cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship between quantitative measures of temperament and other observed behaviors in growing cattle.

Abstract Measures of temperament have been previously related to gain and intake in beef cattle. Intake effects may be partially mediated through social interactions in that some temperament measures may directly relate to social dominance behavior. To examine the relationships between temperament, growth, and social dominance behavior, thirty-two crossbred steers were used in a 56-d randomized complete block design experiment with a 2 × 2 factorial treatment structure. Temperament treatments (assigned on d −7) were chute exit velocity (EV; slow vs. fast) and objective chute score (OCS; low vs. high), a novel temperament measure, defined as the coefficient of variation of recorded weight values collected at five Hz for 10 s while an animal’s head was restrained in a chute. Electronic ear tags with accelerometers were used to continuously measure animal activity. Social dominance behaviors were quantified using video records of 2 h intervals directly following feeding for d 1–13. Dominance was calculated as average dominance index and David’s score. Jugular blood samples were collected to analyze antibody response to leptospirosis vaccines. There were no EV by OCS interactions (P ≥ 0.23) for average daily gain (ADG) or antibody titers. High OCS steers gained 0.26 kg/d more than low OCS steers (P
Two Choices: War or Peace

States within the system have two choices given systemic change: war or peace. This book began with the supposition that states are psychopaths and inclined to go to war. If states are left to their own devices this may indeed happen. The second option, peace, requires action from the grassroots. States as led by elites have failed to guarantee world peace. This chapter suggests social and economic stability embedded by the promotion of human development over extravagant, psychopathic prestige-seeking activity. Such focus may be able to avoid war. Here, I will explore the cognitive mechanisms, which result in such a decision. It will also explore the concept of forgiveness as a productive part of systemic practice. This will serve as this work’s normative offering, imagining new forms of governance.
An Explore Transplant Group Randomized Controlled Education Trial to Increase Dialysis Patients' Decision-Making and Pursuit of Transplantation.

INTRODUCTION:Dialysis centers must provide transplant education to patients but often do not address the risks and benefits of living and deceased donor transplant. RESEARCH QUESTIONS:In a group randomized controlled trial of 20 dialysis centers and 253 patients, we assessed whether the Explore Transplant education program increased patients' readiness to pursue transplant, transplant knowledge, informed transplant decision-making, discussions about transplant with potential living donors, pursuit and receipt of living or deceased donor transplant, and whether these effects varied by race. METHODS:Patients at participating dialysis centers were randomized to receive either (1) a 4-module Explore Transplant education program, including videos, printed materials, and transplant educator discussions or (2) standard-of-care transplant education provided by dialysis centers. The trial had 3 phases: (1) pre- and postsurveying and dialysis center education (2007-2008), (2) follow-up to determine whether patients restarted or began transplant evaluation (2008-2010), and (3) assessment of participants' receipt of a renal transplant (2012-2015). RESULTS:Compared to patients in standard-of-care dialysis centers, patients who received the intervention were more likely to increase in their stage of readiness for living donor transplantation (odds ratio: 2.50; 95% confidence interval: 1.10-5.66), had greater increases in their transplant knowledge ( P < .001), and were more likely to call to restart/begin transplant evaluation (38% vs 24%, P = .006). When analyses were stratified by race, black patients were more likely to take several steps toward transplant in comparison to whites. DISCUSSION:The Explore Transplant helps dialysis patients make informed decisions and increases their pursuit of transplant, particularly among black patients.
Connected Cooperative Ecodriving System Considering Human Driver Error

In recent years, eco-friendly driving or ecodriving technologies are being developed to assist human drivers to achieve maximum fuel/energy efficiency in different driving conditions. Enhanced by V2X wireless communications, connected ecodriving is expected to be very promising in reducing transportation-related fossil fuel consumption as well as pollutant emissions. Besides, the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) also has great potential in reducing greenhouse gas emissions due to the use of batteries as the sole energy source. Although recent research shows that significant energy savings can be achieved with the aid of ecodriving systems in real-world driving, there have been very few research efforts that consider human driver error, especially for electric vehicle (EV) driving. In this paper, a connected cooperative ecodriving system for energy-efficient driving that considers human driver error is designed and evaluated with an EV energy consumption model. Real-world driving data were collected and used to evaluate system performance in terms of energy consumption. The simulation and numerical analysis shows that an average of 12% energy savings can be achieved by the proposed system that considers human driver error comparing with the conventional ecodriving system without considering driver error.
Systems Approach to Food Analysis

This chapter addresses two main issues, namely, a problem-oriented role of food analysis and a systematic approach to the analytical process. The chapter is based on two major hypotheses. The first is that the principal role of an analysis is to aid in the resolution of some type of problem. The second is that the total process a food analyst uses to perform this function follows a systematic pattern of thought processes and experimental approaches. Although most food analysts practice their profession this way, they do not incorporate these broader views of analysis into their textbooks, courses, oral presentations, or scientific literature. It is judged to be in the best interests of this profession and its students that a broader, more professional and less technological view of chemical analysis be made an integral part of the educational materials and scientific literature as rapidly as possible. This chapter represents a brief overview of some aspects of this holistic approach to a problem-oriented role of chemical analysis.
Nervous activities of the heart in Crustacea.

Crustacean cardiac rhythms, unlike those of vertebrates, do not originate in the heart muscle itself. Ganglion cells are normally located in the dorsal wall of the heart and the excitation for the heart beat starts at the ganglion. A neurogenic origin of the heart beat, however, was first demonstrated in Limulus by Carlson (1904). He applied a warm test tube on various parts of the heart muscle and ganglion and found that the cardiac rhythm was accelerated only when the tube was placed on a certain part of the ganglion (the fourth and fifth segments of the ganglion). If the ganglion was removed from the heart the beat stopped. These findings show that the cardiac rhythm arises not only at the cardiac ganglion but also at certain neurons in the ganglion.
Contrast Agents for Cardiovascular MRI

In the last two decades, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revolutionized clinical cardiovascular imaging. Its major advantages over other noninvasive diagnostic modalities are its safety, operator-independent reproducibility, and multiplanar two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) imaging capability with high spatial and temporal resolution. MRI does not deliver ionizing radiation and does not utilize inherently nephrotoxic iodinated contrast media. The intrinsic tissue contrast offered by MRI has been even further expanded by the introduction of paramagnetic magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents. These agents improve the image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), thereby increasing the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of MRI.
Performance of Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells Under Low Illumination Conditions

An unavoidable consequence of growing adoption of solar PV is an increase in PV systems deployed in non-optimal situations. This is particularly true with regard to irradiance. It is very likely that in a PV-powered future many systems will be set up such that they receive a substantial fraction of insolation in lowirradiance conditions. In this work, we present performance modeling of modules deployed in various climatic locales and orientations. We fabricate crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells on wafers of different base resistivities and study their low illumination performance. We also calculate the energy yield gains from the performance improvements obtained from the cells with higher base resistivity.
Surgical Innovation for Terminal Illnesses: Do Patients Have a Right to Access Innovative Treatments?

Surgical innovation differs significantly from medical innovation, and the ethical discussion about medical innovation and compassionate use cannot necessarily be applied directly to innovation in surgery. It is sometimes considered difficult to meet the high ethical and regulatory standards for medical treatments in a surgical setting, where innovation is constantly occurring in small and incremental ways. Moving from these arguments, many have claimed that access to surgical innovation aligns with patient autonomy and should be permitted in certain circumstances. However, others argue that unrestricted access to innovative treatments can subvert regulation, risks undermining knowledge-generation structures, and poses a serious ethical risk. In this chapter, we will explore both viewpoints and discuss under what circumstances a patient’s right to innovative surgical treatment can be justifiably infringed.
(342) Molecular Transcriptomic Effects of General Anesthesia on Gene Expression in Frontal Lobe, Hippocampus, and Amygdala after Administration of Ketamine and Isoflurane

General anesthesia and monitored sedation are vital to nearly all procedural aspects of modern medicine. Inhaled agents such as halogenated gases have long been an integral aspect of anesthesia. In recent years, the noncompetitive NMDA antagonist and dissociative anesthetic ketamine has seen increasing utilization in general anesthesia, as well as in the treatment of chronic pain and depression. The use of ketamine for such chronic conditions has raised questions into its addictive potential, and its potential role in the treatment of existing addictions. New investigations using high density electrical recordings and other multidimensional techniques have led to a clearer understanding of how these agents work, and how they can be utilized to fill clinical needs. To further study their effects at the molecular level, we used deep RNA sequencing to examine the time course (1hr, 10hr, or 10hr + 24hr recovery) of gene changes induced in the frontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala during ketamine or isoflurane administration. When compared to isoflurane, the transcriptional signature of ketamine showed similarities and differences that suggested region-specific gene regulation patterns that highlight the molecular underpinnings of the broad clinical uses of ketamine. The evaluation of brain regions subserving the diverse functions of learning and memory, executive function, and emotional-affective dimensions yielded insight into the neural localization of anesthetic actions and potential vulnerabilities associated with general anesthesia. Our investigation demonstrates unique region-specific and time-dependent transcriptional signatures that bridge molecular and systems level findings to expand current understanding of the shifts in neuronal activity associated with general anesthetics and their downstream effects.
Opportunities for selective reporting of harms in randomized clinical trials: Selection criteria for non-systematic adverse events

Adverse events (AEs) in clinical trials may be reported in multiple sources. Different methods for reporting adverse events across trials or across sources for a single trial may produce inconsistent information about the adverse events associated with interventions. We compared the methods authors use to decide which AEs to include in a particular source (i.e., “selection criteria”), including the number of different types of AEs reported (i.e., rather than the number of events). We compared sources (e.g., journal articles, clinical study reports (CSRs)) of trials for two drug-indications—gabapentin for neuropathic pain and quetiapine for bipolar depression. Electronic searches were completed in 2015. We identified selection criteria and assessed how criteria affected AE reporting. We identified 21 gabapentin and 7 quetiapine trials. We found 6 gabapentin CSRs and 2 quetiapine CSRs, all written by drug manufacturers. All CSRs reported all AEs without applying selection criteria; by comparison, no other source reported all AEs, and 15/68 (22%) gabapentin sources and 19/48 (40%) quetiapine sources reported using selection criteria. Selection criteria greatly affected the number of AEs reported. For example, 67/316 (21%) AEs in one quetiapine trial met the criterion “occurring in ≥2% of participants in any treatment group,” while only 5/316 (2%) AEs met the criterion “occurring in ≥10% of quetiapine-treated patients and twice as frequent in the quetiapine group as the placebo group.” Selection criteria for reporting AEs vary across trials and across sources for individual trials. If investigators do not pre-specify selection criteria, they might “cherry-pick” AEs based on results. Even if investigators pre-specify selection criteria, selective reporting will produce biased meta-analyses and clinical practice guidelines. Data about all AEs identified in clinical trials should be publicly available; however, sharing data will not solve all the problems identified in this study.
Dissecting the mechanisms of a 5-year decline in antibiotic prescribing

Abstract Importance The mechanisms driving the recent decline in outpatient antibiotic prescribing are unknown. Objective To estimate the extent to which reductions in the number of antibiotic prescriptions filled per outpatient visit (stewardship) and reductions in the monthly rate of outpatient visits (observed disease) for infectious disease conditions each contributed to the decline in annual outpatient antibiotic prescribing rate in Massachusetts between 2011 and 2015. Design Outpatient medical and pharmacy claims from the Massachusetts All-Payer Claims Database were used to estimate rates of antibiotic prescribing and outpatient visits for 20 medical conditions and their contributions to the overall decline in antibiotic prescribing. Trends were compared to those in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS). Setting Outpatient visits in Massachusetts between January 2011 and September 2015. Participants 5,075,908 individuals with commercial health insurance or Medicaid in Massachusetts under the age of 65 and 495,515 patients included in NAMCS. Main outcomes and measures The number of antibiotic prescriptions avoided through reductions in observed disease and reductions in per-visit prescribing rate per medical condition. Results Between 2011 and 2015, the January antibiotic prescribing rate per 1,000 individuals in Massachusetts declined by 18.9% and the July antibiotic prescribing rate declined by 13.6%. The mean prescribing rate for children under 5 declined by 42.8% (95% CI 21.7%, 59.4%), principally reflecting reduced wintertime prescribing. The monthly rate of outpatient visits per 1,000 individuals in Massachusetts declined (p Conclusions and relevance The decline in antibiotic prescribing in Massachusetts was driven by a decline in observed disease and improved antibiotic stewardship, with a contemporaneous reduction in visits for conditions prompting antibiotics observed nationally. A focus on infectious disease prevention should be considered alongside antibiotic stewardship as a means to reduce antibiotic prescribing. Key points Question How did the separate mechanisms of improved stewardship and reductions in observed disease contribute to a 5-year decline in outpatient antibiotic prescribing in Massachusetts from 2011-2015? Findings In an observational analysis of insurance claims, reduced monthly rates of outpatient visits for infectious conditions and reduced probability of prescribing an antibiotic per outpatient visit both contributed to the decline in antibiotic prescribing. An estimated 358 antibiotic prescriptions per 1,000 individuals were avoided over the study period through the two mechanisms, 211 of which were attributable to reductions in outpatient visits and 147 to reduced antibiotic prescribing per visit. Meaning Preventing the need for outpatient visits should be considered alongside antibiotic stewardship as a means of reducing antibiotic prescribing.
Soft Skills as an Assessed Course Component: An Abstract

As expectations grow for students to gain “real world” experiences during their college careers, faculty members must be creative to integrate transformational activities into their curriculum to close the gap between what employers are looking for and what higher education provides. Every year, LinkedIn compiles data and survey results to report the most in demand hard skills and soft skills (business.linkedin.com). This report alone speaks to the importance of soft skills, with the 2018 report emphasizing leadership, communication, collaboration, and time management. Further, a PwC report stated that 77% of CEOs believed lack of soft skills was the biggest threat to business (www.pwc.com). As millennials and digital natives enter the workforce, there needs to be an increasing focus on developing the soft skills of the current generation of college graduates (e.g., Tulgan 2016). A review of the literature in marketing education reveals little if no focus on implementing soft skills into college classroom as an assessed means to prepare students for their transition to the workforce. Despite a certain level of innateness, soft skills can be taught, as evidenced by the countless courses on LinkedIn Learning and Udemy. In a survey of business executives, soft skill attributes included communication, courtesy, flexibility, integrity, interpersonal skills, attitude, professionalism, responsibility, teamwork, and work ethic (Robles 2012). In this paper, we advocate to focus on these attributes by adding soft skills as a course component and encouraging its use as displayed through attitudes, behaviors, and communications throughout the semester.
Designed Variants of Recombinant ACE2-Fc that Decouple Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activities from Unwanted Cardiovascular Effects

Abstract Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2, and recombinant ACE2 decoys are being evaluated as new antiviral therapies. We designed and tested an ACE2-Fc fusion protein, which has the benefits of a long pharmacological half-life and the potential to facilitate immune clearance of the virus. Out of the concern that the intrinsic catalytic activity of ACE2 may unintentionally alter the balance of its hormonal substrates and cause adverse cardiovascular effects in treatment, we performed a mutagenesis screening for inactivating the enzyme. Three mutants, R273A, H378A and E402A, completely lost their enzymatic activity for either surrogate or physiological substrates. All of them remained capable of binding SARS-CoV-2 and could suppress the transduction of a pseudotyped virus in cell culture. This study established new ACE2-Fc candidates as antiviral treatment for SARS-CoV-2 without potentially harmful side effects from ACE2’s catalytic actions toward its vasoactive substrates.
iMirror: A Smart Mirror for Stress Detection in the IoMT Framework for Advancements in Smart Cities

For any organization to be successful, key factors are the employees and managers working for it. If the manpower is not mentally strong, then progress may not be up to the mark. Having everything smart inside an organization won’t be able to heal the mental health of employees. Healing mental health could only be achieved by smart utilization of smart infrastructure. Every individual is stressed or effected by the current lifestyle, let alone pandemics or other major events. Through everything, for an individual to move forward, a little encouragement with technology shouldn’t be difficult. Being able to analyze the emotions, understand the sudden yet major lluctuations or slow yet harmful changes in the stress levels is very important in order to stay mentally healthy. Keeping everything in consideration, iMirror, a device to maintain the healthy stress response among individuals is proposed in this research. Experimental results show that the proposed iMirror has an accuracy of 97% in automatically determining stress level.
Train-to-Sustain: Predictors of Sustainment in a Large-Scale Implementation of Parent–Child Interaction Therapy

Sustainment of evidence-based practices is necessary to ensure their public health impact. The current study examined predictors of sustainment of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) within a large-scale system-driven implementation effort in Los Angeles County. Data were drawn from PCIT training data and county administrative claims between January 2013 and March 2018. Participants included 241 therapists from 61 programs. Two sustainment outcomes were examined at the therapist- and program-levels: 1) PCIT claim volume and 2) PCIT claim discontinuation (discontinuation of claims during study period; survival time of claiming in months). Predictors included therapist- and program-level caseload, training, and workforce characteristics. On average, therapists and programs continued claiming to PCIT for 17.7 and 32.3 months, respectively. Across the sustainment outcomes, there were both shared and unshared significant predictors. For therapists, case-mix fit (higher proportions of young child clients with externalizing disorders) and participation in additional PCIT training activities significantly predicted claims volume. Furthermore, additional training activity participation was associated with lower likelihood of therapist PCIT claim discontinuation in the follow-up period. Programs with therapists eligible to be internal trainers were significantly less likely to discontinue PCIT claiming. Findings suggest that PCIT sustainment may be facilitated by implementation strategies including targeted outreach to ensure eligible families in therapist caseloads, facilitating therapist engagement in advanced trainings, and building internal infrastructure through train-the-trainer programs.
Generating Tractable Cubic Cost Functions

Classes in microeconomics typically use cubic cost functions, because they can exhibit marginal costs that fall as output increases to some efficient level, and then rise thereafter. Cubic cost functions embody economies of scale, making it easy to illustrate that concept with quadratic average cost curves. However, designing problems with cubic cost functions is harder than it looks, because well behaved functions must meet several mathematical and economic restrictions. Yet as instructors develop more online assignments and exam questions, they face the need to produce varied problems that support the same learning objectives. This article explains the restrictions needed to generate well behaved cubic cost functions. It proceeds to show how to generate random parameters for well-behaved, cubic cost functions for problems that meet common student learning objectives. An associated workbook contains the algorithms described here.
Validity Evidence of The HOPE Scale in Korea: Identifying Gifted Students From Low-Income and Multicultural Families:

The underrepresentation of students from low-income families and of culturally diverse students is a longstanding and pervasive problem in the field of gifted education. Teachers play an important ...
Culture of Family Togetherness, Emotional Resilience, and Spiritual Lifestyles Inherent in African Americans from the Time of Slavery Until Now

This chapter provides a foundation in understanding of African American clients and their worldview by taking a closer look at how racial identity, culture, and the effects of slavery may contribute to help-seeking practices. Through the lens of the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics, Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC), and Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC) Competencies, counselors and other helping professionals necessitate attention being given to the diversity of clients. The chapter reviews the historical trauma of African Americans and the psychological issues associated with systematic oppressions in the United States. The chapter centers on how family togetherness (presence, bonding, and support), emotional resilience (coping with hardships), and spiritual relationships (higher beings and connections) serve as mental health protective factors. The chapter concludes with a discussion on utilizing a trauma-informed approach and culturally appropriate techniques and interventions for engaging with African American clients.
Big Data consumer analytics and the transformation of marketing

Abstract Consumer analytics is at the epicenter of a Big Data revolution. Technology helps capture rich and plentiful data on consumer phenomena in real time. Thus, unprecedented volume, velocity, and variety of primary data, Big Data, are available from individual consumers. To better understand the impact of Big Data on various marketing activities, enabling firms to better exploit its benefits, a conceptual framework that builds on resource-based theory is proposed. Three resources—physical, human, and organizational capital—moderate the following: (1) the process of collecting and storing evidence of consumer activity as Big Data, (2) the process of extracting consumer insight from Big Data, and (3) the process of utilizing consumer insight to enhance dynamic/adaptive capabilities. Furthermore, unique resource requirements for firms to benefit from Big Data are discussed.
Energy Balance and Multiple Myeloma in African Americans

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma B-cell malignancy that is characterized by clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow, monoclonal (M) protein in blood or urine, and organ dysfunction. The incidence of multiple myeloma (MM) is more than twice as high among African Americans as among whites in the USA (DeSantis et al., CA Cancer J Clin 63:151–166, 2013), but the reasons for this are still not well understood (Benjamin et al., Cancer Metastasis Rev 22:87–93, 2003; Greenberg et al., Leukemia 26:609–614, 2012). Obesity—a risk factor for MM that is more prevalent in African Americans than in whites—has been hypothesized to contribute to racial disparities in this disease. This chapter reviews the evidence regarding energy balance, race, and MM.
Chapter 6 Geostatistics: From pattern recognition to pattern reproduction

Publisher Summary Geological genesis of a reservoir causes observations to be correlated in space. While the variogram considers the overall spatial continuity between any two locations, the bi-variate distribution quantifies spatial continuity between specific classes of the property at any two locations. Spatial correlation allows making predictions about the property at un-sampled locations from sample data. A simple visual comparison between the true unknown field and the kriging map shows a smooth pattern in the kriging image and an un-smooth pattern in the true image. Stochastic simulation generates multiple reservoir models, termed realizations, each reproducing the same patterns, each representing alternative representations of the unknown truth. In the same sense as a set of outcomes drawn from a uni-variate distribution model represent the uncertainty about a random variable, a set of stochastically generated reservoir models represent the uncertainty about the unknown true reservoir. The major default of kriging, which leads to its smoothness, lies in the fact that un-sampled locations are estimated independently from one another.
Destination: Alexandria, Buenos Aires, Constantinople; "White Slavers" in late Imperial Austria.

f e w f o r m s o f s o c i a l l y d e v i a n t b e h av i o r received so much attention in the sexually saturated Austrian fin de siecle as Madchenhandel, or trafficking in girls, also called white slave trafficking. Trafficking in women and girls had not been unknown in preindustrial Cisleithania, but the discourse from the turn of the century embodied concerns about the need for social control in increasingly anonymous, modernizing, urbanizing, and capitalist society. Certainly, Madchenhandel was in many ways a modern crime, a crime associated particularly with Jews, who were popularly believed to supply white, unwilling girls to serve as prostitutes in brothels worldwide. ever-expanding and improving communication and transportation
The development of broadband signalling platforms

Mao Zedong once said: "All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience." This paper describes the experiences gained through a range of development projects, all concerned with the design, development, demonstration and maintenance of real broadband signalling systems. The authors have participated in the development of a variety of systems offering broadband capabilities, all of which support some form of broadband signalling between the service user and the service provider. The process of designing and building such systems can provide invaluable insights into issues such as development methods, signalling performance, programming interface definitions, etc, none of which are apparent from purely paper-based studies or through the standards specification process. This ‘coal-face‘ experience covers both collaborative as well as internal BT projects, with each system being subject to a wide variety of service requirements. In addition, the period of work covered by the developments described in the paper encompasses broadband signalling systems that on the one hand predate the published ITU-T standards on broadband ISDN systems and on the other include a comprehensive testbed supporting an interworking set of broadband signalling interfaces based on the appropriate signalling standards defined by both the ATM Forum as well as the ITU-T.
Other Bubble Device Forms

In the previous chapter we have studied the permalloy-bar (PB) bubble devices which use a gap in the pattern to define bit positions and to create magnetic poles, under the influence of a rotating field, to propagate bubbles. Other forms have been investigated in an attempt to achieve higher density for a given lithography, which is specified by the minimum feature, W0, that can be realiably defined thereby. In PB devices the minimum feature is the gap, g, so that g = W0, The density is determined by the pit pattern period, P and P is limited by P = 4−5d where d > g = W0. Four approaches to decreasing P and increasing density for a given W0 are: 1) “Two-level permalloy bar” where the gap is not defined by W0, but can be smaller. 2) “Charged-wall” devices using a different mechanism for localizing the bubble and for propagating it so that the need for gaps in the propagation pattern is eliminated. In these devices then the bubble size can be smaller then the minimum feature, instead of larger as in PB, so that d < W0. 3) “Lattice” devices where the bubbles are allowed to interact and can thus be closer together so that P ≃ 2d instead of 4−5d. 4) “Current Sheet” devices where the bubbles are propagated under the influence of fields from current-carrying conductor sheet(s) and the rotating field and the drive field coils are eliminated.
Retinal Vascular Changes in Hypertension

Excerpt A mere catalogue of the changes observed in the retina of patients with hypertension offers little of interest to the internist. The presence of arteriosclerosis or of arteriolosclerosis an...
An introduction to punchscan

PunchScan is a precinct-read optical-scan balloting system that allows voters to take their ballot with them after scanning. This does not violate the secret ballot principle because the ballots cannot be read without secret information held by the distributed authority in charge of the election. In fact, this election authority will publish the ballots for everyone to see, allowing voters whose ballots were incorrectly omitted to complain. PunchScan vote-counting is performed in private by the election authority – who uses their secret information to decode the ballots – but is verified in public by an auditor.In this paper we describe how and why PunchScan works. We have kept most of the description at an outline level so that it may be used as a straw model of a cryptographic voting system.
Caprine Arthritis-Encephalitis Virus Is Distinct from Visna and Progressive Pneumonia Viruses as Measured by Genome Sequence Homology

Abstract Competitive inhibition of hybridization between 125I-labeled caprine arthritis-encephalitis viral RNA and homologous cDNA by heterologous viral RNA shows that the caprine retrovirus shares <20% genome sequence homology with visna and progressive pneumonia viruses. These viruses, however, are indistinguishable in immunodiffusion reactions involving the major structural protein (p28).
Probing the WW gamma vertex at a 1-TeV e+e- collider using the process e gamma -->W nu.

We suggest that, at a future TeV-energy linear ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ collider, the process $e\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}W\ensuremath{\nu}$ will give an effective measurement of the $\mathrm{WW}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ vertex. By measuring the total cross section and the forward-backward asymmetry, the couplings $\ensuremath{\kappa}$ and $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ can be measured to a few-percent accuracy.
Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Integrates Diverse Inputs To Guide the Outcome of Antigen Recognition in T Cells

T cells must integrate a diverse array of intrinsic and extrinsic signals upon Ag recognition. Although these signals have canonically been categorized into three distinct events--Signal 1 (TCR engagement), Signal 2 (costimulation or inhibition), and Signal 3 (cytokine exposure)--it is now appreciated that many other environmental cues also dictate the outcome of T cell activation. These include nutrient availability, the presence of growth factors and stress signals, as well as chemokine exposure. Although all of these distinct inputs initiate unique signaling cascades, they also modulate the activity of the evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Indeed, mTOR serves to integrate these diverse environmental inputs, ultimately transmitting a signaling program that determines the fate of newly activated T cells. In this review, we highlight how diverse signals from the immune microenvironment can guide the outcome of TCR activation through the activation of the mTOR pathway.
Numerical self-consistent field theory of multicomponent polymer blends in the Gibbs ensemble

A new computational technique is presented for the investigation of multicomponent polymer phase behavior based on a Gibbs ensemble formulation of self-consistent field theory. Calculations in the Gibbs ensemble allow the simulation of two or more coexisting phases in the absence of an interface by enabling the exchange of volume and matter between phases to locate equilibrium. The theory underlying our numerical method is developed with an intensive formulation to allow the representation of each constituent phase or mesophase by a single representative unit cell. The phase coexistence of a binary blend consisting of an AB diblock copolymer with an A homopolymer was calculated and found to agree with previously reported results obtained in the grand canonical ensemble.
Effects of short-term exposure to ethanol on mouse embryos in vitro

Abstract The adverse developmental effects of ethanol consumption have been documented in humans and in animal models. In animal models, the organ system affected by ethanol administration is dependent on the point in gestation at which the xenobiotic is administered. Previous studies have shown that an exposure of 24–48 hr beginning at the early somite stage in rodent conceptuses alters neural tube closure in vitro. However, the concentration and time dependency of this effect have not been fully defined. Whole embryo culture was therefore used to expose 3–6-somite mouse conceptuses (ICR strain) to ethanol at 300, 450, 600 and 800 mg/dl. The higher concentrations were selected to approximate the peak serum ethanol concentrations that have been shown to be teratogenic in vivo. A 24-hr exposure produced a concentration-dependent increase in neural tube defects (NTDs) and concomitant growth retardation. When shorter exposure periods were used (8, 10, 12 or 20 hr) the incidence of NTDs was dependent on the ethanol concentration and exposure period. At the 600 and 800 mg/dl concentrations an exposure of 8 hr or more produced NTDs, but shorter periods (4 and 6 hr) did not affect neural tube closure when evaluated at the end of a 24-hr culture period. At the 450 mg/dl concentration a 20-hr exposure induced NTDs, but a 12-hr exposure to this level did not. Exposure of conceptuses to ethanol for periods similar to their half-life in vivo did not induce NTDs and the highest concentration produced only a trend towards a reduction in protein content. When the incidence of NTDs was plotted against the area under the time and concentration curve (AUC) the correlation coefficient was 0.5779. An analysis of covariance indicated that the relationships between NTDs and AUC were similar at the 300 and 450 mg/dl concentrations and also at the 600 and 800 mg/dl concentrations. In contrast, the relationships between embryonic protein content and AUC did not differ at the 300, 450 and 600 mg/dl concentrations, but all differed from that at the 800 mg/dl level. These results indicate that ethanol-induced NTDs do not appear to be due solely to embryonic growth retardation. Additionally, ethanol-induced neural tube defects are a function of duration of exposure as well as of peak serum concentration.
Angiotensin tachyphylaxis and vascular angiotensinase activity

Die Auffassung, dass die Gewebsangiotensinase-Aktivitat entscheidend sei, ob sich eine Gewebs-Tachiphylaxie gegenuber Angiotensin entwickelt oder nicht, konnte durch Versuche an verschiedenartigen Geweben keine Bestatigung finden.
EXPERIMENTAL REVERSAL OF GERM CELLS IN OVARIES OF FETAL MICE.

When heterosexual pairs of gonads of fetal mice were homotransplanted in close contact with each other below the kidney capsule of castrated adult hosts, the testis developed normally for this environment, but the ovary became an ovotestis. The medulla of the ovotestis contained dilated seminiferous tubules in which spermatogenesis progressed to the point at which secondary spermatocytes were produced. Under these conditions, germ cells, genetically determined as ova, underwent differentiation toward spermatozoa. This is the second clear case of germ cell reversal by experimental means in a mammalian species.
Children's perceptions of TV and health behavior effects.

PURPOSE: To understand and document children's stated experiences and beliefs about television and to elicit their suggestions for alternative activities. DESIGN AND METHODS: Eleven focus groups were conducted with 51 Anglo and Latino children, ages 7-10, in a large Northern California city. Philosophical underpinnings of developmental psychology were the basis for multiphase thematic analysis. Data were collected in 1998-1999. RESULTS: Themes were identified in five conceptual categories. Findings showed that children did not perceive many parental rules related to TV watching, rather daily routines are associated with TV viewing. Children revealed both covert and overt motivations for watching. Nearly all participants spoke of the deception of advertising, but they were unclear about the role of commercial sponsors in payment for TV shows. Children perceived both negative physical and behavioral health effects of TV and they had great difficulty imagining life without a TV. CONCLUSIONS: Children perceived television as providing educational and relational needs. Although they preferred alternatives to TV, they had difficulty articulating and getting those needs met. Clinicians and researchers can utilize these findings to design health interventions that attenuate the health-impairing effects of habitual sedentary activity in childhood. Language: en
Early neonatal experience of Long-Evans rats results in long-lasting changes in morphine tolerance and dependence.

Rationale: Daily, 3-h separations from the dam on postnatal days 2–14 produce long-lasting changes in behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to stressors and sensitivity to acute morphine in Long-Evans rats. Objective: We tested whether offspring that were separated from their dam for 3 h daily (MS) on postnatal days 2–14 exhibit altered sensitivity to chronic morphine, compared to animals that experienced only brief (15 min) separations (H) from the dam or that were left undisturbed (NH) during the same period. Methods: Subjects received 1 week SC infusion of either morphine, or saline via osmotic pumps. Twenty-hours after pump removal, the global opioid withdrawal scores were recorded. Four hours later, animals were tested for antinociception (tail-flick and hot-plate tests) during cumulative morphine administration. Results: MS males and MS females undergoing withdrawal from chronic morphine had higher global withdrawal scores compared to NH controls. MS males (but not MS females) were less sensitive to the antinociceptive effects of morphine compared to H and NH controls, primarily in the hot-plate test, regardless of whether they had received a saline or a morphine infusion. MS males consistently exhibited significant morphine tolerance, whereas control males failed to exhibit tolerance either in the hot-plate test (NH group) or in both antinociception assays (H group). In contrast, tolerance was exhibited by all females in both tests for antinociception. Conclusions: These data indicate that repeated neonatal maternal separation alters sensitivity to chronic morphine administration in a sex-dependent manner.
Dexamethasone-suppressible hyperaldosteronism.

Reinvestigation of an 18-yr-old male patient with dexamethasone-suppressible hyperaldosteronism after 6 yr of little or no treatment demonstrates that elevated blood pressure and increased urinary aldosterone excretion still were promptly decreased by a small dose of dexamethasone. Although in a previous report of this patient we suggested that a partial 17a-hydroxylase defect might be the cause of the hyperaldosteronism and hypertension, new secretion rate data presented here rule out this enzyme deficiency. The cause of the hyperaldosteronism is not elucidated by this study. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 37: 93, 1973)
Behaviors Used in Peer Tutoring

AbstractSpecific learning behaviors used during peer tutoring and the relationship of those behaviors to the degree of learning achieved were examined. Audiotape recordings of 20 tutoring pairs were analyzed for behaviors exhibited by tutors and tutees. Three stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed to determine which behaviors were significantly related to the test scores of the tutor, the tutee, and the total score of the pair, respectively. There was only partial overlap between the most frequently used behaviors and the behaviors found to be predictive of achievement. The possible relationships between the predictive behaviors and learning processes during tutoring are discussed.
Liberal Studies Programmes and the Adult College Graduate: Assessment of the Outcomes.

(1989). Liberal studies programmes and the adult college graduate: Assessment of the outcomes. International Journal of Lifelong Education: Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 197-209.
171 LASER-ASSISTED ZONA PELLUCIDA HATCHING IN FROZEN-THAWED BOVINE EMBRYOS

Incomplete zona hatching or failure of the zona to rupture compromises post-transfer embryo viability and conceptus development. Assisted hatching prior to the transfer of frozen-thawed bovine embryos has been proposed as a means to increase recipient pregnancy rates. The objective of this study was to determine if laser-assisted hatching would improve in vivo derived frozen-thawed bovine embryo hatching rates. In Exp. 1, direct-transfer beef cattle embryos were air-thawed for 15 s, placed in a 30°C water bath for 15 s, then held in TALP-HEPES, evaluated for stage and grade (1 = good to 3 = poor) and randomly applied to treatments. Embryos (n = 156) received either 2 or 3 symmetrical rents 40% through the outer zona surface using the XYClone diode laser (Hamilton Thorne, Beverly, MA, USA) at 90% power with a 600 μs pulse (Treatment A) or remained zona intact (Treatment B). Embryos were then cultured in vitro in CR1aa supplemented with 10% calf serum at 39°C in 5% CO2 and 5% O2 for 4 d. Embryo hatching rates were 47% for Treatment A and 53% for Treatment B. In Exp. 2, in vivo produced, nonsurgically collected direct-transfer Hereford embryos (n = 64) were utilized. In Exp. 3, in vivo produced nonsurgically collected glycerol frozen Brangus embryos (n= 46) were utilized. Embryos utilized in Exp. 2 and 3 were air-thawed for 15 s, placed in a 30°C water bath for 15 s, and then held in 1 M sucrose for 7 min. Embryos were then held in phosphate-buffered saline with 10% calf serum (Exp. 2) or ViGRO Holding Plus (Bioniche, Pullman, WA, USA) (Exp. 3), evaluated for stage and grade before being randomly assigned to either Treatment A or B. Embryos received either 3 symmetrical rents 40% through the outer zona surface using the XYClone laser at 90% power with a 600-μs pulse (Treatment A) or remained zona intact (Treatment B). Embryos were transferred nonsurgically (1 embryo/female) by the same technician into synchronized mixed breed recipient beef cows on Day 7 of the estrous cycle. Pregnancy status was determined at 35 days and 60 days via ultrasonography. In Exp. 2, treatment did not affect 60 day pregnancy rates across embryo grades 1, 2, and 3. Also, treatment did not affect pregnancy rates at 35 or 60 days (41% and 28% for Treatment A and 44% and 41% for Treatment B, respectively). Likewise, there was no difference in calving rate for recipients confirmed pregnant at 60 days for Treatment A (89%) and Treatment B (77%). In Exp. 3, treatment did not affect 60 day pregnancy rates across embryo grades 1, 2, and 3. Pregnancy rates at 35 and 60 days were not affected by treatment (65% and 65% for Treatment A and 76% and 59% for Treatment B, respectively). Calving rates for those recipients in Exp. 3 were not available at the time of abstract preparation. Based on the data presented herein, it does not appear that laser-assisted hatching with the XYClone laser increases the number of in vivo derived frozen-thawed embryos that hatch following in vitro culture or increase pregnancy rates after transfer to recipient cattle.