cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Mitigating Effects of Suspicion on Post-Identification Feedback and on Retrospective Eyewitness Memory

Three studies examined procedures for reducing the post-identification feedback effect. After viewing a video event, participants were then asked to identify a suspect from a target-absent photo lineup. After making their identification, some participants were given information suggesting that their identification was correct, while others were given no information about the accuracy of their identification. Some participants who received confirming feedback were also given reasons to entertain suspicion regarding the motives of the lineup administrator, either immediately (Experiment 1) or after a one-week retention interval (Experiment 2). Suspicious perceivers failed to demonstrate the confidence inflation effects typically associated with confirming post-identification feedback. In Experiment 3, the confidence prophylactic effect was tested both immediately and after a one-week retention interval. The effect of confidence prophylactic varied with retention interval such that it eliminated the effects of post-identification feedback immediately but not after a retention interval. However, the suspicion manipulation eliminated the post-identification feedback effects at both time intervals. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Far ultraviolet spectral measurements of the diffuse astronomical background

Diffuse astrophysical emission at wavelengths between 900 and 1200 A (FUV(sub 900-1200 A)) contains unique information about the nature and extent of the poorly understood hot phase of the interstellar medium. Observations of the diffuse background emission in this bandpass are fraught with difficulty, and previous measurements have provided only upper limits to this flux. The data discussed in this paper were obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Coronal Rocket (FU-VCR), which had important advantages over previous instruments: intense geocoronal emission was rejected, eliminating potentially overwhelming contamination of the data; the data were spectroscopic with resolution sufficient for robust modeling of both astrophysical and instrumental data components; and point sources were imaged, allowing for the elimination of these critical contamination sources. The superior quality of these data permits the determination of new bounds to the physical properties of the hot interstellar medium.
Influence of Demand Uncertainty and Correlations on Traffic Predictions and Decisions

: Decisions to improve a regional transportation network are often based on predictions of future link flows that assume future travel demand is a deterministic matrix. Despite broad awareness of the uncertainties inherent in forecasts, rarely are uncertainties considered explicitly within the methodological framework due at least in part to a lack of knowledge as to how uncertainties affect the optimality of decisions. This article seeks to address this issue by presenting a new method for evaluating future travel demand uncertainty and finding an efficient technique for generating multiple realizations of demand. The proposed method employs Hypersphere Decomposition, Cholesky Decomposition, and user equilibrium traffic assignment. Numerical results suggest that neglecting correlations between the future demands of travel zone pairs can lead to improvement decisions that are less robust and could frequently rank improvements improperly. Of the six sampling techniques employed, Antithetic sampling generated travel demand realizations with the least relative bias and error.
Predicting Risk of Pneumothorax in Needle Biopsy of the Lung

We prospectively studied results of 103 consecutive transthoracic needle biopsies of lung lesions suspicious for malignancy to determine if lesion size, depth within the lung, hyperinflation, second needle passes, or 100 percent oxygen breathing influenced the incidence of pneumothorax. Thirty-eight patients (37 percent) developed pneumothorax. Ten (10 percent) required tube thoracostomy for re-expansion. Five of the ten requiring the chest tube had clinically severe obstructive lung disease. In all patients, greater depth (D) in centimeters of needle penetration significantly increased the probability (p) of pneumothorax (p much less than .001) and can be estimated by the equation: (formula see text) The estimated probability of pneumothorax is 13 percent at 1 cm, 49 percent at 4 cm, and 86 percent at 7 cm. An increase in total lung capacity above predicted added additional risk of pneumothorax (p less than .02). Oxygen breathing did not significantly reduce the incidence of pneumothorax, but may reduce size by increasing the rate of reabsorption. The other factors had little influence. We conclude that the more central location of the lesion and pre-existing lung hyperinflation determine the risk of pneumothorax.
Matching Based Interactive Facility Layout

Abstract This paper is concerned with the development of an interactive block layout system which utilizes b-matching as the optimization component. The objective function utilized by the b-matching is to maximize a weighted sum of adjacent departments. The b-matching model is a relaxation of the layout problem, hence human interaction is critical to overcome the factors not captured by the model.
Numerical studies of the inverse Born series for diffuse waves

We consider the inverse scattering problem for diffuse waves. We analyze the convergence of the inverse Born series and study its use in numerical simulations for the case of a spherically symmetric absorbing medium in two and three dimensions.
Preliminary results and complications of radial keratotomy.

We performed radial keratotomy for myopia on 126 eyes of 102 patients. We observed as much as 12 diopters of early postoperative refractive corneal flattening, but a mean of only 5.16 diopters of refractive change can be expected after one year. Among the many complications observed were corneal scarring, an endothelial cell loss of 220 cells/mm%2% (6.9%), epithelial ingrowth in 18 eyes (14%), corneal vascularization in one of 126 patients (1%), pain, Cogan's corneal dystrophy, overcorrections in 18 patients (14%), anisometropia, perforations of the anterior chamber in 12 patients (10%), iatrogenic astigmatism, corticosteroid glaucoma, night glare in 99 patients (79%), and fluctuating vision in 95 (75%). We studied the following factors to determine if they had predictive value: the patient's age, diopters of myopia, corneal diameter, corneal thickness, anterior chamber depth, axial length, scleral rigidity, keratometric readings, and the size of the optical zone. We found that no preoperative factor can be used to estimate precisely the postoperative result. The only consistent variable was the size of the optical zone. The smaller the optical zone, the larger the refractive change. This lack of predictability is the most serious shortcoming of radial keratotomy.
Interpretation of Transient-State Kinetic Isotope Effects†

In contrast to steady-state kinetic isotope effects (KIE's), transient-state KIE's are dependent on both time and signal source. We developed a theory which predicts the behavior of transient-state KIE's, permits the calculation of the intrinsic KIE, and makes possible the assignment of various optical signals to either pre- or post-hydride transfer events. We proved that the behavior of KIEobs for a reversible two-step reaction for all possible values of the rate constants and all possible ratios of intermediate and product contributions obeys three simple rules (assuming that the isotope-sensitive step involves a hydride transfer): (1) If only the post-hydride species contributes to the observed signal, KIEobs = KIEint at t = 0 and then decreases with time. (2) If only the pre-hydride species contributes to the observed signal, then KIEobs = 1 at t = 0 and then decreases with time. (3) If both pre- and post-hydride species contribute to the observed signal, then KIEobs = 1 at t = 0 and then will either...
High field low temperature heat capacity of CePd3B0.3

Heat capacity of CePd3B0.3 in the temperature range 1.5 to 20 K in zero and applied magnetic fields up to 10 T has been measured. CT develops a maximum in applied fields which shifts to higher temperatures as the field is increased. In conjunction with the results reported earlier in the literature, the present experiment indicates competing Kondo and Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida (RKKY) exchange interactions with TK ≈ TRKKY.
Templated Pedagogy: Factors Affecting Standardized Writing Pedagogy with Online Learning Management Systems

The use of online course or learning management system (LMS) tools proliferates as writing instruction grows online along with administrative concerns to improve teaching efficiencies and program assessment. While many institutions use the template feature in LMS systems (e.g. Blackboard Vista) to generate a location for teacher resources, some institutions are using LMS tools to standardize course content, delivery, and pedagogy to varying degrees. However, digital literacy issues that affect both teachers and students can negatively impact teaching and learning with LMS tools, especially in Web-based settings. It is important to understand how such tools may or may not be used effectively in standardizing writing pedagogy, particularly how designers’ unfamiliarity with course content and their own and their students’ inexperience with the tools can negatively affect pedagogy and learning with such tools. I describe a specific example of problems encountered within an extreme form of standardization in a Web-based writing course delivered via WebCT/Vista, identify implications of such standardization, and suggest considerations that educators should be aware of in their efforts to standardize writing pedagogy through LMS tools.
Synoptic and Meso-α Scale Aspects of Flash Flood Events1

Abstract Meteorological conditions associated with more than 150 intense convective precipitation events have been examined. These heavy rainfalls caused flash floods and affected most geographic regions of the conterminous United States. Heavy rains associated with weather systems of tropical origin were not considered. Analyses of surface and standard level upper-air data were undertaken to identify and define important synoptic and mesoscale mechanisms that act to intensify and focus precipitation events over specific regions. These analyses indicated that three basic meteorological patterns were associated with flash flooding in the central and eastern United States. Heavy convective precipitation episodes that occurred in the West were considered as a separate category event. Climatological characteristics, composite analyses, and upper-air data are presented for these four classifications of events. The large variability of associated meteorological patterns and parameters (especially winds aloft) m...
Hydroformylation of cyclic dienes catalysed by acetatocarbonylbis(triphenylphosphine)rhodium(I)

Abstract The hydroformylation of cyclic dienes in benzene using Rh(CO2Me)(CO)(PPh3)2 as catalyst was studied. The formation of mono- or di-aldehydes was critically dependent on ring size, the smaller cyclic dienes favouring dihydroformylation. Intermediate alkene-aldehydes could be isolated under appropriate conditions, indicating that initial attack on the diene was by hydroformylation. Under hydroformylation conditions, these intermediates underwent either hydroformylation or hydrogenation, depending on the ring size. Linear dienes gave complex mixtures of products.
Effect of pH, Fluorination, and Number of Layers on the Inhibition of Electrochemical Reactions by Grafted, Hyperbranched Poly(acrylic acid) Films.

Abstract : We report the electrode-passivation properties of both fluorinated and unmodified hyperbranched poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) films as a function of pH and the number of PAA layers. Both cyclic voltammetry and ac-impedance spectroscopy show that the extent of blocking increases with the number of layers regardless of the solution pH. However, passivation resulting from unfluorinated PAA films decreases with increasing pH while passivation due to fluorinated films increases with increasing pH. Three-layer fluorinated films can increase the charge transfer resistance of the electrode by up to a factor of 6 X 10(exp 4). Although Randles equivalent circuit can be used to model the electrochemistry of electrodes covered with unfluorinated PAA, fluorinated PAA-coated electrodes often require additional circuit elements due to the high resistance of these hydrophobic films.
Short‐termism Is Undermining America

The United States accuses China of subsidizing its entire export economy through artificially undervaluing its currency. China accuses the United States of fiscal profligacy while flooding the world with easy credit to keep its economy afloat. This dispute reflects the reality that the world's two largest economies are built on opposite dynamics of production and savings vs. consumerism and debt. In Europe, the wages of unsustainable debt that financed the welfare state have also come due. Rebalancing the global economy in this context is not only a matter of fixing exchange or interest rates and extending the retirement age. It must also involve a recalibration of democracy in both East and West. Two Nobel economists, the Greek prime minister, a ranking Chinese economist and the former chief economist of the IMF address these issues.
On the Mechanism of Turnover of the Carboxy‐Terminal Tyrosine of the Alpha Chain of Tubulin

The removal of tyrosine from the carboxyl terminus of the α chain of tubulin occurs predominantly from those tubulin dimers that are part of microtubules, and is dependent upon micro-tubular treadmill metabolism. A heretofore unrecognized factor is present in the high-speed supernatant fraction of rat brain homogenates that is required for detyrosination. This factor is neither tubulin: tyrosine ligase, the enzyme that catalyzes the addition of tyrosine to the carboxyl-terminal position of the α chain of tubulin, nor a carboxypeptidase-like activity. Pulse-chase experiments demonstrated that, in the reconstituted rat brain preparations, detyrosination takes place late in the transit of dimers through the microtubule and we suggest that dimer loss and detyrosination during treadmill metabolism in these systems are linked.
Simultaneous occurrence of transitional cell carcinoma and urothelial adenocarcinoma associated with xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis

We report on a patient with xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis, in situ transitional cell carcinoma, and focal prosoplasia revealing abrupt conversion of transitional epithelium to moderately well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. The etiology and pathogenesis of mucinous adenocarcinoma in the renal pelvis very likely involves the prosoplastic transition of pre-existing transitional carcinoma to adenocarcinoma. The urologist should be aware of the increased possibility of this tumor developing in a patient with longstanding infection, and frozen section should be performed more often because the gross structure of the tumor frequently appears normal. This permits the urologist to change his surgical strategy if frozen section is positive for tumor.
Epoxidation of olefins by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of tetrachloroacetone

Abstract 1,1,3,3-Tetrachloroacetone, an inexpensive, commercially available material, has been shown to be effective in mediating the hydrogen peroxide oxidation of a variety of olefins to epoxides. The chloroacetone is readily recovered for re-use.
Spread and Persistence of Influenza A Viruses in Waterfowl Hosts in the North American Mississippi Migratory Flyway

ABSTRACT While geographic distance often restricts the spread of pathogens via hosts, this barrier may be compromised when host species are mobile. Migratory waterfowl in the order Anseriformes are important reservoir hosts for diverse populations of avian-origin influenza A viruses (AIVs) and are assumed to spread AIVs during their annual continental-scale migrations. However, support for this hypothesis is limited, and it is rarely tested using data from comprehensive surveillance efforts incorporating both the temporal and spatial aspects of host migratory patterns. We conducted intensive AIV surveillance of waterfowl using the North American Mississippi Migratory Flyway (MMF) over three autumn migratory seasons. Viral isolates ( n = 297) from multiple host species were sequenced and analyzed for patterns of gene dispersal between northern staging and southern wintering locations. Using a phylogenetic and nucleotide identity framework, we observed a larger amount of gene dispersal within this flyway rather than between the other three longitudinally identified North American flyways. Across seasons, we observed patterns of regional persistence of diversity for each genomic segment, along with limited survival of dispersed AIV gene lineages. Reassortment increased with both time and distance, resulting in transient AIV constellations. This study shows that within the MMF, AIV gene flow favors spread along the migratory corridor within a season, and also that intensive surveillance during bird migration is important for identifying virus dispersal on time scales relevant to pandemic responsiveness. In addition, this study indicates that comprehensive monitoring programs to capture AIV diversity are critical for providing insight into AIV evolution and ecology in a major natural reservoir. IMPORTANCE Migratory birds are a reservoir for antigenic and genetic diversity of influenza A viruses (AIVs) and are implicated in the spread of virus diversity that has contributed to previous pandemic events. Evidence for dispersal of avian-origin AIVs by migratory birds is rarely examined on temporal scales relevant to pandemic or panzootic threats. Therefore, characterizing AIV movement by hosts within a migratory season is important for implementing effective surveillance strategies. We conducted surveillance following birds along a major North American migratory route and observed that within a migratory season, AIVs rapidly reassorted and gene lineages were dispersed primarily within the migratory corridor. Patterns of regional persistence were observed across seasons for each gene segment. We show that dispersal of AIV gene lineages by migratory birds occurs quickly along migratory routes and that surveillance for AIVs threatening human and animal health should focus attention on these routes.
Regulation and molecular characterization of dopamine D2 receptors in a prolactin-secreting 7315a anterior pituitary tumor.

Abstract The regulation and molecular properties of the dopamine (DA) D 2 receptors were compared in the prolactin-secreting 7315a anterior pituitary tumor with those in the striatum of rats. Chronic treatment with haloperidol increases the maximal binding for [ 3 H]spiroperidol in tumor and striatum, but the percent increase is much higher in tumor than in striatum. Photoaffinity labelling of DAD 2 receptors with N-(p-azido-m[ 125 I]iodophenethyl)spiperone ([ 125 I]N 3 -NAPS) yielded a major specifically labeled peptide with the M r of 32–34 kDa in tumor, and two specifically labeled peptides with M r of 32–34 and 92–94 kDa in striatum. The analysis of DA D 2 receptor mRNA shows that the size is similar in tumor and striatum. The DA D 2 receptor mRNA in tumor is very low and chronic treatment with haloperidol produces a considerable increase of the specific mRNA. It is postulated that the reported defect in regulation of prolactin release by DA agonists might be due to posttranslational changes in the tumor DA D 2 receptor.
Capillary bond between rod-like particles and the micromechanics of particle-laden interfaces

Rod-like microparticles assemble by capillarity at fluid interfaces to make distinctively different microstructures depending on the details of the particle shape. Ellipsoidal particles assemble in side-to-side orientations to form flexible chains, whereas cylinders assemble end-to-end to form rigid chains. To understand these differences, we simulate the near-field capillary interactions between pairs of rod-like particles subject to bond-stretching and bond-bending deformations. By comparing ellipsoids, cylinders, and cylinders with smooth edges, we show that geometric details dramatically affect the magnitude and shape of the capillary energy landscape. We relate this energy landscape to the mechanics of the chains, predicting the flexural rigidity for chains of ellipsoids, and a complex, non-elastic response for chains of cylinders. These results have implications in the design of particle laden interfaces for emulsion stabilization and encapsulation, and for oriented assembly of anisotropic materials.
Two skeptical arguments or only one

The first step in responding to the challenge of external world skepticism is to get clear on the structure of the skeptic’s argument. The most prominent varieties of skeptical arguments either rely on closure principles or underdetermination principles. The relationship between these two sorts of arguments is contentious. Some argue that these arguments can independently motivate skepticism. Others argue that they are really equivalent. I argue that although these two arguments are distinct, their independence is not as obvious as some have thought. The fact that these arguments are not equivalent is important because skeptical arguments that appeal to underdetermination principles cannot be refuted by simply denying closure. So, the strategy for responding to skepticism offered by Nozick/Dretske does not seem an adequate solution.
Neurobiology. Straight from the top.

The way we see the world around us depends on an interplay between two types of signal in the brain -- 'bottom-up' signals, which are derived from the physical data that bombard our sensory receptors, and 'top-down' signals, which interpret these data. For the first time, using a new surgical technique, we can directly see top-down signals in the brain, providing evidence that these signals come from the prefrontal cortex.
RFLP variability in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivars and wild species.

RFLP variability was studied in eight U.S. peanut cultivars, representing the four market types, and in 14 wild Arachis species accessions, using random genomic clones from a PstI library. Very low levels of RFLP variability were found among the allotetraploids, which included the U.S. cultivars and Arachis monticola, a wild species. The diploid wild species were very diverse, however. RFLP patterns of the allotetraploids were more complex than the diploids, and the two constituent genomes could usually be distinguished. On the basis of RFLP band sharing, A. ipaensis, A. duranensis, and A. spegazzinii appeared most closely related to the diploid progenitor species of the allotetraploids. A dendrogram of relationships among the diploid wild species was constructed based on band sharing.
The effect of interstitial cell-stimulating hormone on the production of pregnenolone by rabbit testis in the presence of an inhibitor of 17α-hydroxylase

Abstract Slices of testis from rabbits treated with interstitial cell-stimulating hormone or human chorionic gonadotropin before experimentation were incubated with sodium [1- 14 C]acetate and conversion to [ 14 C]androstenedione nad [ 14 C]testosterone could be demonstrated. When 3-(6-chloro-3-methyl, 2-indenyl)-pyridine (SU-8000) was added to the incubation medium [ 14 C]pregnenolone, rather than [ 14 C]androstenedione and [ 14 C]testosterone, was produced. Since slices from normal rabbits were unable to convert radioactive sodium acetate to radioactive steroids in detectable amounts when SU-8000 was added to the incubation medium, it is probable that the site of action of gonadotropic stimulation is before the production of pregnenolone.
The Abduction of the Signifying Monkey Chant: Schizophonic Transmogrifications of Balinese Kecak in Fellini's Satyricon and the Coen Brothers' Blood Simple

This article examines the de- and re-contextualisation of 1960s audio recordings of Balinese kecak performances in two landmark films, Federico Fellini's Satyricon (1969) and Joel and Ethan Coen's Blood Simple (1984). It begins with a historical overview that situates kecak's own history as a Balinese cultural phenomenon within broader frameworks of hybridity, schizophonic and appropriative processes, and international filmmaking, devoting special attention to the contributions of Walter Spies. It then proceeds to close studies of kecak's use in the soundtracks of Satyricon and Blood Simple from a theoretical position of schizophonic transmogrification, which is defined as the rematerialisation and thorough reinvention of people and places whose voices and sounds, as inscribed on sound recordings, have been separated from their original sources of identity and meaning and resituated in entirely alien contexts—real or imaginary or somewhere in between—for purposes that serve especially to evoke the strange...
Models of mitochondrial DNA transmission genetics and evolution in higher eucaryotes

The future value of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence information to studies in population biology will depend in part on understanding of mtDNA transmission genetics both within cell lineages and between animal generations. A series of stochastic models has been constructed here based on various possibilities concerning this transmission. Several of the models generate predictions inconsistent with available data and, hence, their assumptions are provisionally rejected. Other models cannot yet be falsified. These latter models include assumptions that (1) mtDNA's are sorted through cellular lineages by random allocation to daughter cells in germ cell lineages; (2) the effective intracellular population sizes (nM's) of mtDNA's are small; and (3) sperm may (or may not) provide a low level ‘gene-flow’ bridge between otherwise isolated female lineages. It is hoped that the models have helped to identify and will stimulate further empirical study of various parameters likely to strongly influence mtDNA evolution. In particular, critical experiments or measurements are needed to determine the effective sizes of mtDNA populations in germ (and somatic) cells and to examine possible paternal contributions to zygote mtDNA composition.
Comments on "Application of results from the absolute stability problem to the computation of finite stability domains"

An error is corrected, and new material is added on maximizing the extent of the estimate of the stability region. In an example it is shown that the maximum-area estimate coincides with the estimate constructed by Kalman's method.
Stable Model of X0(125)

In this paper, the components in the stable model of X0(125) over C5 are determined by constructing (in the language of R. Coleman's ‘Stable maps of curves’, to appear in the Kato Volume of Doc. Math.) an explicit semi-stable covering. Empirical data is then offered regarding the placement of certain CM j-invariants in the supersingular disk of X(1) over C5, which suggests a moduli-theoretic interpretation for the components of the stable model. The paper then concludes with a conjecture regarding the stable model of X0(p3) for p > 3, which is as yet unknown.
Peripheral nerve stimulation in the management of dysmenorrhea

Abstract Electrical stimulation of radial, median, and saphenous nerves produces analgesia in patients with dysmenorrhea, whereas control stimulation in adjacent points does not. Pain relief is not reversed by naloxone, and patients experience permanent analgesia after 10 consecutive daily treatments. A follow-up of patients treated for surgically documented gynecological pain due to endometriosis shows them to be pain-free 5 years after cessation of treatment, as measured by verbal report, attendance at work, and analgesic abstinence. To our knowledge this represents the first such long-term follow-up in the clinical pain literature, and suggests that peripheral nerve stimulation may be useful in the treatment of dysmenorrhea.
Persistent Changes in Myocardial Glucose Metabolism In Vivo During Reperfusion of a Limited-Duration Coronary Occlusion

Background—Rapid reperfusion of an occluded coronary artery salvages regional mechanical function, but this benefit may not be realized for hours or days because of postischemic stunning. Recovery from stunning is incompletely understood but may involve adaptive changes in heart glucose metabolism. Methods and Results—To examine whether reversible coronary occlusion produces sustained changes in regional glucose metabolism in vivo, we performed a 20-minute left coronary artery occlusion followed by 24 hours of open-artery reperfusion in intact rats. Coronary occlusion produced stunning of the anterolateral left ventricle that resolved over 24 hours. When examined at 24 hours, reperfused regions were fully contractile and viable by vital staining and microscopy but demonstrated 25% reduction in blood flow and 50% increased uptake of circulating glucose, as estimated by in vivo [13N]NH3 and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) tracer uptake. Reperfused regions had largely inactive glycogen synthase, low rates of g...
Mosquito hexamerins: characterization during larval development

We report here the first examination of hexamerins expressed during mosquito larval development. Haemolymph proteins from fourth-instar larvae of six species representing the two major subfamilies of mosquitoes were characterized by immunoblotting using antisera to calliphorin, the major hexamerin of the blowfly. Calliphora vicina, or to LSP1 or LSP2, the two distinct hexamerins of Drosophila melanogaster. In each mosquito species the antisera demonstrated the presence of multiple abundant hexamerin polypeptides of 66-85 kDa in molecular weight. According to the subunit composition of native proteins, the larval hexamerins from both Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae form heterohexamers. Furthermore, the two major Aedes hexamerin subunits (AaHex1 and AaHex2) are neither rich in aromatic amino acids nor methionine. cDNA clones encoding AaHex1 and AaHex2 were isolated and used to show that hexamerin mRNA is uniquely expressed in fourth-instar larvae of both A. aegypti and A. gambiae and disappears rapidly at the onset of pupal development.
Determinants of satisfaction and dissatisfaction among preventive and curative medical tourists: a comparative analysis

The burgeoning global medical tourism market now demands a more sophisticated approach to market analysis and subsequent market segmentation. The current paper offers a systemic view of medical tourism, with primary focus on the antecedents of customer satisfaction levels, ultimately leading to stronger strategic and operational marketing programmes for practitioners. As global marketers seek to capitalise on the growth in medical tourism, it is instructive to better understand the determinants of satisfied experiences. Thus, the paper posits hypotheses integrating the concepts of customer satisfaction and medical tourism. Through survey methods, findings indicate that preventive medical tourists achieve satisfaction from the performance level of ancillary tourist services and dissatisfaction from the less than satisfactory performance of medical services. Concomitantly, curative medical tourists achieve satisfaction from superior medical services and dissatisfaction from inferior delivery of tourist services. In addition to offering strong managerial implications, the study also provides a discussion of theoretical expansions based on the findings.
Interleukin-8 Administration Enhances Venous Thrombosis Resolution in a Rat Model☆

Background. Therapy for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) resolution in those patients in whom a complication or contraindication to anticoagulation occurs is limited. As prior work suggests that thrombus maturation involves early influx of neutrophils (PMN) and neovascularization, we hypothesized that administering the proinflammatory/proangiogenic chemokine interleukin (IL)-8 might accelerate thrombus resolution. Materials and methods. An established rodent model of DVT (inferior vena cava [IVC] ligation) was used whereby daily intravenous recombinant human IL-8 (1 μg) or vehicle control was administered, with sacrifice at 4 and 8 days. Prior to sacrifice and at harvest, duplex ultrasound of the DVT and femoral venous pressure measurements were performed. Thrombi were analyzed by immunohistochemical techniques for PMN, monocytes, and neovascularization; for chemokines, by enzyme-linked immunoassay; and fibrosis, by hydroxyproline assay and trichrome staining. Results. IL-8 accelerated thrombus dissolution 4 days after IVC ligation, with 6-fold increased thrombus blood flow by duplex ultrasound and a 23% increased absolute femoral venous pressure compared with controls (both P < 0.05). These findings may be partially explained by the fact that animals receiving IL-8, as compared with controls, had 2.5-fold greater thrombus neovascularization (with a trend continuing to 8 days) and increased PMN at 4 days. Thrombus vascular endothelial growth factor was significantly reduced at 8 days postligation, while monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α were not altered by IL-8 administration. At 8 days post-IVC-ligation, fibrosis was 12-fold greater with IL-8 treatment compared with controls. Conclusions. A proinflammatory/proangiogenic thrombus milieu, as conferred by IL-8, enhances thrombus resolution and underscores the important relationship between neovascularity and inflammation.
Adaptive tracking controller for systems with unknown long delay and unknown parameters in the plant

In a recent paper we presented the first adaptive control design for an ODE system with a possibly large actuator delay of unknown length. We achieved global stability under full state feedback. In this paper we generalize the design to the situation where, besides the unknown delay value, the ODE also has unknown parameters, and where trajectory tracking (rather than equilibrium regulation) is pursued.
Resolution of Phylogenetic Relationships among Recently Evolved Species as a Function of Amount of DNA Sequence: An Empirical Study Based on Woodpeckers (Aves: Picidae)

Synonymous substitutions in the 13 mitochondrial encoded protein genes form a large pool of characters that should approach the ideal for phylogenetic analysis of being independently and identically distributed. Pooling sequences from multiple mitochondrial protein-coding genes should result in statistically more powerful estimates of relationships among species that diverged sufficiently recently that most nucleotide substitutions are synonymous. Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) was sequenced for woodpecker species for which cytochrome b (cyt b) sequences were available. A pairing-design test based on the normal distribution indicated that cyt b evolves more rapidly than COI when all nucleotides are compared but their rates are equal for synonymous substitutions. Nearly all of the phylogenetically informative substitutions among woodpeckers are synonymous. Statistical support for relationships, as measured by bootstrap proportions, increased as the number of nucleotides increased from 1047 (cyt b) to 1512 (COI) to 2559 nucleotides (aggregate data set). Pseudo-bootstrap replicates showed the same trend and increasing the amount of sequence beyond the actual length of 2559 nucleotides to 5120 (23) resulted in stronger bootstrap support, even though the amount of phylogenetic information was the same. However, the amount of sequence required to resolve an internode depends on the length of the internode and its depth in the phylogeny. © 2000 Academic Press
Age-related changes in cardiac structure and function in Fischer 344 × Brown Norway hybrid rats

The effects of aging on cardiovascular function and cardiac structure were determined in a rat model recommended for gerontological studies. A cross-sectional analysis assessed cardiac changes in m...
Existence and estimates of solutions to a singular Dirichlet problem for the Monge–Ampère equation

Abstract Given a strictly convex, smooth, and bounded domain Ω in R n we establish the existence of a negative convex solution in C ∞ ( Ω ) ∩ C ( Ω ¯ ) with zero boundary value to the singular Monge–Ampere equation det ( D 2 u ) = p ( x ) g ( − u ) . An associated Dirichlet problem will be employed to provide a necessary and sufficient condition for the solvability of the singular boundary value problem. Estimates of solutions will also be given and regularity of solutions will be deduced from the estimates.
Use of an automatic analyzer for bipolar cardiac electrograms

A program (AP) for automatically picking (detecting and timing) local activations in bipolar cardiac electrograms has been developed. The program is used in mapping the activation sequence of the heart during normal rhythms and ventricular arrhythmias, particularly ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, in experimental and clinical environments. The difficult conditions under which the program can be applied, the lack of technical background of many of the system's users, and the nature of the programs which are used in conjunction with the detector required careful design of the software. The design constraints observed during the development of AP and how the system has been integrated with the rest of the hardware and software of the mapping system used in the authors' laboratory are described. >
Resolvin E2 Formation and Impact in Inflammation Resolution

Acute inflammation and its resolution are essential processes for tissue protection and homeostasis. In this context, specialized proresolving mediators derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids are of interest. In this study, we report that resolvin E2 (RvE2) from eicosapentaenoic acid is endogenously produced during self-limited murine peritonitis in both the initiation and resolution phases. RvE2 (1-10 nM) carries potent leukocyte-directed actions that include: 1) regulating chemotaxis of human neutrophils; and 2) enhancing phagocytosis and anti-inflammatory cytokine production. These actions appear to be mediated by leukocyte G-protein-coupled receptors as preparation of labeled RvE2 gave direct evidence for specific binding of radiolabeled RvE2 to neutrophils (K(d) 24.7 ± 10.1 nM) and resolvin E1 activation of recombinant G-protein-coupled receptors was assessed. In addition to the murine inflammatory milieu, RvE2 was also identified in plasma from healthy human subjects. RvE2 rapidly downregulated surface expression of human leukocyte integrins in whole blood and dampened responses to platelet-activating factor. Together, these results indicate that RvE2 can stimulate host-protective actions throughout initiation and resolution in the innate inflammatory responses.
The Ubitron, a high-power traveling-wave tube based on a periodic beam interaction in unloaded waveguide

The Ubitron is a high-power traveling-wave tube which makes use of the interaction between a magnetically undulated periodic electron beam and the TE 01 mode in unloaded waveguide. The electron-wave interaction exhibits the same type of first-order axial beam bunching characteristic of the conventional slow-wave traveling-wave tube; hence, it can be used in place of conventional O-type interaction in extended interaction klystrons and electron accelerators, as well as traveling-wave tubes. Experimental results are presented for the simplest physical embodiment of the Ubitron, which consists of an undulated pencil beam in a rectangular waveguide. Two of the unique features of this tube are very broad interaction bandwidth which results from the absence of a dispersive slow-wave circuit, and variable interaction phase velocity--hence, variable saturation power level. Among the physical embodiments of the Ubitron are a number of higher-order mode waveguide and beam configurations. These include plane, coaxial, and circular waveguides, all supporting the TE 01 mode, interacting with magnetically undulated sheet, hollow and cylindrical beams, respectively. The advantage of these configurations, which have not yet been tested experimentally, is that they provide a very large interaction area for beam placement. This property, plus the fact that the peak interacting field is far from the waveguide walls, makes the Ubitron an interesting prospect for high-power millimeter wave amplification.
Utility of the Framingham risk score to predict the presence of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

The prevalence of ischemic heart disease and atherosclerosis is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the general population, but not in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, the Framingham risk score identifies patients at increased cardiovascular risk and helps determine the need for preventive interventions. We examined the hypothesis that the Framingham score is increased and associated with coronary-artery atherosclerosis in patients with RA. The Framingham score and the 10-year cardiovascular risk were compared among 155 patients with RA (89 with early disease, 66 with long-standing disease) and 85 control subjects. The presence of coronary-artery calcification was determined by electron-beam computed tomography. The Framingham score was compared in patients with RA and control subjects, and the association between the risk score and coronary-artery calcification was examined in patients. Patients with long-standing RA had a higher Framingham score (14 [11 to 18]) (median [interquartile range]) compared to patients with early RA (11 [8 to 14]) or control subjects (12 [7 to 14], P < 0.001). This remained significant after adjustment for age and gender (P = 0.015). Seventy-six patients with RA had coronary calcification; their Framingham risk score was higher (14 [12 to 17]) than that of 79 patients without calcification (10 [5 to 14]) (P < 0.001). Furthermore, a higher Framingham score was associated with a higher calcium score (odds ratio [OR] = 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12 to 1.29, P < 0.001), and the association remained significant after adjustment for age and gender (OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.29, P = 0.03). In conclusion, a higher Framingham risk score is independently associated with the presence of coronary calcification in patients with RA.
Developing customer churn models for customer relationship management

Customer churn is the term used to describe customers who terminate their relationship with a company. Since churn means a loss of revenue to a company, it is important to identify customer churn and provide incentives to them in order to retain them to the company. This paper aims to design methodologies for the customer churn prediction problem in wireless telecommunications industry. Since the number of features in customer churn dataset is rather large, the performance of decision trees is significantly degraded if inappropriate features are selected and used for building decision trees. This paper finds features that have high effect on customer churn, and to design methodologies that will cope with high dimensionality of dataset and the customer churn prediction problem. This paper provides experimental results of a set of data mining schemes and feature selection methods for customer churn datasets.
The Growing Costs and Burden of Family Caregiving of Older Adults: A Review of Paid Sick Leave and Family Leave Policies

Many family caregivers of older adults suffer from a high burden of care and struggle with the balance of jobs and caregiving tasks. However, the United States is the only developed country without paid sick leave policies for all workers and their families. The purpose of this article is to review the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and empirical studies about paid sick policy, propose policy recommendations, and provide a starting point for future research. The result has shown that the FMLA only applies to certain employees and the provided leave is unpaid under the act. Working women, Latinos, low-wage workers, and less-educated employees are less likely to access paid sick leave and family leave. Obviously, social injustice exists in the FMLA and paid sick leave policies. This article proposes that the Family and Medical Leave Act coverage should be expanded to protect all workers, especially for primary family caregivers of older adults, regardless of family relationships. Also, paid sick and family leave laws should be passed, and requirements to contribute to a family-friendly workplace added to relieve the growing burden of family caregiving of older adults. Policy recommendations including the exemplar of the San Francisco Paid Sick Leave Ordinance, and suggestions for more comprehensive policies are proposed for federal, state, or/and city legislation.
Alterations in carbohydrate metabolism during stress: a review of the literature.

Patients with sepsis, burn, or trauma commonly enter a hypermetabolic stress state that is associated with a number of alterations in carbohydrate metabolism. These alterations include enhanced peripheral glucose uptake and utilization, hyperlactatemia, increased glucose production, depressed glycogenesis, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance. The hyper-metabolic state is induced by the area of infection or injury as well as by organs involved in the immunologic response to stress; it generates a glycemic milieu that is directed toward satisfying an obligatory requirement for glucose as an energy substrate. This article reviews experimental and clinical data that indicate potential mechanisms for these alterations and emphasizes aspects that have relevance for the clinician.
Crystal chemistry of hydrothermally grown ternary alkali rare earth fluorides.

The structural variations of several alkali metal rare earth fluoride single crystals are summarized. Two different stoichiometric formulations are considered, namely those of ARE2F7 and ARE3F10 (A = K, Rb, Cs; RE = Y, La–Lu), over a wide range of ionic radii of both the alkali and rare earth (RE) ions. Previously reported and several new single-crystal structures are considered. The new single crystals are grown using hydrothermal methods and the structures are compared with literature reports of structures grown from both melts and hydrothermal fluids. The data reported here are combined with the literature data to gain a greater understanding of structural subtleties surrounding these systems. The work underscores the importance of the size of the cations to the observed structure type and also introduces synthetic technique as a contributor to the same. New insights based on single-crystal structure analysis in the work introduce a new disordered structure type in the case of ARE2F7, and examine the trends and boundaries of the ARE3F10 stoichiometry. Such fundamental structural information is useful in understanding the potential applications of these compounds as optical materials.
Pediatric trauma: Beyond the brain

In pediatric trauma care, many long-held tenets of management have been revised. This article reviews the latest advances in pediatric trauma care, particularly in the areas of resuscitation and management of thoracic and abdominal injuries. The final topic is a discussion of what the intensivist and surgeon must know when caring for the pediatric victim of terrorist attacks.