRI neural activation in response to a cocaine-associated odor cue. In the first brain stimulation experiment, over 10 days of rate–frequency curve-shift testing, rats were administered intravenous cocaine (1.0 mg/kg) paired with a contextual cue of peppermint odor previously placed in the operant chamber or they were given vehicle treatment (no cocaine) in the presence of no olfactory cue. Following a 14-day drug-free rest period, rats were again given the rate–frequency curve-shift threshold test with or without the odor cue. In a second experiment, rats were similarly conditioned with a peppermint odor but with intraperitoneally delivered cocaine (10 mg/kg). After a 14 day rest period, rats were imaged on a 7-T MRI for their blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) in response to the cocaine-paired peppermint odor versus an unpaired neutral lemon odor. In the brain stimulation experiment, expected significant reward threshold shifts were produced by cocaine and, importantly, about half that level of shift was produced by the paired contextual olfactory cue. In the fMRI experiment, the insular cortex showed a significantly greater BOLD activation in cocaine-treated versus saline-treated animals to the olfactory cue, but not with the unpaired lemon scent. These data are in agreement with previous studies suggesting a role of the insular cortex in attributing reward value (positive or negative) to conditioned odor stimuli.
Ring formation on heating poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-ammonium maleamate)

Poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-ammonium maleamate), when heated at up to 100°C while removing volatiles, is converted to polymer whose infrared, elemental analysis and Tg are consistent with a structure predominantly that of poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride). Maleimide comonomer units are a substantially lesser component. Evidence is presented that a part of the reaction sequence may involve hydrolysis of imide or amide.
Evolution of a Plutonic Complex, Okanogan Range, Washington

Plutonic events in the Toats Coulee Creek region of the Okanogan Range, Washington, are mainly determined by a textural and structural study of the rocks, although several genetic relationships between plutons are based on chemical data. Several isotopic dates have confirmed relative ages determined by geologic means and provide an approximate picture of the distribution of the periods of tectonism, metamorphism, plutonism, and erosion in the Mesozoic Era. Late Triassic major orogeny resulted in Barrovian (?) regional dynamotnermal metamorphism of Permian (?) eugeosynclinal sediments and volcanics to various quartzose, pelitic, and calcareous schists and amphibolites. The Chopaka gabbroic and ultramafic intrusives and the earliest member of the granitic Toats Coulee Magma Series were involved in this metamorphism at the present relative level with respect to the metamorphic unit, and were converted into a variety of gneisses. The mafic and ultramafic portions of the Chopaka Intrusive Complex were emplaced together sometime between the Permian and Late Triassic. Emplacement of large discordant members of the Toats Coulee Magma Series (new name) represents a loss of continuity in the regional metamorphic belt and a culmination of Late Triassic erogenic events. Following a period of major erosion, plutons of the Horseshoe Basin Magma Series were emplaced at much shallower depths in the Early to Middle Cretaceous. Widespread, but only locally intense, tectonic activity at this time resulted in deformation of the older rock assemblage, converting portions of some Toats Coulee series plutons into cataclastic gneisses and providing structural weaknesses into which members of the younger series intruded. Injection of some of these magmas into zones of active cataclasis and recrystallization produced hybrid gneisses that are partly migmatitic. The leucocratic gneiss member of the series, correlating with the Boulder Creek Gneiss, is characterized by schlieren-like distribution of mafic minerals and textures that are not typically magmatic, and may be a result of simultaneous intrusion and crystallization of magma nearing a “minimum” composition. Such a gneiss-forming process is believed to be consistent with shallow emplacement and with proximity to the unmetamorphosed Methow-Pasayten Cretaceous sedimentary rocks to the west. The Horseshoe Basin Magma Series, including the leucocratic gneisses, is Early to Middle Cretaceous, which points to a period of nearly simultaneous erosion, sedimentation, and pluton emplacement.
GABA and potassium effects on corticospinal and primary afferent tracts of neonatal rat spinal dorsal columns

Abstract The neurotransmitter GABA markedly depresses action potential conduction in neonatal rat spinal dorsal columns. However, GABA sensitivity of the dorsal columns declines with maturation and myelination. At seven to 14 days after birth, the corticospinal tract component of the dorsal columns is immature and unmyelinated compared to the cuneate-gracilis fasciculi. GABA and isoguvacine (a GABAA receptor agonist) were applied to isolated neonatal (seven to 14 days old) dorsal columns during recordings of conducted cuneate-gracilis fasciculi and corticospinal tract action potentials. GABA (10−4 to 10−3 M) significantly reduced amplitudes (−28.9% to −69.7%) and increased latencies (+4.8% to +23.9%) of cuneate-gracilis fasciculi responses but had less effect on corticospinal tract response amplitudes (−1.1% to −14.7%) and latencies (+0.9% to +6.2%). Likewise, isoguvacine (10−5 to 10−4 M) reduced amplitudes (−26.7% to −37.5%) and increased latencies (+11.2% and +24.0%) of cuneate-gracilis fasciculi responses but had little or no effect on corticospinal tract response amplitudes (− 6.2% to −3.8%) or latencies (−0.8% to +1.5%). At 10−4 and 10−3 M, GABA rapidly increased extracellular K+([K+]e) from baseline levels of 3.0 mM to 3.7 ± 0.4 and 6.6 ± 1.4mM in cuneate-gracilis fasciculi and increased corticospinal tract [K+]e to 3.9 ± 0.4 and 4.4 ± 0.4mM (mean ± S.D.). [K+]e declined during drug application and fell below baseline after drug washout. Cuneate-gracilis fasciculi responses, however, did not recover until several minutes after [K+], returned to baseline. In separate experiments, increasing bath [K+]e concentrations to 3.7 and 6.6 mM reduced cuneate-gracilis fasciculi response amplitudes by only −7.6% and −29.6%. Latencies increased by + 1.3% and +3.6% respectively. The results indicate that the cuneate-gracilis fasciculi are more sensitive to GABA than the corticospinal tract and that the GABA effect is not entirely due to [K+]e changes.
Maternal vitamin A administration and the fetal ductus arteriosus.

Maternal Vitamin A Administration and the Fetal Ductus Arteriosus: Commentary on the article by Wu et al. on page 747
International demographic trends and perspectives on aging

In 1980, more than 376 million persons were age 60 or older in the world. By the year 2000, this figure is expected to increase by 57% to 590.4 million. Approximately 61% of these persons will be living in the lesser developed countries of the world. The growth and distribution of older persons throughout the world will have far reaching consequences for the utilization of national resources, including health resources.
PYROELECTRIC AND THERMAL STRAIN EFFECTS OF PIEZOELECTRIC (PVDF AND PZT) DEVICES

Abstract Piezoelectric devices respond to temperature variations in a changing temperature environment. The temperature-induced voltage generation of piezoelectric sensors can be further divided into two major components: the pyroelectric effect and the thermal strain effect. In this study, these two temperature-induced components of distributed piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) sensors are compared using a new 3-D thin piezothermoelastic solid finite element. A piezoelectric laminated square plate is used in a case study. Analyses suggest that the pyroelectric effect of PVDF sensors is much more prominent than the thermal strain effect. However, the PZT sensors exhibit the opposite phenomena. Distributed control of the plate with a temperature-induced deflection is also demonstrated.
Introduction: Theatre History in the New Millennium

Dialogue. It comes from the Greek, and covers a host of meanings from conversation, to philosophy, to speaking articulately, to lecturing, to dealing with others. It can be as contentious as it is conciliatory and as hostile as it is friendly. It can be consensus-building or polarizing, controversial or anodyne. But, at its worst and at its best, it is engagement; and, throughout its worldwide history, it has consistently done a glorious thing. It produces knowledge—or, at a minimum, it puts on display the fact that knowledge is out there.
Evaluating Constructive Lease Capitalization and Off‐Balance‐Sheet Financing: An Instructional Case with FedEx and UPS

This case illustrates the effects of the proposed new lease standard by the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board on existing outstanding operating leases. Specifically, the case examines the effects of the proposal that all firms report existing operating leases as capital leases upon the initial adoption of the proposed standard. By applying a constructive capitalization model to two firms who rely on operating leases for financing, FedEx and UPS, we found that both companies would have to record billions of dollars of liabilities that had only appeared in the footnotes of their financial statements under the current lease standards. In addition, the firms would experience a decline in retained earnings and key financial ratios, such as the debt-to-equity, return-on-assets, and interest coverage ratios, by reporting operating leases as capital leases under the new proposed standard. Furthermore, the magnitude of the lease capitalization impact is much smaller for UPS than for FedEx.
Predictors of Negative Intraoperative Findings at Emergent Laparotomy in Patients with Cirrhosis

Background Emergent surgery in the setting of decompensated cirrhosis is highly morbid. We sought to determine the clinical factors associated with negative intraoperative findings at emergent laparotomy.