cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predation on Blackbuck by Wolves in Velavadar National Park, Gujarat, India

: The role of predation on the endangered blackbuck antelope (Antelope cervicapra) by the endangered Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) in Velavadar National Park, Gujarat, India, was evaluated in terms of ratios of predator to prey. Food habits of wolves were determined from scat analysis and by direct observation. Consumption was estimated from unutilized portions of blackbuck kills. Wolves preyed primarily on blackbuck (88% biomass consumption), rodents, and hares (Lepus nigricollis). Wolves consumed 4.62 (S.E. 0.11) kg/wolf/kill and made kills at an interval of 3.5 (S.E. 0.5) days. Daily consumption by wolves was estimated at 1.33 kg/wolf. The number of blackbuck killed annually per wolf was estimated between 35 and 39. Between 142 to 158 blackbuck per wolf were considered essential to maintain a stable blackbuck population. Managing the grassland habitat by annual removal of the exotic shrub Prosopis juliflora, minimizing human disturbance to wolves at kills, and reducing predation on blackbuck by feral dogs were some ways to ensure continued viability of this wolf-blackbuck system. Resumen: El rol de la predacion sobre el antilope Antelope cervicapra en peligro de extincion por el lobo de la India (Canis lupus pallipes) en peligro de extincion, en el Parque Nacional Velavandar, Guajarat, India, fue evaluada en terminos de la proporcion predador: presa. Se determinaron los habitos de alimentacion de los lobos a partir del analisis “scat” y por medio de observacion directa. El consumo fue estimado a partir de prociones no utilziadas de A. cervicapra muertos. Los lobos predaron principalmente sobre A. cervicapra (88% de consumo de biomasa), roedores, y liebres (Lepus nigricollis dayanus). Los lobos consumieron 4.62 (SE 0.11) kg/lobo/matanza y mataron a un intervalo de 3.5 (SE 0.5) dias. El consumo diario por lobos fue estimado en 1.33 kg/lobo. El numero de antilope muertos anualmente por cada lobo fue estimado entre 35 y 39. Se estimo como escencial un consumo de 142 a 158 blackbuck por lobo para mantener una poblacion de blackbuck estable. Algunos de los modos de asegurar la continua viabilidad de este sistema lobo-antilope fue el manejo del habitat de praderas por medio de la remocion anual del arbusto exotico (Prosopis juliflora), la minimizacion de la perturbacion por humanos sobre los lobos durante las matanzas y la reduccion de la predacion sobre blackbuck por perros salvajes.
Trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder symptom clusters, and physical health symptoms in postabused women

The purpose of this retrospective, descriptive-correlational research was to examine the relationships between violent and nonviolent trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its symptom clusters of avoidance, intrusive/re-experiencing, and hyperarousal, and self-reported physical health symptoms in 50 postabused women. Results indicated: (1) PTSD hyperarousal and avoidance symptom clusters were positively associated with physical health symptoms, and (2) childhood physical abuse accounted for a significant and unique portion of the variance in physical health symptoms. The results highlight the need for health care practitioners in all settings to assess for a history of trauma in a woman’s life.
Inter-Party Competition and Primary Contesting: The Case of Indiana.

Most preceding studies of inter-party competition have examined behavior in large electoral jurisdictions, rarely one smaller than a congressional district and often an entire state. Generally they have examined behavior relating to a single office, usually the governor's or a congressman's, and have assigned every electoral-situation' to either a "safe" or an "unsafe" category. They have varied in the tests applied to differentiate the latter. Most tests have determined safeness on the basis of one election; they have differed in the selection of that election and in the size of the majority thought to indicate safety. The analysis presented here differs in method in three respects. First, it rejects a two-way division of electoral jurisdictions or situations, and seeks instead to establish a clearer differentiation between the undeniably safe and the undeniably highly competitive by recognizing three categories: periods safe for a party, periods of high inter-party competition, and periods unclassified or transitional. Second, the classifying test takes into account the degree of interparty competition over a substantial period of time and so sets a value on a time element only implicit in other studies. Third, electoral behavior relating to three public offices is correlated here. Primarily this study seeks to ascertain and put some measure on the relationship between the degree of inter-party competition and the tendency of men and women to try for a party's nomination. It goes, therefore, to the state of mind in an electoral jurisdiction during the period immediately prior to the
Diagnostic Reasoning and Treatment Planning: I. Diagnosis

Information-processing research into the natural process of clinical reasoning is reviewed and the University of Vermont diagnostic reasoning research project is described. Experienced psychiatric diagnosticians use a hypothetico-deductive logic. The development of a profile of diagnostic competencies is outlined and a course in diagnostic reasoning for medical students, which specifically objectified the tactics and strategy of reasoning and resulted in a significant improvement in the profile of competencies, is described. Finally, the organisation of a diagnostic formulation is discussed.
Scale economies and rent-seeking in legislative parties

This paper examines equilibrium legislative party size, based upon scale economies in producing political outcomes. Political production - finding policies legislators desire and votetrading to pass them - has strong scale economies up to, but not far beyond, a majority of the voters. Either one or two parties is efficient, but a larger number is not. A single party's optimal long-run strategy is to benefit a dominant majority by avoiding the creation of an effective second party. But short-term rent-seeking is in legislators' and leaders' interests, which eventually causes a second effective party and a stable two-party equilibrium. Estimates of party size for the U.S. Congress suggest considerable short-term rent-seeking.
Vascular alternatives: New breakthroughs from old ideas

Abstract The former chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Rochester, Charles Rob, once told me that if you don't know what to study, just look up the papers of the previous generation of surgeons. Ideas that seemed impossible 3 decades ago often yield to new technologies. The 3 papers reviewed here demonstrate that Dr. Rob was right. Who would have dreamed that preserved aortic allografts would come back and, indeed, prove to be a far better approach to the treatment of arterial and graft infections? Furthermore, who would have thought that the radial artery, previously discarded as an alternative conduit for coronary artery bypass grafting, would serve so well? All of the papers can be criticized for the lack of controls and for the failure to conduct prospective randomized studies. However, these reports represent major contributions because they provide surgeons with strong alternatives for vascular infections and the lack of suitable vascular conduits. The final figures are not in, but until the definitive studies are done, these reports offer strong support for alternatives previously thought impossible.
Similarity considerations in adhesive contact problems

The classical ‘JKR’ solution for the force required to separate two elastic spheres is independent of the elastic moduli. We demonstrate that this remarkable simplification is a rigorous consequence of the quadratic character of the spherical profile and hence that it must also apply exactly to more general quadratic profiles such as the contact of two ellipsoids. The same feature is also responsible for the fact that Bradley's ‘rigid sphere’ solution depends only on the interface energy and not on the detailed character of the adhesive force law.
The ambivalent antisemitism of Malcolm X 1

(1994). The ambivalent antisemitism of Malcolm X. Patterns of Prejudice: Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 3-25.
Similarity Scales and Universal Profiles of Statistical Moments in the Convective Boundary Layer

Abstract The parameterization of the mixed layer based on a decomposition of statistical moments into nonpenetrative and residual components and on their local similarity is discussed. The method is examined by using laboratory data for nonpenetrative convection and large-eddy simulation (LES) results for penetration convention. The examination allows discussion of various scales and similarity functions in the convective atmospheric boundary layer. Local similarity is demonstrated to be equivalent to a Level-2 closure scheme of Mellor and Yamada. The derived similarity functions are shown to agree with experimental data and with the results of numerical simulation.
The films of Fassbinder: Form and formula

(1980). The films of Fassbinder: Form and formula. Quarterly Review of Film Studies: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 169-181.
Stereochemistry of the functional group determines the mechanism of aromatase inhibition by 6-bromoandrostenedione

A selective inhibitor of aromatase (estrogen synthetase) would be a useful pharmacological tool with potential therapeutic application. We have found that 6 alpha-bromoandrostenedione (6 alpha-BrA) is a competitive inhibitor of human placental aromatase with respect to androstenedione, with an apparent Ki of 3.4 nM, while 6 beta-BrA is a mechanism-based irreversible inhibitor with an apparent Ki of 0.8 microM and a kinact of 0.025 min-1. Aromatase activity was measured by tritium release into water from the 1 beta position of [1(-3)H,4(-14)C]androstenedione in reaction mixtures containing NADPH and the aromatase. Time-dependent inhibition was assessed by preincubation of inhibitors with either the 900 X g placental pellet or placental microsomes in the presence of NADPH. Aliquots were taken at intervals, diluted, and assayed for aromatase activity with androstenedione and additional NADPH. The time-dependent inhibition by 6 beta-BrA was dependent on the concentration of this compound and the presence of NADPH, while the addition of excess substrate in the preincubation mixture hindered the inactivation. Both epimers were ineffective in inhibiting rabbit liver microsomal drug-metabolizing activities in a competitive or time-dependent manner. This indicates a high selectivity of 6-BrA inhibition among P-450 cytochromes. These and other 6-substituted androgens may be useful probes into the nature of the active site and mechanism of action of aromatase.
Vancomycin-induced neutropenia complicating bone marrow recovery in a patient with leukemia. Case report and review of the literature

Abstract Neutropenia associated with intravenous vancomycin therapy is reported in a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia. The patient received 12 days of vancomycin therapy without incidence; however, a second course of vancomycin initiated on hospital day 14 produced severe neutropenia. This delayed onset is typical of vancomycininduced neutropenia. The neutropenia reversed, without complications, as soon as the vancomycin was discontinued.
A comparison of separated flow airfoil analysis methods

Nomenclature CD = drag coefficient CL = lift coefficient Cf = zero angle-of-attack lift curve slope Cm° = moment coefficient calculated about airfoil quarter-chord Cp — pressure coefficient C3,C] = terms used in Barnwell's boundary-layer thickness equation q = local boundary-layer edge velocity RN = Reynolds number s = airfoil arc length Ue = transformed boundary-layer edge velocity k^sep = value of Ue at separation point SP = separation parameter X = Cartesian chordwise coordinate -^sep = value of X at the separation point a = angle of attack of airfoil with respect to the freestream <5 = boundary-layer thickness <5sep = boundary-layer thickness at separation point 6 = local momentum thickness
Nitric oxide inhibitors attenuate ischemic degeneration in the CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices

Abstract We examined the involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in ischemic brain damage using hippocampal slices prepared from 30 day old albino rats and exposed to 20 min of oxygen/glucose deprivation (ischemia) followed by 90 min postincubation in oxygen- and glucose-containing media. Damage in the CA1 region was rated on a 0 (intact) to 4 (severe neuronal damage) scale by a rater blind to the experimental condition. Control slices exposed to ischemia were rated as 2.8 ± 0.4 (N = 12). l -NG-Monomethylarginine (100 μM) and l -NG-nitroarginine (100 μm), non-selective NO synthase (NOS) inhibitors, diminished ischemic damage (0.6 ± 0.3, N = 8, and 1.0 ± 0.5, N = 4, respectively). An inhibitor of brain NOS, 7-nitroindazole (30 μM), was also effective against ischemic degeneration (0.7 ± 0.3, N = 5). These results suggest that activation of NOS is involved in ischemic degeneration in the CA1 region.
A new speculation technique to optimize floating-point performance while preserving bit-by-bit reproducibility

The bit-by-bit reproducibility of floating-point results, which is defined by the IEEE 754 standard, prohibits optimizations such as reassociation and the use of native operations such as fused multiply-add (FMA), and thus it significantly impairs floating-point performance. Recent network-oriented languages such as Java strictly conform to the standard, and thus their numerical computing performance becomes inherently lower than conventional languages.In this paper, we propose a new software technique, called floating-point (FP) speculation, to optimize floating-point performance while preserving the bit-by-bit reproducibility of the results. We execute the fast unsafe code and the slow verification code in parallel. The unsafe code does not wait for the verification code, and is immediately followed by the subsequent code that uses the probable result from the unsafe code assuming the speculation will succeed. The improvement from FP speculation results from this earlier start of the subsequent code.Unlike other speculation techniques, FP speculation does not require any special instructions or hardware support. Rather, it exploits unused floating-point registers and execution units. Therefore it is generally applicable for processor architectures that have sufficient floating-point resources.
Computational Study of Impregnated Ablator for Improved Magnetohydrodynamic Heat Shield

A dipole magnet was used to locally reduce surface heating on a fin that extended from a blunt elliptic cone geometry traveling in air at hypersonic speeds. The concept relies on magnetohydrodynamics to generate a force in the weakly ionized postshock air, which decelerates the incoming flow. A three-dimensional, compressible, thermochemical nonequilibrium, fluid code was loosely coupled to a magnetohydrodynamics module to compute the resultant flowfield, which included the electric field. The results showed that the resultant electric field had a minor contributor to the current and consequently to the magnetic body force. In the baseline scenario, the applied magnet was ineffective at perturbing the local shock due to the unseeded flow’s level of electrical conductivity. A potassium-infused ablator was incorporated into the vehicle’s nose to improve the flow’s low electrical conductivity and protect the geometry from the high thermal loads experienced at the stagnation point. A one-dimensional equilibri...
σ-1 Receptor Inhibition of ASIC1a Channels is Dependent on a Pertussis Toxin-Sensitive G-Protein and an AKAP150/Calcineurin Complex

ASIC1a channels play a major role in various pathophysiological conditions including depression, anxiety, epilepsy, and neurodegeneration following ischemic stroke. Sigma-1 (σ-1) receptor stimulation depresses the activity of ASIC1a channels in cortical neurons, but the mechanism(s) by which σ-1 receptors exert their influence on ASIC1a remains unknown. Experiments were undertaken to elucidate the signaling cascade linking σ-1 receptors to ASIC1a channels. Immunohistochemical studies showed that σ-1 receptors, ASIC1a and A-kinase anchoring peptide 150 colocalize in the plasma membrane of the cell body and processes of cortical neurons. Fluorometric Ca(2+) imaging experiments showed that disruption of the macromolecular complexes containing AKAP150 diminished the effects of the σ-1 on ASIC1a, as did application of the calcineurin inhibitors, cyclosporin A and FK-506. Moreover, whole-cell patch clamp experiments showed that σ-1 receptors were less effective at decreasing ASIC1a-mediated currents in the presence of the VIVIT peptide, which binds to calcineurin and prevents cellular effects dependent on AKAP150/calcineurin interaction. The coupling of σ-1 to ASIC1a was also disrupted by preincubation of the neurons in the G-protein inhibitor, pertussis toxin (PTX). Taken together, our data reveal that σ-1 receptor block of ASIC1a function is dependent on activation of a PTX-sensitive G-protein and stimulation of AKAP150 bound calcineurin.
Atrial Flutter—Update on the Mechanism and Treatment

Atrial flutter is a common and usually benign but symptomatic supraventricular tachycardia. There is a striking similarity between patients with atrial flutter suggesting a common substrate despite the presence or absence of underlying heart disease. In man, the mechanism is a single reentrant circuit originating in the right atrium whose center appears to be functional within the anatomical constraints of the right atrium. The reentrant circuit of atrial flutter contains an area of slow conduction in the inferior right atrium but the size and exact location is uncertain. Drug therapy directed at terminating and preventing atrial flutter has been available for many years. The efficacy and safety of this therapy is not as well tested as is the same therapy for atrial fibrillation. The most effective way to terminate atrial flutter is a nonpharmacological approach. Several nonpharmacological methods provide new treatment options in the management of patients with drug resistant or hemodynamically unstable atrial flutter. The use of anticoagulation for this disorder is still evolving. There is a risk of clinically apparent thromboemboli in some patients with atrial flutter although the risk appears less than that for atrial fibrillation. In the future, refinements and improvements in therapy for atrial flutter will likely be derived from a better understanding of its mechanism.
Religion and marital quality among low-income couples

Abstract In this paper, we examine the question of whether religion—affiliation, beliefs, and practice—provides a source of marital strength and stability in the lives of American couples. Unlike most previous studies, we focus on religion and marital quality among 433 low-income married couples with co-residential minor children, using recently collected survey data on both spouses sampled in the Marital and Relationship Survey (MARS). Our working hypothesis is that religiosity is a positive force for marital quality among low-income couples, and that a practicing faith can buffer the negative effects of economic stress on marital quality. The results indicate that most low-income couples have unexpectedly high scores on the various dimensions of marital quality (e.g., commitment, emotional support, etc.). Religious affiliation and personal religious beliefs are less important for marital quality than if couples share similar beliefs about God’s divine plans for them and their relationship, if they pray together, or if they attend religious services together. On the other hand, the stress-buffering hypothesis received little support in our analysis. At a minimum, the results clearly highlight the potential role of religion in the marital lives of low-income couples. The implication is that faith-based organizations (including churches and synagogues) may have a particularly strong role to play in nurturing the spiritual lives and enhancing the quality of the intimate marital relationships of their flocks.
The Nurse’s Role in the Prevention of Cervical Cancer Among Underserved and Minority Populations

Since the implementation of the Papanicolaou test, there has been a significant decline in the incidence of cervical cancer over the last 50 years. Despite this reduction, each year there are approximately 11,000 women in the United States diagnosed with cervical cancer, the second most common type of cancer in women worldwide. Infection with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) is necessary for the development of precancerous lesions and the progression to cervical cancer. For those diagnosed with an HPV infection or cervical cancer, a considerable personal and financial burden often results. Recent analyses estimate that the total direct costs associated with cervical dysplasia and cancer are extensive. Additionally, a patient’s quality of life (social, emotional, and sexual functioning) is adversely affected following a diagnosis with an HPV infection or cervical cancer. The data also show disparities in the incidence of cervical cancer and barriers that may contribute to these phenomena in underserved populations. National programs have been implemented and can help reduce the burden of disease, but vaccination against HPV remains the primary method of prevention. In the healthcare field, nurses play many roles, a prominent one being a patient educator. As a result, there is a need to educate nurses about the risks and impact of HPV and cervical cancer. Nurses can be instrumental in educating the public about vaccination and increasing awareness of HPV and cervical cancer among the underserved.
Functionally gradient silicone sheet made by treatment of swelling and polymerization with n‐butyl methacrylate

A silicone sheet was dipped into n-butyl methacrylate monomer including benzoyl peroxide and was swollen for 0.5 h at 23°C. Then, the sheet was put into a glass tube equipped with a three-way stopcock and was deoxygenated by freezing under dry nitrogen. Polymerization was carried out by heating at 80°C for 2 h under dry nitrogen. The resultant sheet was a component gradient silicone sheet with poly-n-butylmethacrylate. The content of poly-n-butylmethacrylate increased gradually from either surface to the middle of the sheet. This phenomenon was assumed to occur because of the volatilization of n-butyl methacrylate monomer during the polymerization. The properties of the sheet include increased tear strength and decreased gas permeability. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 3152–3155, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10177
SpartanRPC: Secure WSN middleware for cooperating domains

In this paper we describe SpartanRPC, a secure middleware technology for wireless sensor network (WSN) applications supporting cooperation between distinct protection domains. The SpartanRPC system extends the nesC programming language to provide a link-layer remote procedure call (RPC) mechanism, along with an extension of nesC configuration wirings that allow specification of remote, dynamic endpoints. SpartanRPC also incorporates a capability-based security architecture for protection of RPC resources in a heterogeneous trust environment, via language-level policy specification and enforcement. We discuss an implementation of SpartanRPC based on program transformation and AES cryptography, and present empirical performance results.
Monte Carlo Simulation of a New Gamma Ray Telescope

A new Monte Carlo code has been written to simulate the response of the new University of California double scatter gamma ray telescope. This package of modular software routines, written in VAX FORTRAN 77 simulates the detection of 0.1 to 35 MeV gamma rays. The new telescope is flown from high altitude balloons to measure medium energy gamma radiation from astronomical sources. This paper presents (1) the basic physics methods in the code (2) and the predicted response functions of the telescope. Gamma ray processes include Compton scattering, pair production and photoelectric absorption in plastic scintillator, NaI(Tl) and aluminum. Electron transport processes include ionization energy loss, multiple scattering, production of bremsstrahlung photons and positron annihilation.
MTA3, a Mi-2/NuRD Complex Subunit, Regulates an Invasive Growth Pathway in Breast Cancer

Estrogen receptor is a key regulator of proliferation and differentiation in mammary epithelia and represents a crucial prognostic indicator and therapeutic target in breast cancer. Mechanistically, estrogen receptor induces changes in gene expression through direct gene activation and also through the biological functions of target loci. Here, we identify the product of human MTA3 as an estrogen-dependent component of the Mi-2/NuRD transcriptional corepressor in breast epithelial cells and demonstrate that MTA3 constitutes a key component of an estrogen-dependent pathway regulating growth and differentiation. The absence of estrogen receptor or of MTA3 leads to aberrant expression of the transcriptional repressor Snail, a master regulator of epithelial to mesenchymal transitions. Aberrant Snail expression results in loss of expression of the cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin, an event associated with changes in epithelial architecture and invasive growth. These results establish a mechanistic link between estrogen receptor status and invasive growth of breast cancers.
A Quantitative Analysis of Skill and Efficiency: Hopewell Blade Production at the Turner Workshop, Hamilton County, Ohio

We describe and analyze blade production at a small site near the Turner Earthworks, Hamilton County, Ohio. The Turner Workshop provides perhaps the largest sample of Ohio Hopewell (ca. A.D. 50–350) blades and blade-cores recovered from a single site to date. We focus on describing the production process at Turner and comparing our results with those from other Ohio Hopewell and nonHopewell blade production sites. Special attention will be focused on rates of production errors, metric variability in final products, and the variability introduced into the production process by increases in distance-to-source and how these lines of evidence bear on the question of specialized production in middle-range societies. Our analysis reveals an industry characterized by a high frequency of errors, a high level of variability in final products, and a lack of standardization in reduction process. We therefore conclude that the Ohio Hopewell blade industry did not employ craft specialists.
Fluorescent techniques in spine surgery.

AbstractObjectives:The use of fluorescent compounds and techniques in neurosurgery has aided in delimitating tumor margins and visualizing blood dynamics in vascular malformations. However, the use of these techniques for the treatment of spinal lesions has not been well established.Methods:In this manuscript, we conduct a literature review to assess the role of fluorescent compounds in the treatment of vascular malformations and tumors of the spine. Other potential technologies such as activatable cell-penetrating peptides (ACPPs) and nanoparticles are also explored.Results:Several case reports and case series have described successful visualization and treatment of these lesions mainly with the aid of indocyanine green (ICG), with no complications reported. Nonetheless, no large-scale studies or prospective studies have been conducted.Discussion:Spinal lesions need to be adequately visualized intraoperatively to attain surgical success, and the use of fluorescent techniques may become a cornerstone in t...
027 Fibrin Sealant Combined with Fibroblasts and PDGF Enhance wound Healing in Excisional Wounds

A number of strategies have been explored for the treatment of cutaneous defects such as protein growth factor or gene therapy approaches. Alternative approaches include dermal or dermal-epidermal skin substitutes or clot substitutes such as fibrin sealants (FS’s). Here we test the fibrinogen-thrombin formulation of fibrin sealant combined with fibroblasts and PDGF in wound healing models. Four formulations varying in fibrinogen and thrombin concentration were applied to full-thickness biopsy wounds in the rabbit ear cutaneous wound-healing model with or without cultured rabbit dermal fibroblasts (RDFs; 3 × 105 cells/wound) embedded in the fibrinogen component. At post-wounding day 7, there was no difference in the diluted vs. non-diluted formulations for either the promotion of granulation tissue coverage of the open wounds or total granulation tissue area when tested without embedded cells. Including the RDFs, the highest degree of wound coverage by granulation tissue was observed in the combined dilution formulation (17.3 mg/ml fibrinogen, 167 U/ml thrombin; n = 10) that was 167%(p < 0.05) of the non-diluted FS containing cells (50 mg/ml fibrinogen, 250 U/ml thrombin; n = 10). Inclusion of fibroblasts increased granulation tissue area within the wounds vs. FS alone (p < 0.05) for each diluted formulation although no differences in this parameter was observed within each group (FS alone or with embedded cells). However, addition of the vulnerary growth factor PDGF-B (3 μg; n = 4) with the embedded RDFs in the combined dilution formulation increased granulation tissue area over 2-fold (p < 0.01). Additionally, the presence of the RDFs promoted incorporation of the granulation tissue with and epithelial migration over the FS suggesting an active interaction between cells delivered to the wound by FS and the host repair cells. The findings suggest the progress of cutaneous defect repair can be enhanced by ex vivo cell delivery in Fibrin Sealant that is adjusted to balance hemostasis with promotion of wound healing processes.
ESS germination strategies in randomly varying environments. II. Reciprocal yield-law models

The study of ESS germination fractions in S. Ellner (1985, Theor. Pop. Biol. 27, 000-000) is applied and extended in the case of annuals obeying the Reciprocal Yield Law. The effects of parameter changes on the value of the ESS germination fraction are determined in some limiting cases by analyses of approximations. Numerical solutions of the ESS criterion are used to check the robustness of the conclusions and the accuracy of the approximations. In general, the ESS germination fraction decreases with an increased survivorship of buried seeds and with increased "variability" of seed yields. However, different measures of "variability" are appropriate in different circumstances. To avoid the possibility of conflicting predictions depending on the measure of variability, it is suggested that tests of the theory be limited to co-occurring species, and to variability due to climatic fluctuations. The ESS theory based on the Reciprocal Yield Law is compared with D. Cohen's (1966, J. Theor. Biol. 12, 119-129; 1968, J. Ecol. 56, 219-228) density-independent theory of "optimal" germination. The theories differ qualitatively and quantitatively regarding the influence of mean yield, seed survivorship, and the frequency of favorable years on the predicted germination fraction.
Lipid composition of glial cells isolated from bovine white matter.

— —Glial cells were isolated from bovine white matter by differential centrifugation with‘Ficoll’and their lipid composition was analysed. The preparations contained 20.8 per cent lipid and 792 per cent protein. The major lipid components were cholesterol, ethanolamine glycerophosphatides (EGP), cerebroside and serine glycerophosphatides (SGP). Sphingomyelin, cerebroside sulphate and inositol glycerophosphatide were present in lower proportions. EGP contained the largest proportion of aldehydes (17 per cent) and SGP contained 12 per cent. Choline glycerophosphatides contained only a trace of aldehyde. No gangliosides were present in the filial cell preparations.
Effective promotions for membership subscriptions and renewals to tourist attractions: Discount vs. bonus

Abstract Tourist attractions actively promote membership subscriptions and renewals. Although discount promotions are commonly utilized in practice, the literature review suggested that bonus promotions, such as an “extra three months,” could be more effective. Two experiments were conducted to identify effective promotions for membership subscriptions and renewals. Bonus promotions were found to be more effective than discount promotions at generating more positive tourist attitudes and behavioral intentions toward new subscriptions. In contrast, neither bonus nor discount renewal promotions were more effective for tourists who had previously renewed membership. However, tourists who had never renewed memberships to utilitarian attractions, such as botanic gardens, preferred discount promotions, whereas tourists who had never renewed membership to hedonic attractions, such as theme parks, preferred bonus promotions. This implies that attraction managers should offer tailored promotions to encourage membership subscriptions and renewals.
‘The other kind of coming out’: Transgender people and the coming out narrative genre

This article demonstrates the importance of considering transgender speakers apart from gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, even where there is significant overlap in the linguistic practices of these groups. Through an analysis of transgender coming out narratives, it is shown that previous accounts of this genre, which have focused on gays and lesbians, do not extend to the entire LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community. Coming out as transgender differs from coming out as gay or lesbian primarily in that there are two distinct ways a person can come out as transgender: before and after a change in gender role. The dissimilarity of coming out before such a transition and afterwards presents a challenge to previous characterizations both of coming out and the narratives that result from this practice. Ultimately, the coming out narrative genre reveals itself as a venue for making sense of stigmatized identities in community-specific ways.
Photodynamic Therapy as an Innovative Treatment for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) of the pleura is an experimental treatment aimed at eradicating residual microscopic disease after macroscopic complete resection of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) by means of intracavitary administration. A light-based treatment, PDT consists of 3 components: a nontoxic photosensitizing compound, oxygen, and visible light. The treatment is FDA-approved for several oncological targets, but remains experimental for MPM. PDT can be combined with lung-sparing pleurectomy and decortication and does not preclude other treatments such as adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Additionally, PDT appears to bolster an immunologic effect by rendering the cancer cells that have been destroyed by the light-activated photosensitizer more presentable to the immune system. Local control and survival rates have been sufficiently rewarding to merit ongoing development of this combination of surgical technique and PDT.
Politicians and Trustworthiness: Acting Contrary to Self-Interest Enhances Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness is an important characteristic for politicians to possess. However, politicians are perceived as manifestly untrustworthy. One way politicians might build trustworthiness is to behave in a manner that seems contrary to self-interest. Three studies examined whether acting contrary to self-interest can help build trustworthiness. In each study, participants reacted to political content in which a politician acted contrary to self-interest (praised an opponent) or acted in a more common and self-serving manner (e.g., attacked opponent or praised the self). Participants perceived the candidate who acted contrary to self-interest as more trustworthy than candidates who acted in a more self-serving manner. Participants were also more willing to consider voting for such a candidate. These results were not constrained by party affiliation.
Use of Diuretics in Heart Failure and Cirrhosis

Sodium and water retention in cardiac failure and cirrhosis is pivotal in the morbidity and mortality of patients with these disorders. Moreover, the pathophysiology of these edematous disorders is quite similar. Both disorders have activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, increased sympathetic activity, and nonosmotic stimulation of arginine vasopressin, which is initiated by unloading of the arterial baroreceptors; this occurs secondary to diminished cardiac output with heart failure and primary systemic arterial vasodilation with cirrhosis. With this common pathophysiology causing pulmonary congestion, ascites, and peripheral edema, diuretics are pivotal in the therapy of patients with heart failure and cirrhosis. Advanced cardiac failure and cirrhosis both show secondary hyperaldosteronism and impaired renal escape from the sodium-retaining effect of aldosterone. However, currently there are contradictory uses of mineralocorticoid-receptor antagonists in cardiac failure (non-natriuretic doses) versus cirrhosis (natriuretic doses). This disparity relates to the greater potential of hyperkalemia in cardiac failure patients receiving inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. This review discusses the beneficial and potentially deleterious effects of diuretic use in patients with cardiac failure and cirrhosis.
Evaluation of a Close Coupled Slotted Orifice, Electric Impedance, and Swirl Flow Meters for Multiphase Flow

The feasibility of a multiphase flow meter utilizing closely coupled slotted orifice and swirl flow meters along with an impedance sensor is investigated. The slotted flow meter has been shown to exhibit well behaved response curves to two phase flow mixtures with the pressure difference monotonically increasing with mixture density and flow rate. It has been determined to have less than 1% uncertainty in determining the flow rate if the density of the fluid is known. Flow visualizations have shown that the slotted orifice is a very good mixing device as well producing a homogenous mixture for several pipe diameters downstream of the plate. This characteristic is utilized to provide a homogeneous mixture at the inlet to the swirl meter. This is possible since the slotted orifice is relatively insensitive to upstream and downstream flow disturbances. The swirl meter has been shown to indicate decreased flow rate as the mixture density increases which is opposite to the slotted orifice making the solution of the two meter outputs to obtain density and flow rate feasible. Additional instrumentation is included. Between the slotted orifice and swirl meter where the flow is homogenous a custom manufactured electrical impedance sensor is installed and monitored. This array of instrumentation will provide three independent measurements which are evaluated to determine which system of equations are robust enough to provide accurate density and flow rate measurement over a wide range of gas volume fractions using a very compact system.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Mice lacking brain-derived neurotrophic factor develop with sensory deficits

DURING vertebrate development, neuronal survival depends on target-derived neurotrophic factors1,2. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor3 (BDNF), a member of the neurotrophin family, can prevent the death of particular peripheral sensory neurons in vitro4–6, and of central motor neurons as well as dopaminergic and cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain during development7–9. It also prevents the death of motor neurons and midbrain dopaminergic neurons induced by lesions8,10–12. Here we show that mutant mice lacking BDNF have severe deficiencies in coordination and balance, associated with excessive degeneration in several sensory ganglia including the vestibular ganglion. The few remaining vestibular axons fail to contact the vestibular sensory epithelia, and terminate in the adjacent connective tissue. Survival of sympathetic, midbrain dopaminergic and motor neurons is not affected. These results indicate that BDNF is required for the survival and target innervation of particular neuronal populations.
Determination of α-tocopherolquinone (vitamine E quinone) in human serum, platelets, and red cell membrane samples

Abstract A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of α-tocopherolquinone in a few selected biological samples is reported. Samples of human serum, blood platelets, or red cell membranes were saponified and extracted with hexane. A measured aliquot of the extract was evaporated under a stream of nitrogen, and the residue was reconstituted with mobile phase (methanol:water, 98:2) and used directly for liquid chromatography. α-Tocopherolquinone was separated on Zorbax C-18 columns (25 cm × 4.6 mm, 5-μm particles) and detected by its absorption at 265 nm. The addition of high levels of base during saponification as well as exposure to flourescent light results in loss of the quinone. Concentrations of α-tocopherolquinone in normal human serum are exceedingly small constituting only 0.02–0.05% of the α-tocopherol concentration. The technique is particularly useful in the quantitation of the oxidation of α-tocopherol in biological samples under in vitro conditions. For example, incubation of human platelets with diamide or arachidonate resulted in oxidation of α-tocopherol and the α-tocopherolquinone produced accounted for 11.8 and 30.6%, respectively of the α-tocopherol lost.
Age-related changes in innervation in hypertrophic pyloric stenosis

Abstract Background/Purpose: Recent reports have identified abnormal innervation of the circular muscle layer involving the fine intramuscular nerve fibers in hypertrophic pyloric stenous (HPS). HPS presenting after 3 months of age is rare. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution pattern of nerve fibers in the smooth muscle layers in HPS and correlate this with age at presentation. Methods: Full-thickness pyloric muscle biopsy specimens were obtained from eight patients with HPS (five age 3 to 5 weeks, two age 3 months, and one age 7 months) and five controls with normal pylorus (age 5 days to 3 years). All specimens were stained with monoclonal antibody to the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) using immunohistochemistry. Results: There were many NCAM-positive nerve fibers in the circular and longitudinal muscle layers in the controls. No NCAM positive nerve fibers were seen in the circular or longitudinal muscle layers in the five cases of HPS in which the patients were less than 5 weeks old. In the two cases in which the patients were 3 months old, occasional NCAM-positive nerve fibers were seen in the circular layer, and moderate numbers of NCAM positive fibers were seen in the longitudinal muscle layers. Moderate numbers of NCAM-positive nerve fibers in the circular muscle layer and many NCAM positive nerve fibers in the longitudinal muscle layers were identified in the 7-month-old HPS patient. Conclusions: The data suggest that the pyloric muscle lacks innervation in the young HPS infant. Whereas, at 3 months of age the hypertrophied pyloric muscle is partially innervated, and at 7 months of age the pyloric muscle has practically normal innervation.
Intergroup and intrasubject principal component analysis of event-related potentials

The purpose of this paper is to show that the familiar principal component analysis (PCA) of event-related potentials is identical to an easily formulated least squares method. This correspondence permits interpretation of several criticisms of PCA and clearer presentation of its strengths and shortcomings. Because data analysis based on PCA compares amplitudes of empirically derived components, it is necessary that the shape of the components be similar under the experimental conditions. We present and illustrate a statistical method for comparison of principal components across groups and between conditions within subjects.
Accumulation of Carbon in Lunar Soils

Analyses of the carbon compounds released by pyrolysis from size fractions and particle separates of lunar soils indicate that the rate at which extralunar carbon is accumulated is slow compared to the rate at which it is redistributed among the different particle types by the cycle of particle erosion and aggregation. Consequently, much of the carbon acquired from the solar wind and meteorites has been modified by the energetic events that cycle lunar soils.
Secondary hyperalgesia is not affected by wound infiltration with bupivacaine

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of wound infiltration with bupivacaine on incisional pain and the zone of secondary hyperalgesia. Twenty-eight healthy parturients were studied in a double-blind randomized trial. At the time of Caesarean section one wound edge was infiltrated with saline 0.9% and the other with bupivacaine 0.25%. After 24 hr, visual analogue scores were obtained for incisional pain and the zone of secondary pain around the incision was measured. Patients served as their own controls. Visual analogue scores for the bupivacaine side of the wound were less than for the saline side (P < 0.05). The zone of secondary pain was similar overall for both sides of the wound. It is concluded that the bupivacaine-infiltrated side of the wound was less painful than the saline-injected side 24 hr postoperatively. The zone of pain measured around the wound edges was unaffected by bupivacaine or saline.
Effect of Pindolol on Blood Pressure, Plasma Renin Activity, and Catecholamines in Hypertensive Patients

The effects of 45 mg pindolol daily on blood pressure, heart rate, plasma renin activity, and plasma catecholamines were assessed on 11 hospitalized hypertensive patients. Blood pressure decreased significantly after nine days of treatment, but heart rate remained unchanged. Plasma renin activity was in the same average range before and during treatment, with individual values variably increasing, decreasing, or remaining unchanged. Blood pressure changes were independent from the baseline level of plasma renin activity or the change in renin activity observed during treatment. Plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels also remained unchanged during treatment. Lack of change in heart rate and hormonal levels may be attributed to the combined effects of the beta-antagonistic and partial agonistic properties of this agent. Thus, pindolol used as monotherapy at this dose significantly lowered blood pressure, but not to normal levels, with only minimal side effects. Because of its combined adrenergic agonistic and antagonistic effects, it may be a preferable alternative to pure antagonists in selected patients.