cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Content and temporal structure of autobiographical knowledge: Remembering twenty-five seasons at the Metropolitan Opera.

Three experiments were designed to explore the structure and content of a well-defined subset of very long-term autobiographical memory. In Experiment 1, the author free-recalled in a single session details about the dates and casting of 284 opera performances seen at the Metropolitan Opera over a period of 25 seasons. Recall accuracy was measured by comparing the recall with the programs for each performance. Primacy and recency effects were prominent in recall of both temporal and casting details. Also, recall of performances was superior if the performances were included in the sequential structures of seasons in memory. Experiments 2 and 3 were designed to examine the effect of an opera performance’s relative importance (or intensity) and opportunities for rehearsal of an opera performance on the author’s free recall of the performance. In Experiment 2, importance/rehearsal opportunity was estimated from nine sources, including recordings, telecasts, tapes, and photograph books. In Experiment 3, the set of opera performances was rated and ranked by four opera experts on the dimension of intensity or importance of each performance. In both experiments, importance/rehearsal opportunity was related to superior recall of casting but not to recall of temporal details. Results suggest that detailed temporal structure in autobiographical memory is lost over time, whereas contents may be updated through various forms of rehearsal.
Cyclic vomiting syndrome in a male patient with history of renal cell carcinoma status post nephrectomy.

Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a condition whose symptoms are recurring attacks of intense nausea, vomiting and sometimes abdominal pain and/or headaches or migraines. Cyclic vomiting usually develops during the childhood ages of 3 - 7; whereas it often remits during adolescence, it can persist into adult life. We report a case of a 57 years old Caucasian male with a history of renal cell carcinoma status post left nephrectomy presenting with a 7 years history of intermittent nausea and vomiting with prodromal malaise, watery diarrhea, flushing and diaphoresis. Cyclic vomiting syndrome is a debilitating functional brain-gut disorder that was initially characterized in children, but now is increasingly recognized to occur also in adults. Keywords Cyclic vomiting syndrome; Vomitting; Post nephrectomy
In vitro and In vivo Models for the Reconstruction of Intercellular Signalinga

A critical need in both tissue-engineering applications and basic cell culture studies is the development of synthetic extracellular matrices (ECMs) and experimental systems that reconstitute three-dimensional cell-cell interactions and control tissue formation in vitro and in vivo. We have fabricated synthetic ECMs in the form of fiber-based fabrics, highly porous sponges, and hydrogels from biodegradable polymers (e.g., polyglycolic acid) and tested their ability to regulate tissue formation. Both cell seeding onto these synthetic ECMs and subsequent culture conditions can be varied to control initial cell-cell interactions and subsequent cell growth and tissue development. Three-dimensional tissues composed of cells of interest, matrix produced by these cells, and the synthetic ECM (until it degrades) can be created with these systems. For example, smooth muscle cells can be grown on polyglycolic acid fiber-based synthetic ECMs to produce tissues with cell densities in excess of 10(8) cells/mL. These tissues contain extensive elastin and collagen, and the smooth muscle cells within the tissue express the contractile phenotype (e.g., alpha-actin staining). Similar approaches can be used to grow a number of other tissues (e.g., dental pulp) that resemble the native tissue. These engineered tissues may provide novel experimental systems to study the role of three-dimensional intercellular signaling in tissue development and may also find clinical application as replacements to lost or damaged tissues.
Dirty Hands, Speculative Minds, and Smart Machines

In 2003, Peter Singer and others sounded a warning in the pages of the journal Nanotechnology that research into the ethical, social, and legal implications (ELSI) of nanotechnology was increasingly lagging behind research into nanotechnology itself. More recently, Alfred Nordmann and Arie Rip have argued that while the pace of ELSI inquiry has now picked up, the inquiry itself is focused far too much on hypothetical and futuristic scenarios. But might there be advantages for ethicists and philosophers of technology interested in the ELSI of emerging technologies to continue to think in a speculative vein? Drawing upon some lessons learned from the development of environmental ethics, and looking primarily at information and computing technologies, I suggest three reasons as to how speculative thinking can add value to ELSI reflection. I argue that it can allow for critical values to emerge that might otherwise go unheeded, open up avenues to reframe issues that might otherwise go unnoticed, and, perhaps most importantly, permit questions to be raised that might otherwise go unvoiced.
Comparison of the hemodynamic effects of exercise and isoproterenol infusion in patients with pulmonary valvar stenosis.

In children with congenital cardiac anomalies, isoproterenol has been used to simulate exercise. To determine if these states are comparable, 28 children with pulmonary valvar stenosis were studied by cardiac catheterization at rest, during supine submaximal exercise, and during isoproterenol infusion. Similar heart rates were obtained during exercise (142/min) and isoproterenol infusion (139/min). Cardiac index, right ventricular systolic pressure and oxygen consumption were measured during each physiologic state. The change in pulmonary valve area from rest was calculated. At similar heart rates, cardiac index was significantly greater with exercise than with isoproterenol and right ventricular systolic pressure was similar in the two states. Thus, the calculated pulmonary valve area was significantly smaller with the pharmacologically induced stress. The study indicates that several of the hemodynamic effects of isoproterenol are not comparable to those produced by exercise in patients with pulmonary v...
Association between tendency towards depression and severity of rheumatoid arthritis from a national representative sample: the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

AbstractObjectives:The association between RA and depression has been well documented but so far there is not much research at a national level and none using a quick classification system of RA. The purpose of this study is to further determine if this association varies by differing severity in functional status of RA patients.Methods:This study involved a retrospective pooled cross-sectional analysis of the Household Component of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) for the years 2004–2006. Each year’s medical conditions file was merged with the person-level consolidated file. A total of 289 individuals comprised the final adult sample of RA and related diseases. RA cases were classified into four classes of functional status according to the ACR classification criteria. Tendency towards depression was ascertained by Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) scores with scores greater than or equal to three classified as high tendency towards depression. Multivariate logistic regression with survey weigh...
Corking as community policing

Over the past couple of decades there has emerged a new generation of movements for social justice that in particular embrace ‘direct action’ and ‘do‐it‐yourself’ activism – that is, the replacing of traditional forms of social movement ‘protest’ or political agitation with the direct, immediate, and autonomous enactment of the movement's alternative models for living. Among the more successful of these is Critical Mass, a global movement that ‘dis‐organizes’ collective bicycle rides as inclusive and environmentally appropriate alternatives to automotive transit. Within Critical Mass, the dismissal of institutionalized policing power and the embracing of do‐it‐yourself activism have spawned the practice of ‘corking,’ whereby a Critical Mass bicyclist breaks away from the collective ride and stops to block a crossing street as the mass of riders rolls through a traffic intersection. The distinctly ‘dis‐organized’ and culturally engaged dynamics of corking have in turn served to construct corking as an info...
Social capital and next-generation succession in the family firm

Building relationships with individuals and organisations and accumulating social capital is critical to the success of a family firm. During times of succession, however, family firms have to deal with the difficult task of transferring social capital from the incumbent to the successor. Existing literature on succession planning focuses largely on the transfer of physical and human capital and ignores the development and transfer of social capital within family firms. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to explore an alternate perspective of next-generation succession in family businesses. Specifically, we examine the importance of the incumbent's and successor's social networks and develop a conceptual model that depicts the connections between the optimum configuration of post-succession social capital in the family business, transferred social capital (i.e. social capital that is transferred from the incumbent to the successor), and new social capital brought into the position by the successor.
Transcription-positive Cofactor 4 Forms Complexes with HSSB (RPA) on Single-stranded DNA and Influences HSSB-dependent Enzymatic Synthesis of Simian Virus 40 DNA

The replication of simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA in vitro requires a trimeric single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein called HSSB or RPA. HSSB supports the unwinding of DNA containing the SV40 origin in the presence of the viral-encoded T antigen and is required for the initiation of RNA primer synthesis as well as processive elongation of DNA catalyzed by the DNA polymerase δ holoenzyme. In this report we show that the transcription positive cofactor 4 (PC4), a ssDNA-binding protein, forms complexes with HSSB on ssDNA and markedly affects the replication functions of HSSB. PC4 supports T antigen-catalyzed unwinding of SV40 origins in lieu of HSSB but inhibits both RNA primer synthesis and polymerase δ-catalyzed DNA chain elongation reactions. These inhibitory effects can be reversed by the addition of excess HSSB. Depending on the concentration of HSSB, PC4 is capable of either inhibiting or activating SV40 DNA replication measured in both mono- and dipolymerase systems. The possible role of PC4 in the initiation of DNA replication is discussed.
zebraflash transgenic lines for in vivo bioluminescence imaging of stem cells and regeneration in adult zebrafish

The zebrafish has become a standard model system for stem cell and tissue regeneration research, based on powerful genetics, high tissue regenerative capacity and low maintenance costs. Yet, these studies can be challenged by current limitations of tissue visualization techniques in adult animals. Here we describe new imaging methodology and present several ubiquitous and tissue-specific luciferase-based transgenic lines, which we have termed zebraflash, that facilitate the assessment of regeneration and engraftment in freely moving adult zebrafish. We show that luciferase-based live imaging reliably estimates muscle quantity in an internal organ, the heart, and can longitudinally follow cardiac regeneration in individual animals after major injury. Furthermore, luciferase-based detection enables visualization and quantification of engraftment in live recipients of transplanted hematopoietic stem cell progeny, with advantages in sensitivity and gross spatial resolution over fluorescence detection. Our findings present a versatile resource for monitoring and dissecting vertebrate stem cell and regeneration biology.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors The LDS Hospital Fitness Institute Cohort

Background—Cardiorespiratory fitness is favorably associated with most modifiable coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors. Findings are limited, however, by few data for women, persons with existing CHD, and low-risk populations. In the present study, we described cross-sectional associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and CHD risk factors in a large cohort of middle-aged men and women, of whom the majority were LDS Church members (Mormons), with and without existing CHD. Methods and Results—Comprehensive health examinations were performed on 3232 men (age 45.9±10.8 years) and 1128 women (age 43.8±12.8 years) between 1975 and 1997. Maximal treadmill exercise testing was used to categorize those with (12% of the men and 10% of the women) and those without CHD into age- and sex-specific cardiorespiratory fitness quintiles. After adjustments for age, body fat, smoking status, and family history of CHD, favorable associations were observed between fitness and most CHD risk factors among men and women...
Immigration as a dynamic experience : Personal narratives and clinical implications for family therapists

This is a reflective account of the experiences of the authors who immigrated to the United States from India at different developmental, historical, political, and social stages. Although their culture-of-origin was the same, the meaning and experience of immigration was different for each author. The narratives show a natural continuum of experiences based on their developmental stage during immigration, reasons for immigration, and the historical context of both India and the US at the time of immigration. A common theme is the ambivalence experienced by them in their process of creating a physical and psychological home in a different culture.
Body mass, fitness and survival in veteran patients: another obesity paradox?

PURPOSE: The paradox of obesity in patients with heart failure (HF) also has been observed in non-HF veteran patients. Veterans had to have met military fitness requirements at the time of their enlistment. Therefore, we assessed the relation of body mass index (BMI) to mortality in a clinical cohort of non-HF veterans, adjusting for fitness. METHODS: After excluding HF patients (n580), the study population comprised 6876 consecutive patients (mean age 58 [11] years) referred for exercise testing. Patients were classified by BMI category: normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m 2 ), overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9 kg/m 2 ), or obese (BMI 30.0 kg/m 2 ). The association between BMI, fitness, other clinical variables, and all-cause mortality was assessed by Cox proportional hazards analysis. RESULTS: During a mean (SD) follow-up of 7.54.5 years, a total of 1571 (23%) patients died. In a multivariate analysis including clinical, risk factor, and exercise test data, higher BMI was associated with better survival. Expressing the data by BMI category, obese patients were 22% less likely to die (relative risk [RR]0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.69-0.90, P.001) than patients of normal weight. After further adjustment for cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), this relationship strengthened such that mortality risk for the obese category was 35% lower (RR0.65, 95% CI, 0.57-0.76, P.001), versus the normal weight category. CONCLUSIONS: As has been observed in HF patients, obesity was associated with a substantially lower mortality risk in a clinical population of non-HF veterans. Higher CRF and obesity in later life may account for an obesity paradox in this population. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Long-term tree population dynamics and their implications for the conservation of the Kakamega Forest, Kenya

Long-term studies of tree population dynamics play an important role in identifying the conservation needs of tropical forest ecosystems. We examined changes in tree population structure and composition over an 18-year period (1981–1999) in three plots located at the center of the Isecheno study site in the Kakamega Forest, Kenya, a forest with a history of logging and other anthropogenic disturbance. DBH size class distribution took the shape of an ‘inverse J’ curve in both 1981 and 1999 and did not differ significantly between the two study periods. Stem density increased significantly during the study with most of the increase occurring in the smallest stem size class (10–14 cm DBH). Nearly all of the most common species in 1981 remained among the most common in 1999, though the density of pioneer species decreased by 21% during the study. Our results suggest that forest in the study plots remained relatively undisturbed and in good condition over the study period. Forest in the plots also appeared still to be recovering from the selective logging of large trees that took place at Isecheno in the 1940s. In addition to our longitudinal study, we compared tree population parameters at three additional Isecheno sites spread over a distance of ∼1 km that have experienced different histories of disturbance: (i) a lightly human disturbed site (LHD), (ii) a heavily human disturbed site (HHD), and (iii) a cattle disturbed site (CD). While all three sites were selectively logged in the 1940s, the main signs of disturbance today are footpaths at the LHD site, tree stumps at the HHD site, and wide cattle paths at the CD site. Not surprisingly, of the disturbed sites, the LHD site was in the best condition. Trees at the HHD site exhibited extremely poor recruitment into the small size classes, a condition that can probably be attributed to human exploitation of small trees for poles. The CD site appeared to be at an earlier successional stage than the other disturbed sites with its low mean DBH, high overall stem density, and high pioneer species stem density. Browsing and trampling of vegetation by cattle may be the source of the light gaps that have led to the abundance of pioneer species at this site. We conclude that conservation measures applied to central Isecheno, including the establishment of a forest station nearby and ranger patrols, appear to have succeeded, but that the prognosis for the Kakamega Forest in general is bleak if protection efforts are not increased in other parts of the forest, where anthropogenic disturbance remains high. We also note the considerable variation in tree population structure and composition that can occur within a small area depending on the local history of disturbance.
Enhanced gravimetric CO2 capacity and viscosity for ionic liquids with cyanopyrrolide anion

Ionic Liquids (ILs) are considered as alternative solvents for the separation of CO2 from flue gas due mainly to their CO2 affinity and thermal stability. The cation architecture in a matrix of ammonium and mostly phosphonium-based ILs with 2-cyanopyrrolide as the anion to evaluate its impact on gravimetric CO2 absorption capacity, viscosity, and thermal stability and the three fundamental properties vital for application realization are systematically investigated. Among the investigated ILs, [P2,2,2,8][2-CNpyr] demonstrated the lowest viscosity, 95 cP at 40°C, and highest CO2 uptake, 114 mg CO2 per g IL at 40°C. Combined effects of asymmetry and the optimized chain lengths also resulted in improved thermal stability for [P2,2,2,8][2-CNpyr], with a mass loss rate of 1.35 × 10−6 g h−1 (0.0067 mass % h−1) at 80°C. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 2280–2285, 2015
Repeatability of Barkhausen transitions in thin films

Barkhausen transition fields for anisotropic Permalloy films, measured by the resonance enhancement technique, were found to be a function of the maximum field to which a sample was subjected before the occurrence of these transitions. In these experiments, the Barkhausen transitions were monitored after repeated cycling of the field applied along the easy axis between given maximum positive and negative values to obtain a nearly repeatable initial state. For a film with an H/sub c/ of 1.4 oe, the Barkhausen transition fields for repeated passes through Hc differed from each other by no more than 4.2% if the field was cycled between /spl plusmn/48 oe. For a cycling field between /spl plusmn/22.5 oe, the corresponding deviation increased to 9.9%. >
Complementary and alternative medicine use and cost in functional bowel disorders: A six month prospective study in a large HMO

Functional Bowel Disorders (FBD) are chronic disorders that are difficult to treat and manage. Many patients and doctors are dissatisfied with the level of improvement in symptoms that can be achieved with standard medical care which may lead them to seek alternatives for care. There are currently no data on the types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) used for FBDs other than Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), or on the economic costs of CAM treatments. The aim of this study is to determine prevalence, types and costs of CAM in IBS, functional diarrhea, functional constipation, and functional abdominal pain. 1012 Patients with FBD were recruited through a health care maintenance organization and followed for 6 months. Questionnaires were used to ascertain: Utilization and expenditures on CAM, symptom severity (IBS-SS), quality of life (IBS-QoL), psychological distress (BSI) and perceived treatment effectiveness. Costs for conventional medical care were extracted from administrative claims. CAM was used by 35% of patients, at a median yearly cost of $200. The most common CAM types were ginger, massage therapy and yoga. CAM use was associated with female gender, higher education, and anxiety. Satisfaction with physician care and perceived effectiveness of prescription medication were not associated with CAM use. Physician referral to a CAM provider was uncommon but the majority of patients receiving this recommendation followed their physician's advice. CAM is used by one-third of FBD patients. CAM use does not seem to be driven by dissatisfaction with conventional care. Physicians should discuss CAM use and effectiveness with their patients and refer patients if appropriate.
A parametric study of freezing injury in ELT-3 uterine leiomyoma tumour cells

Cellular level freeze injury was investigated after controlled freezing of an Eker rat uterine fibroid cell line in both the presence and absence of oestradiol. The connection between thermal history and cell injury in single ELT-3 cells in suspension (without oestradiol) was studied through a two-level, four-parameter (2(4)) experiment with membrane dye exclusion as the end-point. The four parameters considered were cooling rate (CR), end temperature (ET), hold time (HT) and thawing rate (TR). A high and low value of each parameter was selected as follows: CR, 5-25 degrees C/min; ET, -20 to -30 degrees C; HT, 0-5 min; TR 20-200 degrees C/min. The greatest parameter effect on freeze injury in this range was ET followed by HT, then TR and finally CR. In addition, significant parameter interactions and curvature were found. Additional CR results outside the original parameter range showed a reduction in survival at both 1 and 50 degrees C/min suggestive of an inverted U-shaped survival curve. These results show that this tumour system is susceptible to cryoinjury, particularly at temperatures below -30 degrees C with HT of >5 min and slow thawing. In addition, the presence of oestradiol was found to increase the susceptibility of these cells to cryoinjury.
Proximity benefits and voting on stadium and arena subsidies

We analyze voting on subsidies for professional sports facilities in Houston, Texas and Green Bay, Wisconsin to learn more about voter preferences for these subsidies. The referendums studied were for professional football and basketball facilities. The results show that voters in close proximity to facilities tend to favor subsidies more than voters living farther from the facilities. The results from Houston indicate stronger support for subsidies by those in close proximity to a proposed site than from those near an existing site.
Ribonuclease P: The evolution of an ancient RNA enzyme

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is an ancient and essential endonuclease that catalyses the cleavage of the 5' leader sequence from precursor tRNAs (pre-tRNAs). The enzyme is one of only two ribozymes which can be found in all kingdoms of life (Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya). Most forms of RNase P are ribonucleoproteins; the bacterial enzyme possesses a single catalytic RNA and one small protein. However, in archaea and eukarya the enzyme has evolved an increasingly more complex protein composition, whilst retaining a structurally related RNA subunit. The reasons for this additional complexity are not currently understood. Furthermore, the eukaryotic RNase P has evolved into several different enzymes including a nuclear activity, organellar activities, and the evolution of a distinct but closely related enzyme, RNase MRP, which has different substrate specificities, primarily involved in ribosomal RNA biogenesis. Here we examine the relationship between the bacterial and archaeal RNase P with the eukaryotic enzyme, and summarize recent progress in characterizing the archaeal enzyme. We review current information regarding the nuclear RNase P and RNase MRP enzymes in the eukaryotes, focusing on the relationship between these enzymes by examining their composition, structure and functions.
The Relationship Between Quality and Outcomes in Routine Depression Care

OBJECTIVE: This longitudinal, nonexperimental study examined whether depression treatment provided in concordance with guidelines developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is associated with improved clinical outcomes. METHODS: The medical, insurance, and pharmacy records of a community-based sample of 435 subjects who screened positive for current major depression were abstracted to ascertain whether depression treatment was received and whether it was provided in accordance with AHRQ guidelines. Regression analyses estimated the impact of guideline-concordant treatment on the change in depression severity and on mental and physical health over a six-month period. An instrumental variables analysis was used to check the sensitivity of the results to selection bias. RESULTS: A total of 106 subjects were treated for depression by 105 different primary care and specialty providers. Sixty percent of the sample had current major depression, and about 40 percent had subthreshold depres...
The Influence of Plymouth Colony Separatism on Salem: An Interpretation of John Cotton's Letter of 1930 to Samuel Skelton

Congregational polity first appeared in New England in 1620 with the arrival of a small company of Separatists from Scrooby, England. In 1607 or 1608, after many difficulties arising from the policies of King James I, the Scrooby congregation migrated to Amsterdam in Holland. In 1609 they transferred to Leyden, where John Robinson ministered as their pastor. After a decade in Leyden, the congregation negotiated a charter or patent with the Virginia Company to go to Virginia; it was approved in September 1619. Volunteers for the voyage to the New World were sought from the Leyden congregation. Robinson planned to accompany them if a majority agreed to go. However, since only a minority chose to make the journey, he disappointedly conformed to his prior agreement and remained in Holland, where he died six years later in 1625. Traveling on the Mayflower, which sailed off course, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony arrived on 6 December 1620 in Cape Cod harbor. At this time they were under the pastoral leadership and ecclesiological influence of Robinson, and they remained so until his death.
A disstributed backoff algorithm to support real-time traffic on ethernet

Ethernets are very popular in LANs because of their ease of administration. With the growing trend towards distributed multimedia applications, it has become essential for the underlying systems to provide resource guarantees. Traditionally, Ethernet uses the Truncated Binary Exponential Backoff (BEB) algorithm for medium access. BEB has very good characteristics for reducing the average latency of packets, but is not designed to support low delay jitter. We propose an IEEE 802.3-compliant distributed backoff algorithm which gives good bounds on the delay jitter and average delay for the transmission of real-time traffic over shared 100 Mbit/sec Ethernet medium. Simulation results show that for a mixture of data and constant bit rate (CBR) video traffic, our backoff algorithm has an order of magnitude less delay jitter than BEB for offered loads below 76%. The delay jitter of our algorithm is around 4 times lower than BEB for simulation of a mixture of data and variable bit rate (VBR) video traffic.
SINE: Cache-friendly integrity for the web

In this paper we present SINE, a cache-friendly protocol for integrity-enforced web documents. SINE operates by decoupling integrity from confidentiality and provides web documents with an integrity-enforcement authentication tag that can be incrementally verified by multiple parties. We developed a prototype implementation of SINE with minimal changes to the standard web client/server architecture and conducted experiments using the standard Squid web proxy. Our experimental results show that SINE provides the required integrity services to web pages while maintaining the standard caching mechanisms. Moreover, by taking advantage of caching, SINE shows a performance gain that reached a factor of 5 over SSL/TLS.
Penetration of Antibiotics into Fibrin Loci in Vivo. I. Comparison of Penetration of Ampicillin into Fibrin Clots, Abscesses, and “Interstitial Fluid”

Fibrin clots were studied in vitro to determine the kinetics of entry and exit of two penicillins. The nature of the ambient bath did not affect the behavior of ampicillin. In contrast, oxacillin penetrated more slowly from serum than from Krebs-Ringer solution, and its exit from clots previously exposed to serum was similarly delayed. These phenomena may be related to protein binding of the drugs. Ampicillin was administered to rabbits by iv bolus, after which concentrations of the drug in various sites were measured. Levels in sc-implanted fibrin clots closely resembled those in abscesses, rising to a peak at 1 hr and thereafter remaining in excess of concentrations in serum. Levels approaching those in serum were rapidly achieved in "interstitial fluid" and declined at a slightly lower rate. These studies suggest that the model in the in vivo fibrin clot may provide an accurate representation of the behavior of antibiotics in a localized area of suppuration.
Time Delay, Temperature Effects and Assessment of Positive Controls on Whole Blood for the Gamma Interferon ELISA to Detect Paratuberculosis

Our objective was to evaluate the effects of time and temperature on whole blood used in the gamma interferon enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IFN-gamma ELISA) for paratuberculosis along with evaluating four potential positive controls, and four different mycobacterial antigens for the ELISA. Nine adult Holstein cattle naturally infected with Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis were used in a randomized complete block design. Forty-nine blood tubes were collected from each animal and held at 48.9, 37.8, 26.7, 21.1, 15.6 and 4.4 degrees C for 0, 4, 8, 12, 18, 24, 32, 48 and 72 h. Each blood tube was tested with four mycobacterial antigens (two johnin PPDs, an avain PPD and a whole cell sonicate) and four potential positive controls [concanavalin A (conA), phytohaemagglutinin A (PHA), pokeweed mitogen (PWM) and Staphylococcus enterotoxin A (SEA)]. After incubation for 24 h, the plasma was assayed with a commercial IFN-gamma ELISA. Blood stored at 21.1 and 15.6 degrees C maintained the highest ELISA optical densities (OD) over time with severe reduction in OD values at or above 37.8 degrees C. None of the potential positive controls exactly mimicked the antigen response. SEA and PWM were able to elicit a response after the whole blood quit responding to the antigen and conA underestimated the responsiveness. Phytohemagglutinin A was similar to the antigens on an average, but there was significant disagreement among samples. The PPDs were more potent at stimulating IFN-gamma production than the whole cell sonicate. In conclusion, whole blood should be stored/transported at ambient room temperature and stimulated within 12 h of collection.
New Species and Notes in the Genus Dioclea s.l. (Fabaceae, subtribe Diocleinae)

Seven new species are described in Dioclea Kunth (Fabaceae, Diocleinae). Dioclea ovalis R. H. Maxwell is described from Colombia and assigned to series Dioclea. Within subgenus Dioclea, the new series Virgatae R. H. Maxwell is created, with the new species D. vallensis R. H. Maxwell included from Colombia. Two sections established by Bentham are raised to subgenera status, as the new combinations Dioclea subg. Pachylobium (Benth.) R. H. Maxwell and Dioclea subg. Platylobium (Benth.) R. H. Maxwell. Within subgenus Platylobium, D. hispidimarginata R. H. Maxwell is described from Peru. Within subgenus Pachylobium, four new species are described: D. apiculata R. H. Maxwell from Bolivia, D. circinata R. H. Maxwell from Colombia, D. haughtii R. H. Maxwell from Colombia and Venezuela, and D. jamesonii R. H. Maxwell from Ecuador. Dioclea macrocarpa Huber is designated as lectotype for Dioclea sect. Macrocarpon Amshoff.
A schedule verification methodology utilizing simulation

Abstract This paper shows the potential of generating a simulation model from a data base of schedule information in order to verify that schedule. Often the linkages between schedule events are so complex that the scheduler is unable to effectively analyze the flow of the events. In order to simplify the verification of schedule changes this approach would generate a simulation model from a functional data base. The simulation model is then directly executable by a simulation language. The complex linkages caused by the prerequisites would make the direct programming of a simulation model or scheduling system and subsequent changes to that model very difficult. The power of the process comes from only having to model the problem generically once in the model generator. After the model generator is validated all problems with the schedule will be the result of the schedule itself and not due to a simulation programming error.
The Reluctance to Transmit Bad News

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on pervasive bias on the part of communicators to encode (transmit) messages that are pleasant for the recipient and to avoid encoding those that are unpleasant (termed as the “MUM” effect). The hypothesized MUM effect appears to have considerable intuitive validity: “Of course people don't like to give others bad news!” Nevertheless, although anecdotal evidence is plentiful, the search of the empirical literature revealed no straightforward demonstration of, nor explicit attempt to demonstrate, the effect. The chapter attempts to define it more precisely and to demonstrate its existence unambiguously. An unambiguous demonstration of the MUM effect should not be linked with obvious extrinsic differential rewards associated with telling good or bad news, nor should news valence be dependent on the recipient's prior behavior. The chapter reviews evidence attesting to its generality, empirically examine a number of hypotheses generated to account for it, and some implications have been suggested.
Power to the People? Psychological Mechanisms of Disengagement From Direct Democracy:

The goal of direct democracy is to bring power to change laws to ordinary citizens. However, it may alienate citizens because policy language is often complex, perhaps impacting citizens’ voting li...
Mechanisms underlying rhythmic locomotion: dynamics of muscle activation

SUMMARY We have studied the dynamical properties of tension development in leech longitudinal muscle during swimming. A new method is proposed for modeling muscle properties under functionally relevant conditions where the muscle is subjected to both periodic activation and rhythmic length changes. The ‘dual-sinusoid’ experiments were conducted on preparations of leech nerve cord and body wall. The longitudinal muscle was activated periodically by injection of sinusoidal currents into an identified motoneuron. Simultaneously, sinusoidal length changes were imposed on the body wall with prescribed phase differences (12 values equally spaced over 2π radians) with respect to the current injection. Through the singular value decomposition of appropriately constructed tension data matrices, the leech muscle was found to have a multiplicative structure in which the tension was expressed as the product of activation and length factors. The time courses of activation and length factors were determined from the tension data and were used to develop component models. The proposed modeling method is a general one and is applicable to contractile elements for which the effects of series elasticity are negligible.
TRIBUTES TO JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN

When I was twenty, I decided to hitchhike across the African continent, more or less following the line of the Equator, from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic. I packed only one pair of sandals and one pair of jeans to make room for the three hefty books I had decided to read from cover to cover: Don Quixote , Moby Dick , and From Slavery to Freedom , by John Hope Franklin. I read the latter—the black and white bound third edition of the book—while recovering from a severe bout of amoebic dysentery sailing down the Congo River. It became such a valued reference for me that I kept it, for years, in the bookcase at my bedside.
The Use of Antibodies to Identify Glycosphingolipids and to Localize Them in Tissues

Antibodies to glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are used by many investigators to identify carbohydrate structures of GSLs and for localization of these compounds in tissue sections. Proper interpretation of these immunological data requires knowledge of certain principles of carbohydrate immunochemistry and these will be reviewed in the next section. Some recent immunocytochemical studies will be presented in the final section.
Chloride dependency of renal brush-border membrane phosphate transport.

In our present study, we examined the effect of Cl− on rabbit renal brush-border membrane (BBM) phosphate (Pi) uptake. It was found that the Na+-dependent BBM32P uptake was significantly inhibited ...
Simulation fusion

The concept of data fusion (DF) has had a major impact on statistical methodology and practice within the US Department of Defense. In this paper we explore expanding this idea to include simulation modeling and analysis. Simulation fusion (SF) is the concept of combining data, models, experiments, and analyses to improve the outcome of simulation studies. In this paper, we propose an initial framework and discuss various SF schemes. We provide several examples to illustrate these ideas and discuss some of the potential benefits of simulation fusion.
Microrobotics: Swimmers by design

Scientists have created soft microrobots whose body shapes can be controlled by structured light, and which self-propel by means of travelling-wave body deformations similar to those exhibited by swimming protozoa.
A Method of Corner Detection Based on Multi-scale Angle of Curvature and the Proportion of Gray Level

In order to reduce the influence of foreign matters on corner detection in vision measurement,a new method of corner detection and elimination of false corner based on the contour information and gray level information was proposed.At first,the invariance of curvature angle in multi-scale was used to establish the set of candidate corners as well as to eliminate those false corners in small scale.Then the proportion of gray level calculated by the triangle area and rectangle area which were based on the candidate corner was used to eliminate those false corners in large scale.The experiments show that this method can reduce the influence of false corners in most scales efficiently.The detected corner is reliable.
Analysis of Drug Consultation in Outpatient Department

Objective To promote rational drug use and improve pharmacy service quality.Method 756 cases of drug consultation in our hospital out-patient pharmacy during Jun.2009 to Dec.2009 were collected.And the data obtained were analyzed statistically according to the kind of drug consulted,the content and way of consultation.Result and Conclusion Drug consultation is a new way to carry out clinical pharmacy services in the outpatient pharmacy.Drug consultation is a outpost position of clinical pharmacy,and it is significant to do drug consultation well for clinic pharmacy services.
University of London and the Modernization of Higher Education in England

University of London commenced the reformation movement for higher education in 19th-century England.With direction of utilitarianism,University of London modified the classical gentleman education on purpose,subject and curriculum,which advanced the secular,plebeian and pansophia education.
Predictive power of a risk-assessment questionnaire across different disease states: results in an elderly managed care enrolled population.

OBJECTIVE To examine the predictive power of self-reported assessment questionnaire data to explain changes in healthcare service utilization and expenditures of a population of Medicare health maintenance organization enrollees during a 2-year period. STUDY DESIGN A prospective cohort study with a 2-year postenrollment follow-up period. Multiple robust regression analyses were conducted to examine associations among self-reported health status variables obtained from responses to the questionnaire. SAMPLE AND METHODS Participants were administered a voluntary comprehensive questionnaire at enrollment that collected self-reported information on morbidity, health status, perceptions of health, and healthcare service utilization during the preenrollment year. Questionnaire responses were combined with actual 2-year postenrollment claims data. For the complete follow-up period, 4128 patients were available. RESULTS Participants with such chronic conditions as depression and diabetes were likelier than the average enrollee to have higher healthcare service utilization. Self-reported health status predictors examined in this study explained a larger percentage of the variance (as much as 20%) in such chronic conditions as cancer and depression. Despite evidence of underreporting of preenrollment healthcare service utilization, these variables were highly predictive of actual postenrollment utilization patterns. CONCLUSIONS Self-reported health status information collected at baseline is as predictive of postenrollment risk as are currently used traditional approaches that require archival healthcare service utilization data. In addition, this approach is sensitive to changes in healthcare service utilization across differing morbidity states in older adults.
Reference data for the thermophysical properties of cryogenic fluids

The Thermophysics Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology has long been involved in providing standard reference data for the thermophysical properties of cryogenic fluids. Comprehensive experimental facilities have been used to provide accurate data for PVT relations, heat capacities, sound speeds, phase equilibria, and transport properties for a large variety of well characterized cryogenic fluid systems. A concurrent effort, in the areas of critical data evaluation, modeling, and theory, has allowed the Division to provide correlating equations, tabular material, and computer programs which have become an integral part of the nation’s Standard Reference Data program. This critically evaluated information on the thermophysical properties of fluids and fluid mixtures of cryogenic interest is used for custody transfer applications and for efficient design and operation of cryogenic processes in the chemical, natural gas, aerospace, environmental, refrigeration, and other energy related industries. Available computer programs can calculate properties of pure fluids as well as provide predictions for fluid mixtures.
Growth of Listeria monocytogenes at 4, 32, and 40°C in skim milk and in retentate and permeate from ultrafiltered skim milk

Pasteurized skim milk and retentate (concentrated fivefold or twofold by volume) and permeate from ultrafiltered skim milk were inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes strains California or V7 and incubated at 4, 32, or 40°C. Changes in populations of the pathogen were determined, growth curves were derived, and generation times and maximum populations calculated for each combination of strain, product, and temperature. Both strains grew faster and achieved higher (ca. 1 to 2 orders of magnitude) populations at 4°C in retentate of either concentration than in skim milk. The pathogen grew in permeate at 4°C and attained maximum populations of ca. 106 to 107/ml. Tyndallized samples of skim milk and retentate and permeate from ultrafiltered skim milk were inoculated with the same strains of L. monocytogenes and incubated at 32 or 40°C. Populations achieved by the pathogen at these temperatures, ca. 107 to 108/ml, were similar in skim milk, retentate, and permeate.
Preventing large birth size in women with preexisting diabetes mellitus: The benefit of appropriate gestational weight gain

Abstract Objective To estimate the percentage of infants with large birth size attributable to excess gestational weight gain (GWG), independent of prepregnancy body mass index, among mothers with preexisting diabetes mellitus (PDM). Study design We analyzed 2004–2008 Florida linked birth certificate and maternal hospital discharge data of live, term (37–41 weeks) singleton deliveries ( N = 641,857). We calculated prevalence of large-for-gestational age (LGA) (birth weight-for-gestational age ≥ 90th percentile) and macrosomia (birth weight > 4500 g) by GWG categories (inadequate, appropriate, or excess). We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the relative risk (RR) of large birth size associated with excess compared to appropriate GWG among mothers with PDM. We then estimated the population attributable fraction (PAF) of large birth size due to excess GWG among mothers with PDM ( n = 4427). Results Regardless of diabetes status, half of mothers (51.2%) gained weight in excess of recommendations. Large birth size was higher in infants of mothers with PDM than in infants of mothers without diabetes (28.8% versus 9.4% for LGA, 5.8% versus 0.9% for macrosomia). Among women with PDM, the adjusted RR of having an LGA infant was 1.7 (95% CI 1.5, 1.9) for women with excess GWG compared to those with appropriate gain; the PAF was 27.7% (95% CI 22.0, 33.3). For macrosomia, the adjusted RR associated with excess GWG was 2.1 (95% CI 1.5, 2.9) and the PAF was 38.6% (95% CI 24.9, 52.4). Conclusion Preventing excess GWG may avert over one-third of macrosomic term infants of mothers with PDM. Effective strategies to prevent excess GWG are needed.
Effect of Academic Grade Level on Return to Athletic Competition After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Background:After anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, 63% to 87% of high school athletes return to competition. Although physical and psychological factors are known contributors for failure to return to play, little attention has been paid to effect of academic grade level. Our purpose
Blended learning citation patterns and publication networks across seven worldwide regions

The field of international blended learning (BL) is primed to benefit from stronger communication and collaboration. Collaboration is currently limited, and regions vary greatly in terms of citations. However, BL is growing worldwide and each region is an important part of the community. The goal of this research is to explore where the most impactful conversations about BL worldwide are occurring and how, if at all, are they connected to one another in terms of citations and publications. We present here the most cited BL articles from each region, the journals that publish these articles, and citation and publication patterns for each in order to construct a broad overview of impact and publication within the field.