cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Looking Back to Move Forward: Quantifying Policy Predictions in Political Decision Making

Policy makers constantly face uncertainty, which makes achieving their goals problematic. To overcome this uncertainty, they employ tools to drive down uncertainty and make probabilistic decisions. We provide a method for scholars to assess empirically how actors make probabilistic predictions. We focus on the interactions between the executive and judicial branches, analyzing the conditions under which justices force the United States to provide them with information. Our approach generates substantive knowledge about interbranch behavior as well as a methodological innovation available to scholars who study political decision making under conditions of limited information.
Youtube and proposition 8: A case study in video activism

The present study uses California's Proposition 8 campaign as a case study for an exploratory investigation of video activism online. We conducted a content analysis of a sample of Proposition 8 videos drawn at random from the results of a keyword search of YouTube. Main findings from the analysis (N = 801) show that a majority of the videos were made up of original content and took a position against Proposition 8. The results also show that video posters on different sides of the debate drew on different mixes of video forms as the election debate progressed. A greater proportion of ‘Yes on 8’ videos were scripted and professionally produced while ‘No on 8’ videos were more often amateur creations and served to witness the widespread protests in the aftermath of the election.
Better with Byzantine: Manipulation-Optimal Mechanisms

A mechanism is manipulable if it is in some agents' best interest to misrepresent their private information. The revelation principle establishes that, roughly, anything that can be accomplished by a manipulable mechanism can also be accomplished with a truthful mechanism. Yet agents often fail to play their optimal manipulations due to computational limitations or various flavors of incompetence and cognitive biases. Thus, manipulable mechanisms in particular should anticipate byzantine play. We study manipulation-optimal mechanisms: mechanisms that are undominated by truthful mechanisms when agents act fully rationally, and do better than any truthful mechanism if any agent fails to act rationally in any way . This enables the mechanism designer to do better than the revelation principle would suggest, and obviates the need to predict byzantine agents' irrational behavior. We prove a host of possibility and impossibility results for the concept which have the impression of broadly limiting possibility. These results are largely in line with the revelation principle, although the considerations are more subtle and the impossibility not universal.
Hadron Correlations and Fluctuations in 40, 80, and 158 AGeV/c Pb-Au Collisions

Measurements of HBT correlations and event-by-event fluctuations of mean pT and the net charge in Pb-Au collisions at 40, 80, and 158 AGeV/c are presented. From comparisons of HBT radii measured from AGS to RHIC energies, a universal mean free path of pions at the thermal freeze-out of about 1 fm is derived. Non-statistical mean pT fluctuations of about 0.7 % are measured, which are somewhat smaller than fluctuations at RHIC. No indication for the QCD critical point is observed. Fluctuations of the net charge are reproduced by RQMD and URQMD models, but significantly larger than prediction in equilibrated QGP.
‘The true remedy for Irish grievances is to be found in good political institutions’: English radicals and Irish nationalism, 1847–74†

This article examines how English radicals reacted to the challenge of Irish nationalism in the mid nineteenth century. The Young Ireland, Fenian and Home Rule movements brought forth responses from across the spectrum of English radicalism, but scholars have neglected this topic, even as they have emphasized the importance of continental nationalisms for understanding English radicalism. This article, drawing on the radical press and manuscript sources, argues that a belief in the exceptional nature of the United Kingdom constitution, together with the growing importance of the imperial interest, convinced English radicals to reject Irish nationalism.
Rate of 6-[18F]fluorodopa uptake decline in striatal subregions in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Rate of decline in 6-L-[18F]fluorodopa (FDOPA) uptake within the striatum has been reported as showing regional differences in Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: We acquired longitudinal brain FDOPA positron emission tomography (PET) studies in 26 PD subjects and 11 controls over 4.5 years. We analyzed both spatially normalized voxel-wise maps of radiotracer influx (Kocc) and average Kocc values for six non-overlapping volumes of interest (VOIs) encompassing the striatum. Results: The voxel-wise analysis showed that in PD, FDOPA Kocc decline spanned the striatum but was greatest in the posterior putamen ipsilateral and anterior putamen contralateral to initial symptoms. The VOI approached showed that absolute rates of Kocc decline were significantly greater in PD than control subjects, but that the slope of decline did not differ between subregions. In PD, ratios of uptake between subregions did not change during the study with the exception of the ipsilateral putamen/caudate ratio. Decline rates were marginally greater during earlier time segments. Both male gender and advancing age were associated with lower baseline FDOPA uptake, but no difference in decline rates. VOI Kocc values were significantly correlated with disease duration, but only moderately correlated with clinical measures. Discussion: We conclude that FDOPA uptake in subregions of the striatum is strongly correlated with disease duration and age, and declines approximately equally from symptom onset in PD. This implies that in idiopathic PD, relative preservation of uptake in the anterior striatum reflects a delay in pathologic involvement of nigrostriatal projections to this region. © 2011 Movement Disorder Society
Learning with retrieval-based concept mapping.

Students typically create concept maps while they view the material they are trying to learn. In these circumstances, concept mapping serves as an elaborative study activity—students are not required to retrieve the material they are learning. In 2 experiments, we examined the effectiveness of concept mapping when it is used as a retrieval practice activity. In Experiment 1, students read educational texts and practiced retrieval either by writing down as many ideas as they could recall in paragraph format or by creating a concept map (retrieval-based concept mapping). In Experiment 2, we factorially crossed the format of the activity (paragraph vs. concept map) and the presence or absence of the text (i.e., whether the activity involved repeated studying or retrieval practice). On a final test 1 week later that assessed verbatim knowledge and inferencing, both paragraph and concept map retrieval practice formats produced better performance than additional studying, but the 2 retrieval formats themselves did not differ. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of concept mapping when it is used as a retrieval practice activity and show that retrieval itself, rather than merely the act of writing, drives the benefits of retrieval-based learning activities.
Some remarks on the geometry of austere manifolds

We prove several structure theorems about the special class of minimal submanifolds which Harvey and Lawson have called “austere” and which arose in connection with their foundational work on calibrations. The condition of austerity is a pontwise condition on the second fundamental form and essentially requires that the non-zero eigenvalues of the second fundamental form in any normal direction at any point occur in oppositely signed pairs. We solve the pointwise problem of describing the set of austere second fundamental forms in dimension at most four and the local problem of describing the austere three-folds in Euclidean space in all dimensions.
Structural principles for the inhibition of the 3'-5' exonuclease activity of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I by phosphorothioates.

A two-metal-ion catalytic mechanism has previously been proposed for several phosphoryl-transfer enzymes. In order to extend the structural basis of this mechanism, crystal structures of three single-stranded DNA substrates bound to the 3'-5' exonucleolytic active site of the large fragment of DNA polymerase I from Escherichia coli have been elucidated. The first is a 2.1 A resolution structure of a Michaelis complex between the large fragment (or Klenow fragment, KF) and a single-stranded DNA substrate, stabilized by low pH and flash-freezing. The positions and identities of the catalytic metal ions, a Zn2+ at site A and a Mg2+ at site B, have been clearly established. The structural and kinetic consequences of sulfur substitutions in the scissile phosphate have been explored. A complex with the Rp isomer of phosphorothioate DNA, refined at 2.2 A resolution, shows Zn2+ bound to both metal sites and a mispositioning of the substrate and attacking nucleophile. The complex with the Sp phosphorothioate at 2. 3 A resolution reveals that metal ions do not bind in the active site, having been displaced by a bulky sulfur atom. Steady-state kinetic experiments show that catalyzed hydrolysis of the Rp isomer was reduced only about 15-fold, while no enzyme activity could be detected with the Sp phosphorothioate, consistent with the structural observations. Furthermore, Mn2+ could not rescue the activity of the exonuclease on the Sp phosphorothioate. Taken together, these studies confirm and extend the proposed two-metal-ion exonuclease mechanism and provide a structural context to explain the effects of sulfur substitutions on this and other phosphoryl-transfer enzymes. These experiments also suggest that the possibility of metal-ion exclusion be taken into account when interpreting the results of Mn2+ rescue experiments.
2009 Special Issue: Bias, optimal linear estimation, and the differences between open-loop simulation and closed-loop performance of spiking-based brain-computer interface algorithms

The activity of dozens of simultaneously recorded neurons can be used to control the movement of a robotic arm or a cursor on a computer screen. This motor neural prosthetic technology has spurred an increased interest in the algorithms by which motor intention can be inferred. The simplest of these algorithms is the population vector algorithm (PVA), where the activity of each cell is used to weight a vector pointing in that neuron's preferred direction. Off-line, it is possible to show that more complicated algorithms, such as the optimal linear estimator (OLE), can yield substantial improvements in the accuracy of reconstructed hand movements over the PVA. We call this open-loop performance. In contrast, this performance difference may not be present in closed-loop, on-line control. The obvious difference between open and closed-loop control is the ability to adapt to the specifics of the decoder in use at the time. In order to predict performance gains that an algorithm may yield in closed-loop control, it is necessary to build a model that captures aspects of this adaptation process. Here we present a framework for modeling the closed-loop performance of the PVA and the OLE. Using both simulations and experiments, we show that (1) the performance gain with certain decoders can be far less extreme than predicted by off-line results, (2) that subjects are able to compensate for certain types of bias in decoders, and (3) that care must be taken to ensure that estimation error does not degrade the performance of theoretically optimal decoders.
The effects of social stimuli on psychophysiological reactivity to an aversive film

Stress was induced by an aversive film, and stress responses were measured by tonic skin conductance and self-reports of tension. Contrary to initial expectations, skin conductance levels were greater in the presence of a friend than in the presence of a stranger and greater than in a condition where Ss watched the film alone. The results also showed that a friend who was blocked from view produced higher levels of skin conductance and subjective tension than did a friend who was visible to the S, whereas the effect was just the opposite for visible and nonvisible strangers. Both sets of findings were interpreted in terms of conflicting needs for anonymity and emotional comparison.
Study of the Ultrasonic Characteristics of Typical Partial Discharge on GIS

This Paper studied the typical PD in GIS by ultrasonic method. A GIS PD simulating and testing system is established, including a PD simulating system, an ultrasonic detecting system and a conventional pulse current method measurement system. The thesis focuses on four typical kinds of PD signals in GIS, including metal particles, bad contacts on high and grounding potential conductor, the protrusion on the high potential conductor. The statistics characteristics are obtained which include N-Φ spectrogram (relationship between discharge frequency and discharge phase Spectrogram) and Umax-Φ spectrogram (relationship between discharge amplitude and discharge phase Spectrogram). Experimental results show that low-frequency ultrasonic sensors can detect this four PD signals， signal spectra analysis shows that ultrasonic signals of different statistical model are with different characteristics. The results provide test data for the pattern recognition of Partial Discharge in GIS.
Evoked-potential thresholds and cubic distortion product otoacoustic emissions in the chinchilla following carboplatin treatment and noise exposure

Twenty-two chinchillas were given either a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) or intravenous (i.v.) injection (50 or 75 mg/kg) of Paraplatin, an asymptotic threshold shift-producing noise or a combination of the drug and noise in series. Auditory evoked potential (pure-tone) audiograms and cubic distortion product otoacoustic emissions were obtained on each animal before and after treatment, and the sensory epithelium of the cochlea was evaluated using the surface preparation method. Anatomical analysis indicated that the carboplatin alone caused relatively severe but scattered losses of inner hair cells throughout most of the cochlea which were dependent on dose and administration route. The outer sensory cell population remained essentially intact. In animals that had up to 40% scattered losses of only inner hair cells, evoked potential thresholds were near normal and the emission functions either were normal or showed an enhanced output. The severe losses of inner hair cells produced by the drug had no effect on the threshold shift dynamics produced by a five-day uninterrupted noise exposure. In general, there was not a consistent relation between the emission data and both the permanent threshold shift and outer hair cell losses.
Rapid reversal of no-reflow using Abciximab after coronary device intervention

The no-reflow phenomenon is a reduction in epicardial coronary artery blood flow without mechanical vessel obstruction. Early descriptions of this syndrome involved reperfusion after myocardial infarction. More recently, the no-reflow phenomenon has been recognized after brief ischemic times associated with coronary interventions. It is clearly a negative prognostic indicator. The proposed mechanism is multi-factorial and may involve small vessel vasospasm and potentially platelet-mediated loss of capillary autoregulation. Because of the potential role of platelets in the genesis of the no-reflow state, we administered Abciximab to two patients with no-reflow phenomenon following catheter interventions. In both of these settings, rapid distal runoff was reestablished within minutes after treatment with the platelet glycoprotein 2B/3A inhibitor. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Diagn. 42:187–190, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Subtypes of clinical presentations in malingerers of posttraumatic stress disorder: an MMPI-2 cluster analysis.

This paper investigated subtypes of individuals trained and instructed to malinger Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through a cluster analysis of their Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) clinical and validity scales. Participants were 84 men and women college students at a community college in the southeastern United States. Two well fitting MMPI-2 cluster solutions were evaluated with discriminant analyses and multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs); a 2-cluster solution was deemed optimal. Significant between-cluster differences emerged in follow-up analyses on most of the content scales of the MMPI-2. Most demographic variables did not account for differences in cluster membership. Clusters differed in their reported clarity of the materials used to educate them about PTSD. Discriminant analyses yielded better correct classification rates than those from previous studies, when the more severely symptomatic cluster was compared with a sample of clinical combat-related PTSD ve...
Impacts of natural and manipulated variations in temperature, pH and light on photosynthetic parameters of coralline–kelp assemblages

Abstract Increasing absorption of CO2 by the world's oceans is lowering seawater pH and may have severe consequences for marine calcifying organisms. Understanding the ecological consequences of anthropogenic CO2 emissions will require examination of how calcifying organisms and their associated communities respond to natural variation in CO2 concentration. Many macroalgae may respond positively or neutrally to ocean acidification, but calcifying species such as coralline algae are predicted to be some of the most susceptible organisms to changing CO2. Here I test the impacts of temperature and pH variation on important photosynthetic metrics of macroalgal assemblages composed of coralline turf, Corallina vancouveriensis and the associated canopy-forming kelp, Saccharina sessilis using in situ photorespirometry and laboratory mesocosms. In situ photorespirometry was done at two locations on the Oregon (USA) coast, an area with variable upwelling of high CO2, low pH water. To complement in situ measurements, a series of laboratory mesocosms were used to disentangle the effects of pH and temperature on photosynthetic parameters across a light gradient. The acute effects of low pH were also tested across a temperature gradient, revealing an exacerbated effect of short duration, low pH events on respiration rates at increasing temperature. NPP (net primary productivity) was reduced by 10–20% within in situ coralline assemblages across a natural gradient of pH (8.1–7.9), but there was a mostly neutral effect of low pH on NPP of coralline–kelp assemblages. These results indicate varied responses of coralline and coralline–kelp assemblages to temperature and pH gradients, but under limiting light conditions primary production and growth of corallines are likely to decrease under modest scenarios of CO2 increase. Assemblage composition could play an important role in modulating the impacts of ocean acidification on calcifying organisms, and results from this study suggest that canopy and sub-canopy interactions could determine the response of susceptible species to changing climatic parameters.
Subtle consequences of methylmercury exposure, behavioral deviations in offspring of treated mothers.

Overt neurological impairment is the endpoint currently used to document a case of methylmercury poisoning. No consideration is given to possible subtle consequences. Offspring from mice exposed to methylmercury on day 7 or 9 of pregnancy were apparently unaffected during postnatal development. However, subtle behavioral differences between treated and control offspring were found when the overtly normal animals were tested in an open field and evaluated in a swimming apparatus at 1 month of age. Brain weight, protein, choline acetyltransferase, and cholinesterase were not significantly altered.
Circular Dichroism Study of the f2al Histone in the Presence of Polyvinyl-phosphate and DNA

PHYSICOCHEMICAL studies of the interaction of single molecular histone species with DNA are of interest because of their relevance to chromosomal structure. We report the spacing of the anionic phosphate groups, which is here the results of a circular dichroism study which indicates that interaction with polyvinylphosphate or DNA dramatically alters the conformation of the f2al histone.
Is informed consent a "yes or no" response? Enhancing the shared decision-making process for persons with aphasia.

Respect for patient autonomy and the need to have a comprehensive discussion of the risks and benefits of a medical intervention are two important issues involved in the process of obtaining informed consent. In dealing with individuals with aphasia, there may be particular challenges in balancing these two ethical imperatives. Although decision-making capacity may be preserved with aphasia, the patients’ ability to fully participate in a dialogue regarding a proposed medical intervention is frequently impaired. We propose a process of enhancing informed consent for persons with aphasia while continuing to respect and enhance patient autonomy and the exercise of decision making for these patients. The use of a patient-selected “helper” during the informed consent process can improve the quality of the informed consent, while reserving final decision-making authority for the patient.
Examining Depression, Anxiety, and Foster Care Placement as Predictors of Substance Use and Sexual Activity in Adolescents

This study investigated the impact of anxiety and depression on sexual activity and substance use behaviors in a sample of 56 community- (traditional living arrangements) and foster care-dwelling adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. It was hypothesized that higher levels of anxiety and depression would be related to higher rates of risky sexual activity and substance use. Regression analyses were used to examine impact of the internalizing predictors on the risky behaviors. Results of the sample were presented with group membership emerging as a robust predictor of both sexual activity and substance use. Results suggest that adolescents within out-of-home care are at increased risk for engaging in these behaviors when compared with community-dwelling peers, and they may benefit from specific interventions aimed at decreasing participation. Future research may focus on assessing the effectiveness of interventions for these youth.
Stability criteria for certain classes of nonlinear difference equations

Abstract The general mth order difference equation X(n+m)+a1X(n+m−1)+…+amX(n) = F[n,X(n),…,X(n+m−1)] is considered. The stability properties of its solutions are studied using the discrete form of Liapunov's direct method. A quadratic form is selected as a possible Liapunov function V(n,X) and a scheme is developed for determining appropriate conditions on this function to insure that its total difference ΔV(n,X) is negative semi-definite or negative definite with respect to the difference equation. The approach is applied to the fourth-order difference equation in full detail to illustrate the method for determining the conditions which imply either uniform stability or uniform asymptotic stability and specific results are obtained. Several comments on, and extensions of, the work done by Puri and Drake for the cases m = 2 and m = 3 are presented. The results of the present approach in the homogeneous case where F[n,X(n),…,X(n+m−1)] = 0 are compared with the usual Schur-Cohn criteria and are shown to be at least as good.
Determination of the Schottky barrier height of ferromagnetic contacts to few-layer phosphorene

Phosphorene, the 2D analogue of black phosphorus, is a promising material for studying spin transport due to its low spin-orbit coupling and its ½ nuclear spin, which could allow the study of hyperfine effects. In this work, the properties of permalloy (Py) and cobalt (Co) contacts to few-layer phosphorene are presented. The Schottky barrier height was extracted and determined as a function of gate bias. Flat-band barrier heights, relative to the valence band edge, of 110 meV and 200 meV were determined for Py and Co, respectively. These results are important for future studies of spin transport in phosphorene.
The status and prospects of renewable energy for combating global warming

Abstract Reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in material quantities, globally, is a critical element in limiting the impacts of global warming. GHG emissions associated with energy extraction and use are a major component of any strategy addressing climate change mitigation. Non-emitting options for electrical power and liquid transportation fuels are increasingly considered key components of an energy system with lower overall environmental impacts. Renewable energy technologies (RETs) as well as biofuels technologies have been accelerating rapidly during the past decades, both in technology performance and cost-competitiveness — and they are increasingly gaining market share. These technology options offer many positive attributes, but also have unique cost/benefit trade-offs, such as land-use competition for bioresources and variability for wind and solar electric generation technologies. This paper presents a brief summary of status, recent progress, some technological highlights for RETs and biofuels, and an analysis of critical issues that must be addressed for RETs to meet a greater share of the global energy requirements and lower GHG emissions.
Correlation of 18F-FDG Avid Volumes on Pre–Radiation Therapy and Post–Radiation Therapy FDG PET Scans in Recurrent Lung Cancer

Purpose To investigate the spatial correlation between high uptake regions of 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]-fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography ( 18 F-FDG PET) before and after therapy in recurrent lung cancer. Methods and Materials We enrolled 106 patients with inoperable lung cancer into a prospective study whose primary objectives were to determine first, the earliest time point when the maximum decrease in FDG uptake representing the maximum metabolic response (MMR) is attainable and second, the optimum cutoff value of MMR based on its predicted tumor control probability, sensitivity, and specificity. Of those patients, 61 completed the required 4 serial 18 F-FDG PET examinations after therapy. Nineteen of 61 patients experienced local recurrence at the primary tumor and underwent analysis. The volumes of interest (VOI) on pretherapy FDG-PET were defined by use of an isocontour at ≥50% of maximum standard uptake value (SUV max ) (≥50% of SUV max ) with correction for heterogeneity. The VOI on posttherapy images were defined at ≥80% of SUV max . The VOI of pretherapy and posttherapy 18 F-FDG PET images were correlated for the extent of overlap. Results The size of VOI at pretherapy images was on average 25.7% (range, 8.8%-56.3%) of the pretherapy primary gross tumor volume (GTV), and their overlap fractions were 0.8 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.7-0.9), 0.63 (95% CI: 0.49-0.77), and 0.38 (95% CI: 0.19-0.57) of VOI of posttherapy FDG PET images at 10 days, 3 months, and 6 months, respectively. The residual uptake originated from the pretherapy VOI in 15 of 17 cases. Conclusions VOI defined by the SUV max -≥50% isocontour may be a biological target volume for escalated radiation dose.
Effects of peptide molecular mass and PEG chain length on the vasoreactivity of VIP and PACAP1–38 in pegylated phospholipid micelles

Abstract Bioactive properties of certain amphipathic peptides are amplified when self-associated with sterically stabilized micelles (SSM) composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-conjugated phospholipids. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of amphipathic peptide molecular mass and PEG chain length on vasoreactivity evoked by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a 28-amino acid neuropeptide, and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide 1–38 (PACAP 1–38 ), a 38-amino acid neuropeptide, associated with PEGylated phospholipid micelles in vivo. Both peptides were incubated for 2 h with SSM composed of PEG with molecular mass of 2000 or 5000 grafted onto distearoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE-PEG2000 or DSPE-PEG5000) before use. We found that regardless of peptide molecular mass, PEG chain length had no significant effects on peptide–SSM interactions. Using intravital microscopy, VIP associated with DSPE-PEG5000 SSM or DSPE-PEG2000 SSM incubated at 25 °C evoked similar vasodilation in the intact hamster cheek pouch microcirculation. Likewise, PACAP 1–38 -induced vasodilation was PEG chain length-independent. However, SSM-associated PACAP 1–38 evoked significantly smaller vasodilation than that evoked by SSM-associated VIP ( P 1–38 -induced vasodilation was now similar to that of SSM-associated VIP. This response was associated with a corresponding increase in α-helix content of both peptides in the presence of phospholipids. Collectively, these data indicate that for a larger amphipathic peptide, such as PACAP 1–38 , greater kinetic energy or longer incubation period is required to optimize peptide–SSM interactions and amplify peptide bioactivity in vivo.
Effect of a prostaglandin antagonist, N-0164, on cAMP generation and hydrolysis in the rat uterus.

Abstract N-0164 (sodium- p -benzyl-4-[1-oxo-2-(4-chlorobenzyl)-3-phenyl propyl] phenylphosphonate) (20–100 μM), an antagonist of the contractile effect of prostaglandins, reversed the prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) inhibition of isoproterenol-induced cAMP accumulation in rat uterus. N-0164, at the same concentrations, was a potent cAMP-phosphodiesterase inhibitor in broken cell preparations and potentiated the cAMP response to isoproterenol in intact tissue. The potency of N-0164 to inhibit cAMP-phosphodiesterase and to reverse the effect of PGE 2 on the cAMP response to isoproterenol were comparable ( ec 50 :50 and 60 μM respectively). In the presence of 10 mM theophylline, N-0164 did not affect the inhibitory effect of PGE 2 . Furthermore, N-0164 produced similar proportional increases in the cAMP response to isoproterenol in the presence and absence of PGE 2 . These results suggest that the apparent reversal by N-0164 of the PGE 2 effect on the cAMP response to isoproterenol is not due to its prostaglandin antagonistic action but to inhibition of cAMP-phosphodiesterase. N-0164, at concentrations lower than those inhibiting cAMP-phosphodiesterase, selectively inhibited the PGE 2 -induced contractions of the rat uterus ( ec 50 , 4 μM), while at higher concentrations it also diminished carbachol-induced contractions. These results indicate that in the rat uterus N-0164 has at least two effects, prostaglandin antagonism and cAMP-phosphodiesterase inhibition, and suggest that the contractile effect of PGE 2 is independent of the effect of PGE 2 on the isoproterenol-induced rise in cAMP.
Gas Chromatographic measurement of toxaphene in milk, fat, blood, and alfalfa hay.

The need for a sensitive and reproducible method for determination of submicrogram quantities of toxaphene in food, forage crops, milk, and meat has become apparent with the widespread use of this pesticide. Graupner and Dunn (1) originally described a spectrophotometric procedure that could determine toxaphene in the 20 to 100 μg range. Extensive cleanup procedures were employed before analysis.
Paramyosin-Myosin-Actin Interactions in Gel Formation of Invertebrate Muscle

Even when actomyosin dissociated into myosin and actin in the paramyosin-natural actomyosin system, the indices of gel properties increased on increasing the paramyosin content; however, their increases were smaller. Also, in the paramyosin-myosin system gels, the indices of gel properties increased on increasing the paramyosin content; however, the increases were smaller than those for the paramyosin-natural actomyosin system gels. In both systems, a high linearity was observed between each index of gel properties and paramyosin. It was likely that the paramyosin-myosin interaction did not bring about the characteristic texture of invertebrate muscle gel directly, but the binding of myosin and actin might be indispensable if the contribution of paramyosin was to occur.
Bridge Engineering for the Elementary Grades

A one hour presentation was developed to get elementary school students interested in engineering. The presentation begins with the students building a six feet long, structurally sound bridge which they can crawl across. A pictorial presentation helps them learn to identify some of the different types of bridges: truss, stone arch, steel arch, concrete girder, cable-stayed, and suspension. They are introduced to the fundamental engineering concepts of tension and compression. These concepts are reinforced by demonstrating that if a tension member is replaced with a chain then the bridge is still strong, but if a compression member is replaced with a chain the bridge will collapse. The presentation was integrated into the engineering curriculum by having senior design groups develop new bridge concepts and introduce new ideas into the presentation. This project provides a good senior design problem and helps keep the program fresh and interesting for the grade school children.
Short tau inversion recovery and three-point Dixon water-fat separation sequences in acute traumatic bone fractures at open 0.35 tesla MRI.

Objective. Fat suppression can be used to improve the diagnostic confidence in traumatic bone fractures of the extremities. We compared a three-point Dixon "sandwich" water–fat separation (WFS) sequence, resulting in a water-only and a fat-only image set after one excitation, with the STIR sequence on an open 0.35 T superconductive MR system. Design and patients. T1-weighted, STIR (2000/40 [TR/TE]), and WFS (2000/36 [TR/TE]) MR images were prospectively obtained in 27 patients with 40 radiologically diagnosed fractures immediately after first-line treatment. Signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, contrast-to-noise (C/N) ratio, and bone marrow edema volumes were measured together with qualitative parameters (four-point scale). Results. WFS was significantly superior to STIR in all quantitative parameters (better S/N ratio, P<0.001; better C/N ratio, P<0.001; larger marrow edema, P <0.023; Wilcoxon signed rank test). Visibility of bone marrow edema, visibility of fracture line, and preservation of anatomical details were better with the WFS sequence (P<0.001, P<0.001, P<0.001, respectively; ANOVA). Fat saturation was rated more homogeneous, however, with the STIR sequence (not significant; P<0.101). Conclusion. On the basis of qualitative and quantitative assessments, the three-point Dixon "sandwich" water–fat separation sequence was consistently superior to the STIR sequence in the delineation of traumatic fractures.
Psychological Measurement of Memory Deficits in Dialysis Patients

In light of recent research on "dialysis dementia," two questions were raised: (1) Is such dementia an all-or-none phenomenon or is it distributed in severity throughout the population of dialysis patients? (2) Is the dementia related to the uremia itself or to some aspect of dialysis? Memory decline was used as the operational definition of dementia. The Russell revision of the Wechsler Memory Scale was used to measure short- and long-term semantic and figural memory. Results suggested that both semantic and figural memory disturbances were distributed in varying degrees throughout the population of dialysis patients (n = 28). Further findings suggested that figural memory functioning was negatively correlated with the number of dialysis sessions and with the amount of time elapsed since the first dialysis session. Suggestions are made for further research and clinical considerations.
Peripheral nerve grafts to the frog optic tectum: a morphological study of foreign axon regeneration in the central nervous system.

The proximal stump of a transected mandibular nerve was grafted onto the rostrodorsal surface of the optic tectum in adult Rana pipiens to investigate the morphologic characteristics of nonspecific axonal regeneration in a highly organized region of central nervous system (CNS). Within the first 3 weeks postgraft surgery (WPS), the nerve-tectum interface became firmly established. Concomitant with this was an invasion of the host tectum by a small number of fine “pioneerlike” axons from the nerve. By 6 WPS there developed a concerted instreaming of a large number of peripheral fibers. Once within the CNS, the foreign axons distributed themselves throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the tectum, but primarily its dorsal aspect within superficial layers 8 and 9. Presence of intact optic fibers at the time of mandibular fiber invasion served somewhat to restrict the regenerating aberrant axons in their course through layer 9. This restriction could be avoided by removal of the optic input either before or during peripheral ingrowth. However, once peripheral fibers had entered and established themselves in the host environment, no subsequent manipulation of the retinotectal projection had any effect. The aberrant growth pattern, which appeared remarkably stable after 6 WPS, consisted of a plexus of medium- and fine-caliber peripheral axons. Many of these fibers had numerous branches and “en passant” varicosities, the latter encompassing a variety of shapes and sizes. Terminal swellings and arborizations were also found. When comparing the regeneration of optic and mandibular nerve fibers in the tectum, two distinctions were made. Whereas optic axons revealed a fascicular and layered organization, mandibular axons showed a highly segregated and disordered growth pattern. These characteristic differences were maintained even when the two fiber systems were allowed to coregenerate into the same target tectum. Thus, each of the two groups of axons interacts with the tectal substrate in a distinct manner, apparently independent of the other.
Groundwater recharge and sustainability in the High Plains aquifer in Kansas, USA

Sustainable use of groundwater must ensure not only that the future resource is not threatened by overuse, but also that natural environments that depend on the resource, such as stream baseflows, riparian vegetation, aquatic ecosystems, and wetlands are protected. To properly manage groundwater resources, accurate information about the inputs (recharge) and outputs (pumpage and natural discharge) within each groundwater basin is needed so that the long-term behavior of the aquifer and its sustainable yield can be estimated or reassessed. As a first step towards this effort, this work highlights some key groundwater recharge studies in the Kansas High Plains at different scales, such as regional soil-water budget and groundwater modeling studies, county-scale groundwater recharge studies, as well as field-experimental local studies, including some original new findings, with an emphasis on assumptions and limitations as well as on environmental factors affecting recharge processes. The general impact of irrigation and cultivation on recharge is to appreciably increase the amount of recharge, and in many cases to exceed precipitation as the predominant source of recharge. The imbalance between the water input (recharge) to the High Plains aquifer and the output (pumpage and stream baseflows primarily) is shown to be severe, and responses to stabilize the system by reducing water use, increasing irrigation efficiency, adopting water-saving land-use practices, and other measures are outlined. Finally, the basic steps necessary to move towards sustainable use of groundwater in the High Plains are delineated, such as improving the knowledge base, reporting and providing access to information, furthering public education, as well as promoting better understanding of the public’s attitudinal motivations; adopting the ecosystem and adaptive management approaches to managing groundwater; further improving water efficiency; exploiting the full potential of dryland and biosaline agriculture; and adopting a goal of long-term sustainable use.
Inverse Production Regimes: Alaska and West Coast Pacific Salmon

Abstract A principal component analysis reveals that Pacific salmon catches in Alaska have varied inversely with catches from the U.S. West Coast during the past 70 years. If variations in catch reflect variations in salmon production, then results of our analysis suggest that the spatial and temporal characteristics of this “inverse” catch/production pattern are related to climate forcing associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, a recurring pattern of pan-Pacific atmosphere-ocean variability. Temporally, both the physical and biological variability are best characterized as alternating 20-to 30-year-long regimes punctuated by abrupt reversals. From 1977 to the early 1990s, ocean conditions have generally favored Alaska stocks and disfavored West Coast stocks. Unfavorable ocean conditions are likely confounding recent management efforts focused on increasing West Coast Pacific salmon production. Recovery of at-risk (threatened and endangered) stocks may await the next reversal of the Pacific Decad...
Administering identities: state decentralisation and local identification in Morocco

In Morocco, the contemporary emphasis on regionalisation and increased tolerance for ethnolinguistic diversity belie state attempts to dissipate pre‐Independence ‘tribal’ allegiances among citizens for whom they hold sway. Ever‐refined rural administrative boundaries and the new place names that accompany them suggest new models for group organisation ‐ challenging indigenous understandings about the links between different locations, and about links between people and places. This article argues that Tashelhit speakers of the Souss region engage in information management by selectively revealing and concealing personal information, thus challenging state attempts to eliminate family and ‘tribe’ from place and personal names. Civil registries, school records, and national identity cards document the discrepancies between indigenous and state naming practices, raising difficulties for citizens who must increasingly rely on documents over oral testimony to pursue legal and administrative ends.
Electrically conducting polymers can noninvasively control the shape and growth of mammalian cells.

Abstract Electrically conducting polymers are novel in that their surface properties, including charge density and wettability, can be reversibly changed with an applied electrical potential. Such properties might render conducting polymers unique for biological applications. However, the majority of research on conducting polymers has been carried out under nonbiological conditions. We synthesized optically transparent polypyrrole thin films and studied them in environments suitable for protein adsorption and mammalian cell culture. In vitro studies demonstrated that extracellular matrix molecules, such as fibronectin, adsorb efficiently onto polypyrrole thin films and support cell attachment under serum-free conditions. When aortic endothelial cells were cultured on fibronectin-coated polypyrrole (oxidized) in either chemically defined medium or the presence of serum, cells spread normally and synthesized DNA. In contrast, when the polymer was switched to its neutral state by applying an electrical potential, both cell extension and DNA synthesis were inhibited without affecting cell viability. Application of a similar electrical potential to cells cultured on indium tin oxide surfaces had no effect on cell shape or function. These data suggest that electrically conducting polymers may represent a type of culture substrate which could provide a noninvasive means to control the shape and function of adherent cells, independent of any medium alteration.
PREDICTING VEHICLE OCCUPANCIES FROM ACCIDENT DATA: AN ACCIDENT SEVERITY APPROACH

Past studies have shown that using accident records to estimate vehicle occupancies (i.e., using the observed occupancies of vehicles involved in accidents) results in an overestimation of occupancy. There are a number of possible reasons for this, one of which is that multioccupant accidents are more likely to be reported (i.e., appear in an accident database) because, with more people, the possibility of an injury is greater. The interaction between vehicle occupancy and accident severity is used to develop a method to correct for the occupancy overestimation bias inherent in accident data. A nested logit model of occupancy and severity is estimated, and a correction technique is applied to eliminate biases. The results show that the proposed approach gives accurate predictions of vehicle occupancies using standard accident data.
IL-4 and IFN-γ induced by human immunodeficiency virus vaccine in a schistosome infection model.

The co-infection of HIV and helminth parasites, such as Schistosoma spp, has increased in sub-Saharan Africa. Many HIV vaccine candidate studies have been completed or are in ongoing clinical trial...
Learning curve in endoscopic sinus surgery

The existence of a long learning curve for endoscopic sinus surgery has been proposed as a reason for rigorous and extensive training to prepare physicians to perform this surgery. In this article, the author--who participated in this type of training program--examines his experience over a 5-year period to assess the effect of rigorous training on the learning curve for endoscopic sinus surgery. Beginning with the first day of practice after training, 5 years with 393 cases were evaluated for complications and the need for revision surgery. The results were analyzed in 100-case groups. The results show no difference in major and serious complications or revision surgery rates. However, a statistically significant difference in the minor-complication rate, specifically frontal-sinus stenosis, was found from the first half to the second half of the experience. These findings show that, with rigorous training of the physician, the learning curve can largely be completed during residency training, allowing the new practitioner to perform endoscopic sinus surgery safely and with good results.
The β subunit of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase mRNA is deficient in canine rod-cone dysplasia 1

Irish setter dogs affected with rod-cone dysplasia 1 have elevated levels of retinal cGMP resulting from deficient rod-specific cGMP phosphodiesterase (cGMP PDE) activity. We investigated the mRNAs coding for the three subunits of cGMP PDE and for the proteins involved in the activation/deactivation of this enzyme in the retinas of developing affected and control dogs. While the photoreceptor cells are viable in the diseased retinas, opsin, transducin alpha 1 and beta 1, 48 and 33 kd proteins, and cGMP PDE alpha and gamma mRNAs have normal transcript sizes and levels. In contrast, a different pattern of cGMP PDE beta mRNAs with lower than normal concentrations is present in the developing affected retinas prior to degeneration. Our observations suggest that an abnormality involving cGMP PDE beta expression is implicated in rod-cone dysplasia 1.
Role of available and provided resources in sensemaking

Making sense of a topic often involves appropriating information and organizing themes from various existing resources. We studied how sensemakers appropriated from available online resources as well as artifacts provided by another person directly. We found that both available and provided resources affect sensemaking activities. Sensemakers added more structure in their work when online resources were easily available, but added less structure and information when they were provided relevant sensemaking artifacts from another person. We also studied how early and mature artifacts provided by another person were appropriated differently and found that mature artifacts were rated better and used more but resulted in lesser structure and information being added by the recipient. These findings have implications for the support of sensemaking activities using resources available online as well as artifacts provided by others including co-workers and friends.