cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dysregulated cannabinoid signaling disrupts uterine receptivity for embryo implantation.

The mechanisms by which synchronized embryonic development to the blastocyst stage, preparation of the uterus for the receptive state, and reciprocal embryo-uterine interactions for implantation are coordinated are still unclear. We show in this study that preimplantation embryo development became asynchronous in mice that are deficient in brain-type (CB1) and/or spleen-type (CB2) cannabinoid receptor genes. Furthermore, whereas the levels of uterine anandamide (endocannabinoid) and blastocyst CB1 are coordinately down-regulated with the onset of uterine receptivity and blastocyst activation prior to implantation, these levels remained high in the nonreceptive uterus and in dormant blastocysts during delayed implantation and in pregnant, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)-deficient mice with implantation failure. These results suggest that a tight regulation of endocannabinoid signaling is important for synchronizing embryo development with uterine receptivity for implantation. Indeed this is consistent with our finding that while an experimentally induced, sustained level of an exogenously administered, natural cannabinoid inhibited implantation in wild-type mice, it failed to do so inCB1 −/− /CB2 −/−double mutant mice. The present study is clinically important because of the widely debated medicinal use of cannabinoids and their reported adverse effects on pregnancy.
Birth Trauma and the Pelvic Floor: Lessons from the Developing World

Urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse are common stigmatizing conditions that afflict women far more often than they afflict men. It has been suggested that childbirth is the most likely factor to explain this great epidemiologic discrepancy between the sexes. Because the widespread availability of high-quality obstetric care through-out the industrialized world has led to precipitous drops in maternal mortality during the 20th century, many of the pathophysiologic mechanisms by which such injuries might arise are not as obvious as they were in times past. It is suggested that by looking at obstetric complications in the developing world, where the natural history of unrelieved obstructed labor is most obvious, it may be possible to shed new light on the pathophysiology of childbirth injury and its relationship to incontinence and prolapse. The spectrum of childbirth injuries resulting from obstructed labor in developing countries is surveyed, and the potential relevance of these findings to the more subtle forms of pelvic floor dysfunction seen in Western women is discussed.
Noncompliance with body weight measurement in tertiary care teaching hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Body weight provides vital information for patient care; therefore, measurement at hospital admission should be standard practice. Our objective was to test compliance with this standard. METHODS: This was a study of 300 patients, aged > or = 18 years, admitted to general medicine and surgery services of 3 tertiary care teaching hospitals in Nashville, Chicago, and San Francisco. At 24 to 36 hours after admission, participants were queried as to whether they had been weighed, and if not, they were asked whether they had been questioned by nursing personnel about their weight. Subjects were then weighed by research personnel using identical protocol at all 3 institutions. Any admission body weight documented by nursing was noted. RESULTS: Compliance was similar at all 3 institutions, with only 197 (65.7%) of patients reporting being weighed. There were 213 (71.0%) patients who had a weight documented in the nursing record. Of those who had not been weighed, 69 (67.0%) indicated that they had be...
Employing Magnetic Levitation to Monitor Reaction Kinetics and Measure Activation Energy.

This article describes a simple and inexpensive undergraduate-level kinetics experiment that uses magnetic levitation to monitor the progress and determine the activation energy of a condensation reaction on a polymeric solid support. The method employs a cuvette filled with a paramagnetic solution positioned between two strong magnets. The vertical position of the polymeric beads suspended in the paramagnetic solution correlates with the density of the beads and, consequently, with the progress of the chemical reaction within these beads. Varying the temperature of the reaction between the leucine-functionalized support and 2,5-diiodobenzoic acid under pseudo-first-order reaction conditions yields an activation energy of 65.4 ± 9.2 kJ/mol. This value compares well the activation energy of 63.5 ± 4.1 kJ/mol determined using a density analysis. This experiment combines a number of interdisciplinary concepts including organic chemistry, kinetics, and magnetism and, therefore, could be implemented in a number of undergraduate chemistry courses at various levels.
Acceleration and evolution of faults: An example from the Hunter Mountain-Panamint Valley fault zone, Eastern California

article i nfo We present new space geodetic data indicating that the present slip rate on the Hunter Mountain-Panamint Valley fault zone in Eastern California (5.0±0.5 mm/yr) is significantly faster than geologic estimates based on fault total offset and inception time. We interpret this discrepancy as evidence for an accelerating fault and propose a new model for fault initiation and evolution. In this model, fault slip rate initially increases with time; hence geologic estimates averaged over the early stages of the fault's activity will tend to underestimate the present-day rate. The model is based on geologic data (total offset and fault initiation time) and geodetic data (present day slip rate). The model assumes a monotonic increase in slip rate with time as the fault matures and straightens. The rate increase follows a simple Rayleigh cumulative distribution. Integrating the rate-time path from fault inception to present-day gives the total fault offset. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Selective Changes in Protein Kinase C (PKC) Isoform Expression in Rabbit Corneal Epithelium During Wound Healing. Inhibition of Corneal Epithelial Repair by PKCα Antisense

Abstract Protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms display different sensitivities to modulators, tissue specificities and subcellular localizations. PKCα increases during rabbit corneal epithelial wound healing. Here we report differential expression of PKC isoforms in the cornea of rabbits at 1, 2, 4 and 8 days during re-epithelization. Cytosolic, membrane and detergent-insoluble fractions from epithelium were analysed by Western blot using monoclonal antibodies against the different PKC isoforms. We have identified PKCα, γ, ϵ, μ and ι. PKCα and γ were expressed only in the cytosolic fraction, with the expression of PKCα markedly increasing 4 days after injury. Corneas cultured in the presence of rabbit-specific PKCα antisense showed a greater than 50% inhibition of wound closure, compared to controls. The PKCϵ and μ were expressed in the soluble, as well as in the membrane fraction. Additionally, 12% of PKCμ was found attached to the detergent insoluble fraction. The expression of the membrane-bound PKCϵ and μ isoforms decreased between 1 and 2 days following injury. Only 10% of the PKCι expressed in corneal epithelium was membrane bound, but between 4 and 8 days after de-epithelization, the expression in this fraction increased three-fold. Our results suggest that changes in the expression and distribution within the various fractions of selective isoforms of PKC after injury could be involved in events leading to wound healing and that PKCα is a key modulator in rabbit corneal wound repair.
Modified Jeans Instability for Dusty Plasmas: Linear Theory

Summary form only given. In the simplest case, a dust grain immersed in a plasma is negatively charged due to particle collection, owing to the fact that electrons are typically more mobile than ions and that electron emission from the grain is not taken into account. In this scenario, known as primary charging, the shielding potential is monotonic and well approximated by the Debye-Huckel potential when the grain radius is small compared to the linearized Debye length. However, the scenario described above changes significantly when other processes are taken into account, such as for instance electron emission from the grain, due to thermionic, photoelectric or secondary emission. In this case, Delzanno et al. showed that the shielding potential is no longer monotonic but can present an attractive potential well (reminiscent of the Lennard-Jones potential for the attraction among atoms). The presence of a potential well in the shielding potential has important consequences as it can lead to attractive forces on other grains even if they have the same sign of charge. Moreover, this mechanism can be particularly important for dust aggregation in astrophysical systems. In the astrophysical context, the simplest theory of aggregation of masses in space is the Jeans instability, where a uniform distribution of masses can collapse as a result of a perturbation with wavelength greater than the Jeans wavelength. In this study, we will present the kinetic theory of the modified Jeans instability, where particles interact through the gravitational and electrostatic forces. The latter, however, is not modeled with the Coulomb or Debye-Huckel potential but with the potential well discovered by G.L. Delzanno et al. (2004 and 2005). We will show how the Lennard-Jones like shielding potential can indeed exist for carbon dust grains which emit photoelectrons in response to a UV field. Furthermore, the well acts broadening the spectrum of gravitationally unstable modes and enhance their growth rates, even with respect to the pure gravitational case. On the other hand, a pure Debye-Huckel potential always acts to stabilize the system
Use of trapped atoms to measure absolute photoionization cross sections

We describe a new technique for accurate measurement of absolute photoionization cross sections. By measuring the loss rate of atoms from a laser trap in the presence of ionizing light, we directly measure the photoionization rate. The only quantities requiring absolute calibration are the ionizing laser intensity and the fractional population in the relevant state. Our technique is capable of detecting extremely small ionization rates, which means that low-power cw sources can be used. We have applied this method to photoionization from the 5P3/2 state of rubidium at wavelengths of 413 and 407 nm. The cross sections are 1.36(12) × 10−17 and 1.25(11) × 10−17 cm2, respectively.
Giftedness: A personal‐social phenomenon

This article is written as much to help clarify the writer's thinking as to communicate a perspective gained regarding giftedness and gifted education during the past seven years of nearly total immersion in the field. The article emphasizes research across a broad spectrum, the results of which lead to a perspective regarding giftedness which differs somewhat from the prevailing descriptions and definitions of gifted students’ needs.
Distributed-Parameter Large Basin Runoff Model. II: Application

Following the derivation of a distributed-parameter large basin runoff model from a lumped-parameter version for the Great Lakes in the companion paper, we here apply it to the Kalamazoo River watershed in southwest Michigan. First we review relevant similar efforts and then describe the digitization of the watershed into a network of cells through which watershed internal flows are routed. We present the technology used on the Kalamazoo River to create grids of topography, soils, land use, and vegetation data. We describe the calibration of both lumped-parameter and distributed-parameter runoff models on the Kalamazoo River and use observed spatial data variations in our parameter determinations. We investigate alternative evapotranspiration schemes, spatial parameter patterns, solar insolation interpretations, and temporal scaling and compare model results. We suggest model extensions for future work.
Neurons in the deep layers of superior colliculus play a critical role in the neuronal network for audiogenic seizures: mechanisms for production of wild running behavior.

Abstract Recent investigations suggest that the deep layers of superior colliculus (DLSC) play a role in the neuronal network for audiogenic seizures (AGS). The present study examined DLSC neuronal firing and convulsive behavior simultaneously in freely-moving genetically epilepsy-prone rats (GEPR-9s) using chronically implanted microwire electrodes. An abrupt onset of acoustically-evoked firing at ∼80–90 dB was observed in DLSC neurons of GEPR-9s, which was significantly above the normal threshold. DLSC neurons began to exhibit rapid tonic burst firing 1–2 s prior to the onset of the wild running behavior at the beginning of AGS. As the tonic phase of the seizure began, DLSC firing ceased, and only returned towards normal following post-ictal depression. These neuronal mechanisms may be relevant to other seizure models in which the DLSC is implicated. The temporal pattern of neuronal firing during AGS is specific to DLSC and differs markedly from those observed elsewhere in the AGS neuronal network. The temporal firing pattern suggests that the DLSC plays a primary role in the generation of the wild running phase of AGS. Previous studies indicate that the inferior colliculus is dominant during AGS initiation, and the pontine reticular formation is dominant during the tonic extension phase of AGS. Taken together these data suggest that the neurons in the neuronal network undergo a dominance shift as each specific convulsive behavior of AGS is elaborated.
Comparison of mortality risk adjustment using a clinical data algorithm (American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program) and an administrative data algorithm (Solucient) at the case level within a single institution.

Background There is great interest in efficiently evaluating health care quality, but there is controversy over the use of administrative versus clinical data methods. We sought to compare actual mortality with risk-adjusted expected mortality in a sample population calculated by two different methods; one based on preexisting administrative records and one based on chart reviews. Study Design We examined a sample of patients (n = 1,234) undergoing surgical procedures at an academic teaching hospital during 1 year. The first risk-adjustment method was that used by the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, which is based on dedicated medical record review. The second method was that used by Solucient, LLC, which is based on preexisting administrative records. Results The ratio of observed to expected mortality for this population set was higher using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program algorithm (1.1; 95% CI, 0.8 to 1.5) than using the Solucient algorithm (0.9; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.2) but neither estimate was notably different from 1.0. Similarly, when observed to expected mortality ratios were calculated separately for each quartile of mortality, there were no marked differences within quartiles, although minor differences with potential importance were noted. Fit was comparable by age categories, gender, and American Society of Anesthesiologists' categories. A number of actual deaths had higher predicted mortality scores using the Solucient algorithm. Conclusions Risk-adjusted mortality estimates were comparable using administrative or clinical data. Minor performance differences might still have implications. Because of the potential lower cost of using administrative data, this type of algorithm can be an efficient alternative and should continue to be investigated.
A Study of Delusions in a Large Cohort of Alzheimer's Disease Patients

The authors analyzed data on delusions and associated neuropsychiatric symptoms in 1,229 consecutive patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) at nine university-based State of California Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Centers. Thirty-four percent of these patients had delusions. The delusional patients were older, more likely to be female, and had a later onset of AD than the nondelusional group. Compared to the nondelusional patients, the delusional patients also had more severe global cognitive impairment, along with a higher prevalence of hallucinations, agitation, depression, and gait disturbance, as well as family and marital difficulties and self-care problems.
The basal ganglia

Through its connections with widespread cortical areas and with dopaminergic midbrain areas, the basal ganglia are well situated to integrate patterns of cortical input with the dopaminergic reward signal originating in the midbrain. In this review, we consider the functions of the basal ganglia in relation to its gross and cellular anatomy, and discuss how these mechanisms subserve the thresholding and selection of motor and cognitive processes. We also discuss how the dopaminergic reward signal enables flexible task learning through modulation of striatal plasticity, and how reinforcement learning models have been used to account for various aspects of basal ganglia activity. Specifically, we will discuss the important role of the basal ganglia in instrumental learning, cognitive control, sequence learning, and categorization tasks. Finally, we will discuss the neurobiological and cognitive characteristics of Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and addiction to illustrate the relationship between the basal ganglia and cognitive function. WIREs Cogn Sci 2013, 4:135-148. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1217 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Students' Self-Reported Substance Use by Grade Level and Gender

Over 900 students in the rural northwest at the fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth grade levels were surveyed for alcohol and drug use. The survey instrument measured self-reported usage of seventeen substances. The descriptive statistical results are reported by gender as well as grade-level usage rates. Discussion includes targeting drug prevention programs for specific grade and gender levels based upon the results.
Phase Modulation Effect of the Rubincam Insolation Variations on Climate Change

For astronomical seasons, Rubincam insolation deviations at latitude 65° N varied from 218.50 Wm−2 to 225.75 Wm−2 (3%). The periodicity of the insolation cycles varied from 36.7 Kyr to 44.7 Kyr (20%) due to phase shift. Phase shift of insolation variations can induce asymmetry of the insolation cycles, permitting rapid melting and prolonged glaciation of ice sheets to occur. For instance, an abnormal decrease of the insolation frequency during the longer period of glacial interval would prolong glaciation into deep ice age. In this study, we apply Rubincam’s insolation equations to investigate the phase shift effect of insolation variations on climate change. Using complex transforms of the changing insolation, we have detected a phase modulation signal in the insolation variations. As a result, an especially new and interesting series of the phase-related insolation pulsation is established. The phase modulated insolation is then introduced as a forcing function into energy balance climate models. Results of model computations shed new insights into the spectrum of the paleoclimatic proxy-data. It is shown that phase modulation of the insolation may provide an appropriate and complete external forcing mechanism to which the climate system would respond. The 100 Kyr cycle of the frequency modulation of the Rubincam’s insolation variations does seem adequate to change the climate.
Differential effects of freezing on total hepatic peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation and on the rate-limiting enzyme, acyl-CoA oxidase.

Abstract Fatty acid oxidation defects can be acutely fatal, leading to the collection of tissues which are frozen for future analysis. Since peroxisomes can also oxidize long-chain fatty acids, differentiation of the contributions from the peroxisome as opposed to the mitochondria is important. We studied the effects of freezing and storage of rat livers on peroxisomal and mitochondrial β-oxidation as measured by cyanide sensitivity of the oxidation of [1-14C]oleoyl-CoA to 14CO2 and acidsoluble labeled products. In addition, we examined the effects of freezing and storage on the rate-limiting enzyme for peroxisomal β-oxidation, acyl-CoA oxidase, by the H2O2 generation method. Marked reduction in the oxidation of [1-14C]oleoyl-CoA was found for both peroxisomal and mitochondrial systems upon freezing at −18 or −70°C for 2 days which declined further on storage at these temperatures for 12 weeks. Loss of activity after freezing was greater for the mitochondrial than the peroxisomal β-oxidation system. By contrast, acyl-CoA oxidase activity was resistant to these changes, maintaining prefrozen activities despite storage for 12 weeks. The contribution of the peroxisomal system to β-oxidation was 32% of the total rate of oxidation of [1-14C]oleoyl-CoA in the rat liver. These findings indicate that the contributions of the peroxisomal system to total fatty acid oxidation may be considerable, that freezing of the liver results in drastic reduction in enzyme activities of both peroxisomal as well as mitochondrial β-oxidation, but that the rate-limiting enzyme of the peroxisomal system, acyl-CoA oxidase, retains full activity despite freezing and storage.
Induction of sucrose synthase in potato tissue culture : effect of carbon source and metabolic regulators on sink strength

Summary Sucrose synthase activity and growth (i.e., dry weight, starch, and protein levels) of cultured potato cells (Solanum tuberosum L., cv. Norchip) were greater when sucrose was the sole carbon source compared with the hexoses glucose or fructose. Variation in sucrose synthase activity during the culture period represented a coarse regulation of the number of enzyme molecules rather that a fine control regulating the catalytic activity of pre-existing enzyme molecules. Significant levels of sucrose synthase occurred only when the intracellular concentration of sucrose reached 2 to 3 mM. Induction of sucrose synthase occurred during the lag phase of the potato suspension culture. During rapid periods of cellular division, total sucrose synthase activity remained relatively constant per cell. Cultures treated with various regulatory compounds (GA3, ABA, cAMP) and metabolic inhibitors (chloramphenicol) demonstrated marked differences in growth, soluble protein, endogenous sucrose concentration, and in the expression of sucrose synthase activity. ABA 10-3IM) was the most efficient in lowering the level of this enzyme in cultured cells. The effect that biologically-active substances have on regulating the level of sucrose synthase may be indirectly mediated through their influence on the cell's ability to take up and accumulate sucrose.
A study of the characteristics of the rat placental iodothyronine 5-monodeiodinase: evidence that it is distinct from the rat hepatic iodothyronine 5'-monodeiodinase.

Recent studies have demonstrated that rat liver type I iodothyronine 5'-monodeiodinase (5'-MD) characteristically contains selenocysteine. The present study was undertaken to characterize rat placental type III iodothyronine 5-MD and to compare it with 5'-MD. Solubilized rat placental microsomes were delipidated by carboxymethyl cellulose-Sephadex chromatography. Phospholipids and proteins were recovered in two distinct peaks, which did not show 5-MD activity. 5-MD activity was recovered fully, however, by combining the two components (phospholipids and protein) and partially after the addition of exogenous phospholipids to protein. Tissue selenoproteins were labeled by injection of radioactive selenium (75Se; 50 microCi, iv; on days 5, 10, and 15 of gestation) to pregnant rats. Subcellular fractions of maternal and fetal tissues were resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, followed by autoradiography. No specific seleno-labeled proteins were evident in the microsomes of pla...
Phosphorus and its utilization in soils of dry regions

Abstract This review deals with selected aspects of the forms, behavior and utilization of phosphorus in soils of dry regions. Such regions embrace most developing nations in the world. Amounts and major forms of phosphorus in the soils, indices of availability, fertilizer sources, initial and residual effects, modes of application and possibilities for improved utilization are considered. The supply and availability of phosphorus is a key factor in crop production. Consequently, for appreciable increases in production in dry regions, improvements in utilization of phosphorus are needed. Several possible improvements are therefore proposed as the final part of this paper.
Membrane topology of the Drosophila vesicular glutamate transporter

The vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs) are responsible for packaging glutamate into synaptic vesicles, and are part of a family of structurally related proteins that mediate organic anion transport. Standard computer-based predictions of transmembrane domains have led to divergent topological models, indicating the need for experimentally derived predictions. Here we present data on the topology of the VGLUT ortholog from Drosophila melanogaster (DVGLUT). Using immunofluorescence assays of DVGLUT transiently localized to the plasma membrane of heterologously transfected cells, we have determined the accessibility of epitope tags inserted into the lumenal/extracellular face of the protein. Using immunoisolation, we have identified complementary tagged sites that face the cytoplasm. Our data show that DVGLUT contains 10 hydrophobic regions that completely span the membrane (TMs 1-10) and that the amino and carboxyl termini are cytosolic. Importantly, between TMs 4 and 5 is an unforeseen cytosolic loop of some 50 residues. Other domains exposed to the cytosol include loops between TMs 6-7 and 8-9, and regions C-terminal to TM2 and N-terminal to TM3. Between TM2 and 3 is a potentially hydrophobic, but topologically ambiguous region. Lumenal domains include sequences between TMs 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-10. These data provide a basis for determining structure-function relationships for DVGLUT and other related proteins.
Descriptive and prescriptive models of decision-making: implications for the development of decision aids

Experimental investigations by psychologists have revealed significant deviations of actual human decision behavior from classical rational theories of judgment and decision-making. Weakening the assumptions of the latter has led to the development of such new theories such as prospect theory or rank-dependent subjective expected utility theory. Recent work in this area is reviewed with an emphasis on its implications for prescriptive modeling. These implications manifest themselves at every step of the decision analytic process, potentially limiting the effectiveness of these tools. It is proposed that it may be possible to enhance the effectiveness of decision analytic tools or numerical optimization if they are coupled with some symbolic reasoning capability. The relevance of artificial intelligence techniques for enhancing existing decision tools is also discussed. Some links between the descriptive decision research of psychology, prescriptive models of operations research, and symbolic reasoning research of artificial intelligence are shown. >
Maltodextrin acceptor reactions of Streptococcus mutans 6715 glucosyltransferases

Abstract The maltodextrin (maltose through maltoheptaose) acceptor reactions of two Streptococcus mutans 6715 glucosyltransferases (GTF-1 and GTF-S) were studied. The acceptor product structures were determined by comparing them with the known structures of the acceptor products of Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-512FM dextransucrase (EC 2.4.1.5) and L. mesenteroides B-1355 alternansucrase (EC 2.4.1.140). When reacted with maltose (G2), both GTF-1 and GTF-S transferred a d -glucopyranose from sucrose to the nonreducing glucosyl residue to give panose (62-α- d -glucopyranosyl maltose). Panose then served as an acceptor to give two further acceptor products, 62-α- d -isomaltosyl maltose and 62-α-nigerosyl maltose. 62-α-Isomaltosyl maltose then went on to serve as an acceptor to give a series of homologous acceptor products with isomaltodextrin chains attached to C-6 of the nonreducing-end residue of maltose, while 62-α-nigerosyl maltose did not further react. When reacted with other maltodextrins (G3–G7), both GTF-I and GTF-S transferred a d -glucopyranose to C-6 of either the nonreducing-end or the reducing-end residues of the maltodextrins, forming α(1→6) linkages. When d -glucopyranose was transferred to the nonreducing-end residue by GTF-I or GTF-S, the first product was also an acceptor to give the second product, which then served as an acceptor to give the third product, etc., to give a homologous series of products. When d -glucopyranose was transferred to the reducing-end residue, the acceptor product that formed did not readily serve as an acceptor, or served only as a very poor acceptor, to give a small amount of the next homologue, as was the case for G7 with GTF-S. In addition, GTF-I also transferred d -glucopyranose to the reducing-end or to the nonreducing-end residue of maltotriose, forming α(1→3) linkages, to give 33-α- d -glucopyranosyl maltotriose and 31-α- d -glucopyranosyl maltotriose. Neither of these acceptor products further served as acceptors to give a homologous series. Under equivalent conditions of equimolar amounts of acceptor and sucrose, maltose and maltotriose are much better acceptors with GTF-I than they are with GTF-S, which is better than L. mesenteroides B-512M dextransucrase. The three enzymes display significantly different efficiencies for the different maltodextrin acceptor reactions, GTF-I and GTF-S having much higher efficiencies than L. mesenteroides B-512FM dextransucrase.
Comparison of two schema for classifying nursing research.

To examine trends in nursing research during the last five years of the 1980s and to test the reliability and validity of two taxonomic schemes to classify nursing research, 811 abstracts from three years of a national nursing research conference (Council of Nurse Researchers, 1983, 87, 89) were reviewed and classified independently by three investigators. Taxonomies were research topics as categorized in the Sigma Theta Tau International Directory of Nurse Researchers (STT) and the Classification of Nursing-Related Dissertations (DISSER). More than half of abstracts addressed clinical topics, and clinical research topics increased significantly over time (p less than .001). At least two of the three raters agreed on coding for 62.8 percent of abstracts with STT schemes, 70.9 percent with DISSER scheme (p less than .01). Additional testing and standardization of taxonomies for nursing research is needed to improve reliability and validity.
Ozone and chlorine dioxide: Similar chemistry and measurement issues

Abstract The chemical reactions associated with ozone and chlorine dioxide can be complicated and involve numerous intermediates. When ozone is applied, the presence of reactive intermediate species (O2 ‐, O3 ‐, OH, HO2, HO2 ‐, and H2O2) influence the extent of oxidation that takes place and determines the amount and types of by‐products formed. Similarly, when chlorine dioxide is applied the amount of intermediate (Cl2O2) formed determines whether chlorine dioxide producing reactions or chlorate ion forming reactions occur. Ozone and chlorine dioxide are excellent agents for inactivating Cryptosporidium and Giardia. Microbiologically, each of the agents are very reactive. In the case of ozone, typically each molecule undergoes a one‐electron change. The mechanism of chlorine dioxide inactivation involves a recycling process whereby chlorine dioxide is reduced to chlorite ion followed by the “regeneration” of chlorine dioxide that continues to react within the cell over and over again. Chlorite ion also h...
Rubin's validation of Descartes

If Arnauld's criticism of Descartes is that any confirmation of reason by its own lights inevitably founders in circularity, then the resolution of the Cartesian Circle offered recently by Ronald Rubin is the first to meet this challenge for Descartes.' It avoids the unavoidable circularity of reason justifying itself by replacing the justifying reason with psychological mechanism, so raising interesting questions about Descartes's 'rationalism'. Unfortunately, Rubin's ambiguous exposition itself founders upon a confusion of de dicto and de re modalities, with the result that metaphysical doubt is disguised rather than dissolved.
Benefit of statin pretreatment in prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy in different adult patient population: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: Previous studies have suggested that statin pretreatment prevents contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). However, single randomised trials are limited in their number of patients. This meta-analysis aims to assess the role of statin use in CIN prevention, as well as to determine patient subgroups that will benefit from statin pre-treatment. Methodology: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of science and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases for randomised controlled trials (RCT) comparing statin pretreatment versus placebo for preventing CIN. Our main outcome was the risk of CIN within 1–5 days after contrast administration. Results: Data analysed from nine randomised studies with a total of 5143 patients, where 2559 received statins and 2584 received placebo, showed that statin pretreatment was associated with significant reduction in risk of CIN (MH-RR=0.47, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.64, Z=4.49, p<0.00001). This beneficial effect of statin was also seen in patients with baseline renal impairment (MH-RR=0.46, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.72, p=0.0008) and also those who were cotreated with NAC (MH-RR=0.46, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.83, p=0.01). Conclusions: Statin pretreatment leads to significant reduction in CIN, and should be strongly considered in all patients who are planned for diagnostic and interventional procedures involving contrast-media administration.
TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATES AND VEGETATION STRUCTURE IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES

Terrestrial vertebrates in the western United States are functionally linked to environmental settings, as revealed by principal components analyses. Species number in five major vertebrate feeding guilds increases as vegetation structure becomes more complex and environmental conditions become more varied, and as evolutionary history has promoted species richness. Two other major vertebrate feeding guilds increase with temperature and evolutionary factors. Results support the view of animals as adapted parts of deterministic environmental systems, although complete explanations of species distributions require consideration of evolutionary history and stochastic processes.
Community Transferable Quotas: Internalizing Externalities and Minimizing Social Impacts of Fisheries Management

Ongoing changes in world fisheries, including those in the United States, are having dramatic impacts on fishers, their families, and their communities. The key drivers of these changes have been identified as open access and overcapitalization. The prevailing models being considered for addressing these issues are firmly rooted in the tenets of neoclassical economic theory and focus on establishing property rights or privileges in fisheries. The National Research Council has recently recommended that Congress lift the moratorium on the development of individual fishing quota (IFQ) programs established by the Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996. In particular, among mainstream managers, a particular form of IFQ, the individual transferable quota (ITQ) has come to be viewed as the management tool of choice. ITQs, quasiprivatized property rights allocated to individual fishers, are expected to "rationalize" the fishery through market forces. Externalities (costs that fall outside the market process) associate...
Scaling analysis of exciton annihilations in highly anisotropic crystals

Abstract A scaling analysis is presented for incoherent exciton migration in highly anisotropic crystals at high exciton densities. At these densities, exciton-exciton annihilation is an important mechanism for the decay of the exciton population. The direct computer simulation of these systems is often not feasible due to the large number of exciton hops that occur on the relevant experimental time scale. The scaling analysis allows for the physical exciton migration and annihilation problem to be mapped into an equivalent problem with approximately the same population decay profile, but with a much smaller number of exciton hops in the time scale of interest. In this scaling analysis, the efficiency of annihilation when two excitons occupy the same lattice site depends on the degree of scaling of the lattice. A procedure is presented for the calculation of this probability of annihilation as the degree of scaling is varied. This procedure is tested, and it is found to produce population decay curves that are insensitive to the scaling of the lattice. Comparison is made to experimental data for (CH3)4NMnCl3 (TMMC), and the simulation procedure provides an excellent fit to the experimental results.
SU-FF-T-442: Use Of A 2D Array Of Diodes To Test The Accuracy Of MLC Leaf Position And Gap Width

Purpose: For MLC‐modulated IMRT fields, it is important that the leaf positioning be accurate and that the gap between opposing leaf pairs be precisely set. One test of the MLC is the “picket fence” pattern, which consists of narrow, sequentially delivered, abutting sub‐fields of radiation. Typically in current practice, a radiographic film is irradiated and visually inspected for a discontinuous radiation pattern. Here, a 2D‐array of 455 diodes (MapCheck, Sun Nuclear, Melbourne, FL) was used to detect the radiation pattern. Method and Materials: The array was oriented such that 120 diodes aligned with the center of the MLC leaves at each of their sub‐field edges. Measurements were compared against a dose distribution calculated by the XiO treatment planning system (Computerized Medical Systems, St. Louis, MO) for a picket‐fence segment pattern delivered to a flat phantom. MapCheck software was used to obtain the relative percent difference, normalized to the center diode, between the 455 diode‐measured and calculated points. Spreadsheet software was written that extracted the desired 120 sample points from the 455 measured points and performed routine data analysis in less than 30 s. Results: Four different Siemens accelerators equipped with 29‐leaf pair MLCs were measured over a two‐month period. By careful adjustment of MLC leaves, the percent difference between measurement and calculation, averaged for 120 points, could be kept within ±5% with a standard deviation of 6.0%. This standard deviation is attributable to individual MLC leaves and deviations in leaf position for various set positions across the field. The trial‐to‐trial variation is about 2% for the average difference for the 120 points. A 1‐mm leaf offset in the picket fence delivery corresponded to an average difference of about 17%. Conclusion: A rapid, quantitative method, sensitive to submillimeter changes in MLC leaf positioning and gap width has been devised.
Uniformity control with phase-locked RF source on a high density plasma system

Semiconductor device manufacturing continues to achieve decreased feature sizes with a corresponding density increase along device area and volume. The consequence of manufacturing semiconductor devices with a higher level of integration remains a vexing challenge to achieving repeatable target yields, minimizing plasma induced damage, and optimizing process throughput all while gaining the technological advantage to reach the next high-performance node. We present control mechanisms to improve the fidelity of plasma density and the control of ion energies for a high-density plasma source. For a high-density plasma source, plasma generation is associated with the coupling of RF power to the plasma discharge through a coil antenna arrangement. The RF bias, coupled to a substrate, creates the ion energies utilized for material-etch processing associated with high-volume semiconductor manufacturing. Our fundamental technique is based on a frequency-and-phase locking controller. For the RF source, this frequency-and phase locking enables precise control of the electromagnetic field emissions from the antenna coil. By amplitude and relative phase manipulation of a dual-RF power supply scheme providing the excitation for the source coil arrangement, the constructive-deconstructive interaction of the coil fields enables the finest control of plasma density and uniformity along the wafer area. We further exploit the frequency-and-phase locking capability with the bias RF power delivery system to control the width and skew of the ion energy distribution function (IEDF). The coupling of these RF power delivery systems to a high-density plasma source formulates a systematic control of plasma parameters, ameliorating the state of thin-film manufacturing capability closer to the elusive atomic layer etch facility necessary to achieve future semiconductor nodes.
A Reliable (K, N) Image Secret Sharing Scheme with Low Information Overhead

AbstractThis paper presents an image secret sharing scheme with low information overhead. The method essentially incorporates two different k-out-of-n secret sharing schemes: (i) Shamir’s secret sharing scheme, and (ii) matrix projection secret sharing scheme. The technique allows a secret image to be divided into n image shares so that: (i) any k image shares (k<n) can be used to reconstruct the secret image in a lossless manner, and (ii) any (k−1) or fewer image shares cannot reveal the secret image. The size of the image shares is smaller than the size of the secret image so that there is no much overhead to store or transmit the image shares. Because image shares are computed by partitioning the secret image into smaller blocks, it can also be processed in near-realtime with resilience to the noise corruptions
Production of a pure, single ro-vibrational quantum-state molecular beam

Abstract Electrostatic hexapole focusing is used to produce a beam of ND3 molecules in a pure, single |JKMϵ〉|±〉≡|1111〉|−〉 rational—vibrational quantum state in the electronic ground state, X , 1A′1. Both photodissociation at 193.3 nm and (2+1) REMPI are used to detect the state-selected ND3 molecules. Calculated focusing curves are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental curves for initial beam temperatures less than 6 K and special simulations confirm the single state nature of the molecular beam by comparisons to the measured population and alignment (A[2]O=0.5±0.1) of the focused |1111〉|−〉 state.
Orientalization of an “almost white” woman: The interlocking effects of race, class, gender, and ethnicity in American mass media

This study examines the case of the missing Jewish woman. It provides a multidisciplinary approach for considering “doubly” and “triply” oppressed minority women at the hands of society and their own minority group. Feminist theory and images of women as signals of systemic troubles in a community are linked to mass communication theory.
In Vivothe Environmental Pollutants Lead and Mercury Induce Oligoclonal T Cell Responses Skewed toward Type-2 Reactivities☆

Abstract An oligoclonal utilization of Vβs has been reported for pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases, anti-tumorigenic activity, and superantigen-regulation of thymic T cell development. Altered ratios of Th1 and Th2 cells also are observed in immunodysregulations, leading to impaired cell-mediated immunity with an increased incidence of infectious disease or cancer and/or aberrant immunity that could culminate with an autoimmune disease. Lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) are known pollutants with immunodisrupting activities; Hg is known to cause autoimmune glomerulonephritis. Both metals are known to suppress host resistance to pathogens. To further evaluate the manner by which these metals causein vivoimmunomodulation, theirin vivoeffects on Vβ expression were evaluated along with the Th1 and Th2 frequency. Exposure of BALB/c mice to PbCl2or HgCl2induced an oligoclonal response with increases of Vβ 5+, Vβ 7+, and Vβ 13+CD4+splenic, but not thymic, T cells. A significantly skewed frequency of Pb-induced splenic Th2 cells expressing Vβ 7 or Vβ 13 over Th1 cells was determined by limiting dilution analysis, but this Th2 predominance was not observed with CD4+T cells expressing Vβ 8. DO11.10 transgenic mouse exposed to Pb and antigen also demonstrated a skewed type-2 response evidenced by significantly increased IgE levels, lowered IFN-γ levels, and increased IgG1 and lowered IgG2a anti-OVA levels. Even in the absence of specific T cell responses to a Pb-induced antigen, due to the restricted T cell specificity in the transgenic mouse model, Pb still was able to skew the response toward type-2 reactivity. However, this skewing occurred only in the presence of antigen. Therefore, the Pb-induced oligoclonal T cell response in BALB/c mice which must be initiated by self-antigens and was predominately type-2 may be responsible for autoantibody production and the detrimental health effects associated with Pb exposure.
Direction/location estimation and modulation detection for RF sources using steerable 3D IIR digital beam filters

A planar antenna array based feature detection scheme is proposed to estimate the directional, location and modulation information pertaining to radio sources in a cognitive radio environment. The proposed system employs multiple direction estimation stations and a fusion station. Planar antenna arrays and three-dimensional (3-D) infinite impulse response (IIR) digital filters are employed to perform volume scanning of the radio environment, leading to a spatial power profile, which is subjected to peak detection in order to estimate the direction of arrival corresponding to each source. Cyclosationay feature detection is then performed along each direction to estimate the frequency and modulation information. Two simulation examples are provided to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach.
Buried treasure: soil biodiversity and conservation.

Soils are incredibly biodiverse habitats, yet soil-dwelling organisms have received little attention within the field of conservation biology. Due to difficulties involved in studying soil biota, and to taxonomic biases in conservation research, the full extent of soil biodiversity is not well understood, and soil-dwelling organisms are rarely candidates for conservation. The biogeography of soil biota differs significantly from that of plants or animals aboveground, and the taxonomic and functional diversity of soil-dwellers allows them to have a multitude of ecological effects on aboveground organisms. Soil organisms exhibit levels of biodiversity several orders of magnitude greater than those found in their aboveground counterparts on a per-area basis. The biodiversity of soils underpins many crucial ecosystem services which support the plants and animals typically targeted by conservation efforts. Strategies detailed in this paper provide practitioners with the ability to address many of the challenges related to incorporating soils and soil organisms into conservation planning.