cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evidence-based assessment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Using multiple sources of information

The present column illustrates step-by-step the process of acquiring and integrating information according to the recommendations of evidence-based practices (Kraemer, 1992; Sackett et al., 2000). A case example models the process, leading to specific recommendations regarding instruments and strategies for evidence-based assessment (EBA) of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, combined type (ADHD-C). The diagnostic process presented here is consistent with EBA as defined in the text for this series by Guyatt and Rennie (2002). In addition, the column shows how to convert scores using normative data and effect sizes (see Morgan et al., 2005 for information on effect sizes) into useful diagnostic information about individual cases. Because ADHD, predominantly inattentive type is thought by some experts to be a very different disorder (Milich et al., 2001), with a distinct cognitive profile (Hinshaw et al., 2002), this article is focused on ADHD-C.
An abstract semilinear hyperbolic Volterra integrodifferential equation

Abstract We consider semilinear integrodifferential equations of the form u′(t) + A(t) u(t) = ∝0t g(t, s, u(s)) ds + f(t), u(0) = u0. For each t ⩾ 0, the operator A(t) is assumed to be the negative generator of a strongly continuous semigroup in a Banach space X. The domain D(A(t)) of A(t) is allowed to vary with t. Thus our models are Volterra integrodifferential equations of “hyperbolic type.” These types of equations arise naturally in the study of viscoelasticity. Our main results are the proofs of existence, uniqueness, continuation and continuous dependence of the solutions.
Sensitization by interleukin-1alpha of carboplatinum anti-tumor activity against human ovarian (NIH:OVCAR-3) carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo.

Cytokines are directly cytotoxic to tumor cells in vitro and in vivo, and interleukin-1α (IL-1α) potentiates the cytotoxicity of a number of clinically active drugs in several human tumor cells, including carcinomas of the breast and ovary. In this study, we found that IL-1α potentiated the cytotoxicity of carboplatin in human ovarian NIH:OVCAR-3 cancer cells during simultaneous drug exposure in vitro. Human ovarian carcinoma NIH:OVCAR-3 cells are resistant to clinically relevant concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents, including cisplatin. Both carboplatin and IL-1α as single agents inhibited the growth of NIH:OVCAR-3 cells grown as xenograft in nude mice; however, carboplatin was more effective in delaying tumor growth, and this inhibition was dose-dependent. Treatment with IL-1α or followed by carboplatin caused a significant delay in tumor growth, resulting in a significant enhancement (4-fold) of the anti-tumor effect of carboplatin. In vitro potentiation of carboplatin cytotoxicity by IL-1α did not involve formation of nitric oxide as IL-1α or combinations of IL-1α with carboplatin failed to modulate basal nitric oxide production in OVCAR-3 cells. Potentiation of the anti-tumor activity of carboplatin by IL-1α was due to a significant (3- to 4-fold) increase in the accumulation of total Pt in IL-1α-treated tumor xenograft, resulting in a 2-fold increase in DNA-Pt adduct formation in these tumors. In contrast, IL-1α had no significant effect on DNA-Pt adduct formation in the kidney. The potent synergy of IL- I1α and carboplatin in vitro and in vivo against ovarian carcinoma cells suggests that combinations of carboplatinum and interleukin-1α may be effective against this disease in the clinic. (This article is a US Government work and. as such. is in the public domain in the United States of America.) © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Some limit theorems for critical branching Bessel processes, and related semilinear differential equations

For a critical binary branching Bessel process starting fromx≫1 and stopped atx=1, we prove some conditional limit laws of the number of particles arriving atx=1 before a scaled large time. Five regions of the dimensional index of a Bessel process: −∞<d<2,d=2, 2<d<4,d=4 and 4<d<∞ are showed to have somewhat different behaviors. Our probabilistic results are proved by analyzing differential equations satisfied by generating functions. A salient theme is a comparison principle technique deliberately used to estimate solutions of $$u_t - \left( {D^2 + \frac{{d - 1}}{x}D} \right)u + u^p = 0$$ inR +×R + wherep is greater than 1. The casep=2 corresponds to the process considered.
Sampling search-engine results

We consider the problem of efficiently sampling Web search engine query results. In turn, using a small random sample instead of the full set of results leads to efficient approximate algorithms for several applications, such as: Determining the set of categories in a given taxonomy spanned by the search results;Finding the range of metadata values associated to the result set in order to enable "multi-faceted search;"Estimating the size of the result set;Data mining associations to the query terms.We present and analyze an efficient algorithm for obtaining uniform random samples applicable to any search engine based on posting lists and document-at-a-time evaluation. (To our knowledge, all popular Web search engines, e.g. Google, Inktomi, AltaVista, AllTheWeb, belong to this class.)Furthermore, our algorithm can be modified to follow the modern object-oriented approach whereby posting lists are viewed as streams equipped with a next method, and the next method for Boolean and other complex queries is built from the next method for primitive terms. In our case we show how to construct a basic next(p) method that samples term posting lists with probability p, and show how to construct next(p) methods for Boolean operators (AND, OR, WAND) from primitive methods.Finally, we test the efficiency and quality of our approach on both synthetic and real-world data.
An integrated environmental information system (IEIS) for corporate environmental management

Abstract Enterprise-wide information systems have been gradually moving into the corporate and industrial setting, driven by demands for nimbleness and efficiency in the competitive marketplace. These systems seek to integrate access to and management of such information as financial, inventory and personnel data. Implementation of these systems is often highly disruptive to the organization, because it requires a significant change in the way units within the firm do business, but may be undertaken anyway because of the strong business case that can be made on their behalf. Environment, health and safety (EH&S) management has similar requirements, but the role of this function within the organization presents unique problems that have inhibited implementation of integrated environmental information systems, particularly in large companies. EH&S is different than most business processes for two reasons. It is associated with government regulations and the significant legal and economic sanctions which can result from violations, but at the same time it is considered an ‘overhead’ operation and is not seen as adding direct value to the product or the firm. The former constrains the way in which EH&S information can be managed, while the latter prevents the EH&S organization from disrupting business operations in order to implement an integrated information management system. These problems are exacerbated in larger firms, since most EH&S information management processes grow in proportion to the number of people the company employs and the number of buildings the company owns or leases. The present case study describes an approach taken by a company with over 10 000 facilities and hundreds of thousands of employees.
History of Synthetic Rubber

Abstract Synthetic rubber undoubtedly represents the earliest development of the synthesis of macromolecules. It dates back to the historic discovery by Greville Williams in 1860 that isoprene is the “mother substance” of natural rubber. Attempts to convert isoprene, and later other 1,3-dienes, to a synthetic rubber began shortly thereafter, although the first commercial production of such a material did not take place until a half century later. The period between World War I and II witnessed the first development of a true synthetic substitute for natural rubber, i.e., sodium-polymerized butadiene, which was produced in Germany as Buna rubber and in the USSR as SK rubber. However, during the 1930s, Germany developed the emulsion copolymerization of butadiene-styrene (Buna S), whereas sodium polybutadiene continued as the principal general purpose synthetic rubber in the Soviet Union. The United States which, up till then, had only developed special-purpose synthetic rubbers like neoprene, entered the sy...
In Vivo Delivery of Nucleic Acids via Glycopolymer Vehicles Affords Therapeutic Infarct Size Reduction In Vivo

Using a new class of nontoxic and degradable glycopolymer-based vehicles termed poly(glycoamidoamine)s, we demonstrate virus-like delivery efficacy of oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) decoys to cardiomyoblasts (H9c2), primary cardiomyocytes, and the mouse heart. These glycopolymers bind and compact ODN decoys into nanoparticle complexes that are internalized by the cell membrane and mediate nuclear uptake of DNA in 90+% of cultured primary cardiomyocytes and 87% of the mouse myocardium. Experimental results reveal that decoys delivered via these glycopolymers block the activation of the transcription factor NF-κB, a major contributor to ischemia/reperfusion injury. Decoy complexes formed with glycopolymer T4 significantly blocked downstream gene expression of Cox-2 and limited myocardial infarction in vivo, phenocopying a transgenic mouse model. These promising delivery vehicles may facilitate high-throughput genetic approaches in animal models. Additionally, the low toxicity, biodegradation, and outstanding delivery efficacy suggest that these nanomedicines may be clinically applicable for gene regulatory therapy.
Identification of components of protein complexes using a fluorescent photo-cross-linker and mass spectrometry.

This study describes a novel method for improving the specific recognition, detection, and identification of proteins involved in multiprotein complexes. The method is based on a combination of coi...
Reflection high energy electron diffraction study of CoSi2/Si multilayer structures

Abstract The epitaxial perfection and microstructure of Si/CoSi2/Si heterostructures have been examined by various techniques, such as transmission electron microscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. In this paper, an in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) pattern investigation of Si/CoSi2/Si double heterostructures grown on Si(111) by solid phase epitaxy is presented. During the thermal annealing of a Co/Si film deposited in the stoichiometric ratio of CoSi2 at room temperature, RHEED patterns show directly the formation stages of CoSi2 as well as the crystallinity of the films. A very sharp (1 × 1) RHEED pattern of a CoSi2 single layer grown on Si(111) has been obtained in our experiment. Ultrathin silicon layers grown on top of CoSi2 showed a combination of the Si(7 × 7) pattern and the CoSi2(1 × 1) pattern. From this study, additional information on the process of formation of the Si/CoSi2/Si multilayer structure is obtained.
Amodal specifying information: Where is occlusion?

James Gibson's theory of information, as specific to (but not necessarily “like”) its sources, is especially indebted to the study of occlusion for its core examples. In occlusion, one is “amodally” aware of hidden surfaces. Is this still too related to one modality to count as a good case for Stoffregen & Bardy?
The response of tropical tree seedlings to nutrient supply: meta-analysis for understanding a changing tropical landscape

Current literature on the response of tropical tree seedlings to fertilization was analysed. Fertilization effects on biomass accumulation, relative growth rate and tissue nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were examined for seedlings grown under relatively high light. Higher light conditions in gaps are expected as human disturbance expands in tropical landscapes. Two questions were asked: (1) Does nutrient addition enhance growth or result in nutrient accumulation in the tissues of tropical tree seedlings grown in pots under high light? (2) Are these responses conditional on their adaptations to light availability, seed mass or growth form? Most of the species (73% of light-demanding and 60% of shade-tolerant) demonstrated a positive growth response to fertilization. The magnitude of the response of light-demanding species was more than twice that of shade-tolerant species. A higher proportion of shade-tolerant species accumulated nutrients in their tissues (up to 95% for P), but over half the light-demanding species did so as well. For both types of species, a higher percentage accumulated P than N. Responses in growth and in P accumulation were negatively correlated with seed mass. Shrubs responded more than trees in biomass accumulation, but there was a trend toward greater response by trees in relative growth rate and N and P accumulation. The results suggest that variation in nutrient availability could affect the structure of tropical forests regenerating from large-scale disturbance. In fertile sites, competitive exclusion may occur within the light-demanding species, resulting in a decline in local tree diversity. Depending on the effects of human disturbance on nutrient availability, loss of tree diversity at a local scale may compound diversity loss due to habitat destruction at the landscape scale.
The enigmatic Cleopatra broecki Putzeys, 1899 of the Congo River system in Africa – re‐transfer from Potadomoides Leloup, 1953 (Caenogastropoda, Cerithioidea, Paludomidae)

While the lacustrine gastropods from the great East African lakes, most notably of Lake Tanganyika, with their local endemisms and spectacular species flocks have found attention among both malacologists and more recently evolutionary biologists, our knowledge of gastropods of the central African rivers is still insufficient. In the course of a systematic revision of fluviatile paludomids of the genus Potadomoides Leloup, 1953, and in context with a study on the origin of the lacustrine gastropod radiation in Lake Tanganyika, type and other material of the constituent taxa from several museum collections was studied. Re-investigating the type material housed in the Musee Royal L'Afrique Centrale in Tervuren, Belgium (MRAC), and of additional material found in the collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology of the Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. USA (MCZ), provided new geographical, conchological as well as anatomical evidence (with respect to the operculum and radula). Hitherto only known from the original description, these new findings allow here to re-transfer C. broecki Putzeys, 1899 from Potadomoides to Cleopatra Troschel, 1856. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Intragastric pH and pharmacokinetics of intravenous ranitidine during sinusoidal and constant-rate infusions.

Six patients with healed duodenal ulcer completed two treatment periods with continuous i.v. infusion ranitidine. A 25-mg i.v. bolus was followed by a constant infusion at 6.25 mg/h or a sinusoidal infusion with infusion rates ranging from 3.125 to 9.375 mg/h. The sinusoidal infusion rate was designed to match the previously observed circadian changes in basal acid secretion. The peak infusion rate occurred at 19:30 h. A pharmacokinetic method was designed to predict the resultant plasma concentrations of ranitidine. Intragastric pH and plasma ranitidine concentration data were fit to a cosine function to evaluate circadian and ultradian rhythms. Plasma concentrations during the sinusoidal infusion exhibited a circadian rhythm according to model predictions. Cosinor analyses of the mean ranitidine plasma concentration data showed a mesor concentration of 237 ng/mL and amplitude of 76 ng/mL (coefficient of determination [CD] = 0.98). The acrophase in plasma concentration occurred at 2223 h, a delay of appr...
Botanical Composition and Forage Production in an Emulated Silvopasture

Integrating trees into pasture may increase pasture production and improve nutritive value by altering both species composition and productivity. Our objective was to determine forage yield and botanical composition in response to tree species, tree density, and slope position in an emulated silvopasture (the site had no animals). In 1995, black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) and honey locust (Gleditisia triacanthos L.) trees were planted within plots (r = 3) of predominantly tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) pasture. Trees were planted down slopes in rows to create low, medium, and high tree densities at shoulder-, mid-, and toe-slope positions. Sampling sites (n = 54) under field treatment combinations were harvested May to October at 35-d intervals in 2002 and 2003. Before spring, summer, and fall harvests, plots were subsampled for botanical composition. Tree species did not affect botanical composition when compared over the two seasons. Plots under honey locust trees tended to have more fescue in a dry year (2002) and more legumes and less dead herbage in a wet year (2003). Greater percentages of warm-season grasses and fewer weeds were observed at low tree density sites in 2003. Forage mass (5280, 6130, and 4970 kg ha -1 at low, medium, and high tree densities) was 16% greater under medium-density trees. Plots under black walnut yielded 13% more forage than those under honey locust (5790 vs. 5130 kg ha -1 ). Appropriately spaced trees have potential to positively alter botanical composition and can support greater forage production in a southern Appalachian silvopasture.
The Compton profiles of NaF, KCl, S, Si3N4, Ca and Co

Abstract The Compton profiles of NaF, KC', yellow and black S, β Si3X4, Ca and Co were measured with Ag Kα radiation (Λ = 0·559 A) at a scattering angle of 159°. The profiles of NaF and KCl are approximately represented by a superposition of Na++ F− and K++ Cl− free-atom momentum densities with some departures due to solid state effects. No difference was observed between crystalline (yellow) and amorphous (black) S. Ca metal showed a discontinuity in momentum density at pt = 0·74 a.u. compared to a free-electron Fermi momentum of 0·58 a.u. The entire first row of transition metals have a fairly constant expectation value ½p −1 = 5·3 ± 0·2 a.u. The silicon nitride profile showed some differences relative to a superposition of the experimentally observed silicon and N2 profiles.
Flow tube studies of NCl 3 reactions

The reactions of NCl 3 have been studied with the aim of assessing the potential for an NCl 3 fueled NCl(a) - I transfer chemical laser. In this set of experiments we are looking at the chlorine atom initiated decomposition of NCl 3 and it's subsequent reaction with hydrogen.
Nonfatal chloroquine poisoning

Acute overdosage with chloroquine is a life-threatening emergency. Adults who have ingested greater than 3 gm of chloroquine phosphate have died within 2 hr after ingestion. We describe the rapid onset of typical gastrointestinal, central nervous system, respiratory, and cardiovascular symptomatology in a 49-year-old female who ingested 19.5 gm of chloroquine phosphate. Prompt emesis, lavage, administration of activated charcoal, and aggressive treatment of hypotension and respiratory distress were responsible for the patient's recovery within 6 hr.
Cell-mediated and humoral immune responses of guinea-pigs to the oral bacterium Actinomyces viscosus

Actinomyces viscosus is a Gram-positive facultative rod indigenous to most human mouths. The guinea-pig was evaluated as a model for assessing cellular immune responses to a human strain of A. viscosus. Guinea-pigs, immunized with heat-killed A. viscosus cells or a water-soluble extract from A. viscosus (AVS), were tested for delayed-type hypersensitivity responses to A. viscosus 4 weeks after immunization. A week later, the guinea-pigs were terminated. Lymphocytes from peripheral blood, lymph node and spleen were tested for in-vitro blastogenic responses to heat-killed A. viscosus or the water-soluble extract. Plasma from these guinea-pigs were tested for the presence of precipitating antibodies. Positive in-vivo delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions and antibody responses to AVS occurred only in immunized guinea-pigs. A strong in-vitro blastogenic response to AVS or heat-killed A. viscosus occurred in lymphocytes from immunized guinea-pigs, but a weak response was detected in un-immunized animals. These data suggest that the guinea-pig can be used to evaluate different parameters of the immune response to oral bacteria such as A. viscosus.
Topological properties of circumcoronenes and their associated leapfrog total resonant sextet benzenoids

Abstract The unique properties of two classes of regular-hexagon-shaped benzenoid hydrocarbons are studied. The D6h point group symmetry of the members of these series have made them natural objects of numerous past studies. The D6h total resonant sextet (TRS) one-isomer series among all benzenoid hydrocarbons of the same size has the maximum number of Clar resonant sextets, bay regions, and Kekule resonance structures.
Ultrafast dynamics show that the theophylline and 3-methylxanthine aptamers employ a conformational capture mechanism for binding their ligands.

RNAs often exhibit a high degree of conformational dynamics and heterogeneity, leading to a rugged energy landscape. However, the roles of conformational heterogeneity and rapid dynamics in molecular recognition or RNA function have not been extensively elucidated. Ultrafast time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopic experiments were used here to probe picosecond dynamics of the theophylline-binding RNA aptamer. These studies showed that multiple conformations are populated in the free RNA indicating that this aptamer employs a conformational capture mechanism for ligand binding. The base on residue 27 in an internal loop exists in at least three conformational states in the free RNA, including binding competent and incompetent states that have distinct fluorescence decay signatures indicating different base stacking interactions. Picosecond dynamics were also detected by anisotropy experiments, where these motions indicate additional dynamics for base 27. The picosecond data show that theophylline binding shifts the equilibrium for conformations of base 27 from primarily stacked in the free RNA to mostly unstacked in the RNA-theophylline complex, as observed in the previous NMR structure. In contrast, base 10 in a second internal loop is mostly pre-organized in the free RNA, consistent with it being stacked between G11 and G25, as is observed in the bound state. Picosecond dynamics were also measured on a modified aptamer that binds with higher affinity to 3-methylxanthine than theophylline. The modified aptamer shows less heterogeneity in the aptamer-3-methylxanthine complex than what is observed in the theophylline aptamer-theophylline complex.
A Modified Gradient Plasticity Theory for Micro-Bending and Micro-Torsion Size Effects

The definition and magnitude of the intrinsic length scale are keys to the development of the theory of plasticity that incorporates size effects. Gradient plasticity theory with a material length scale parameter is successfully in capturing the size dependence of material behavior at the micron scale. However, a fixed value of the material length-scale is not always realistic and that different problems could require different values. Moreover, a linear coupling between the local and non-local terms in the gradient plasticity theory is not always realistic and that different problems could require different couplings. A generalized gradient plasticity model with a non-fixed length scale parameter is proposed. This model assesses the sensitivity of predictions in the way in which the local and non-local parts are coupled. The proposed model gives good predictions of the size effect in micro-bending tests of thin films and micro-torsion tests of thin wires.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Cognitive Constraints on Hindu Concepts of the Divine

Concepts of gods, like any other concepts, are informed and constrained by cross-cultural regularities of the human mind-brain. Specifically, divine beings that are represented as intentional agents are subject to the cognitive intuitions that govern all intentional agents. These intuitions may include psychological and physical attributes not endorsed by a given theological tradition. Experimental evidence is presented supporting the presence of these cognitive constraints and a resulting divergence between stated theological beliefs and implicit concepts. Hindu residents of northern India completed questionnaires regarding attributes of Brahman, Shiva, Vishnu, or Krishna and also participated in a narrative comprehension task. Results revealed striking differences in how the gods were conceived in the two contexts. Theoretical developments in the scientific study of religion during the 1990s have been distinguished by the growing influence of cognitive science. As Stewart Guthrie remarked in 1996, "New efforts at producing a general theory [of religion] have appeared. Although these range from irrationalist, wishful-thinking theories to rationalist and linguistic ones, they increasingly emphasize cognition' (412). This swell of theoretical work only serves to magnify the paucity of empirical scholarship using cognitive methods and insights to address issues in the study of theistic and other cultural systems. The present project addresses this evidential shortcoming by examining the general question of how cognitive architecture informs and constrains conceptualizations of the Divine. In brief, as with any other concept, concepts of gods must largely conform to the undergirding cognitive intuitive assumptions universally held for the ontological category of gods. Since gods are typically understood as intentional agents, they must satisfy the (often) tacit assumptions of agenthood. 1
The differential regulation of formation of chemical and electrical connections in Helisoma.

Novel chemical and electrical connections form between neurons not normally connected in the buccal ganglia of the snail Helisoma. We examined the cellular and environmental conditions required for the formation of each type of connection. Previous work in situ showed that novel electrical connections could form in response to axotomy. We have now found that axotomy can evoke the formation of novel unidirectional chemical connections between neurons B5 and B4 in addition to a novel electrical connection. The novel chemical connections display all of the normal properties of chemical synapses in Helisoma ganglia. These connections, however, are transient in nature and break 4 days following axotomy. Previous work has shown that conjoint outgrowth is required for the formation of electrical connections. In cell culture we have investigated whether conjoint outgrowth is also required for chemical synaptogenesis. Using neurons B5 and B19 we have found that when neuron pairs make contact in cell culture, under conditions of synchronous neurite extension, both electrical and chemical synapses form. However, if one neuron has ceased extension prior to contact by a growing neuron, electrical synapses never form (Hadley et al., 1983, 1985) but chemical synapses do form. Furthermore, the addition of serotonin (10−6M) to culture medium to inhibit neurite extension of B19, but not that of B5, selectively prevents the formation of electrical connections while permitting the formation of chemical synapses. Thus, the timing of contact in relation to the state of neurite extension can specify the type of connection a given neuron can form.
THE VALUATION EFFECTS OF FREQUENT COMMON STOCK ISSUANCES

Previous empirical studies show that announcements of seasoned common stock registrations and issuances lead to significant reductions in common stock prices and shareholder wealth. Nevertheless, some firms issue common stock frequently. Our empirical study of nonutility firms that issued common stock four or more times within ten years shows that market reactions to announcements of offerings and to registrations are less unfavorable than typical reactions for infrequent issuers. A cross-sectional analysis reveals no unique characteristics that distinguish frequent issuers from one-time common equity issuers. In fact, the only detectable characteristic unique to the firms is that they issue common stock frequently.
Thermal and chemical stabilization of ethylene/vinyl acetate/vinyl alcohol (EVA‐OH) terpolymers under nitroplasticizer environments

Here, we compare the aging behaviors of cross-linked ethylene/vinyl acetate/vinyl alcohol terpolymers, also referred to as EVA-OH, when they are either immersed in nitroplasticizer (NP) liquid or exposed to NP vapor at different temperatures. And while thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry are used to probe the thermal stability of aged NP and polymers, Fourier transform infrared, gel permeation chromatography, ultra-violet/vis, and nuclear magnetic resonance are used to probe their structural changes over the aging process. Our study confirms that NP degrades through C[BOND]N cleavage, and releases HONO molecules at a slightly elevated temperature (<75°C). As these molecules accumulate in the vapor phase, they react among themselves to create an acidic environment. Therefore, these chemical constituents in the NP vapor significantly accelerate the hydrolysis of EVA-OH polymer. When the hydrolysis occurs in both vinyl acetate and urethane groups and the scission at the cross-linker progresses, EVA-OH becomes vulnerable to further degradation in the NP vapor environment. Finally, through the comprehensive characterization, the possible degradation mechanisms of the terpolymers are proposed.
Comparing students' self-discipline and self-regulation measures and their prediction of academic achievement

Using a multi-source, multi-measure research design involving 507 high school students and their teachers, we compared prediction of these students’ academic achievement by a composite of students’ and teachers’ measures of students’ self-regulation (SR) with a composite of students’ and teachers’ measures of students’ self-discipline (SD). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the SR composite was more predictive of students’ grade point average and performance on a state-wide achievement test than the SD composite. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that, although SD and SR latent factors correlated significantly, a two-factor solution provided an acceptable fit for the results. Structural Equation Modeling analyses indicated that the SR latent factor predicted both measures of students’ achievement significantly, but the SD factor did not predict either achievement measure significantly. No significant gender differences were found with students’ SD, SR, or achievement measures. These results suggest a path for integrating two relatively separate streams in self-regulation research on the basis of a well-established distinction between learning and performance processes.
The Decline of the US Economy: A Perspective from Mathematical Ecology

Nations grow and decline as the result of driving forces underlying the comparative advantage differentials that they enjoy within a community of nations. The US economy, driven by comparative advantages enjoyed in the manufacturing sector, reached in the early 1950s a peak in its share of the world population. In comparison to the market economies of the world (WMEs) the United States of America reached a peak in the ratio of its per-capita gross domestic product to that of the WMEs in around 1920 and a peak in its share of the WMEs population around 1950. On all three counts the United States of America is currently continuously declining. It is hypothesized that this decline is caused by the gradual shift in the US economy from manufacturing to services and that it is of a rather long-term nature. The author presents an economic-ecological based model of the dynamic behavior of the US economy in reference to the WMEs. Empirical evidence, covering the period 1920–1980 is used to test a Volterra-Lotka ty...
Low-dose intraperitoneal Freund's adjuvant: Toxicity and immunogenicity in mice using an immunogen targeting amyloid-β peptide

Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) is effective for potentiating immune responses in mice when administered subcutaneously, and is often more potent when given intraperitoneally (i.p.). However, the the potential toxicity of i.p. administration in mice has led investigators and Institutional Animal Care and Use committees to increasingly view the use of CFA i.p. with reservation. We evaluated whether an 80% reduction in the dose of CFA administered i.p. to mice, compared to the i.p. doses used in a previous analysis, could abrogate the untoward effects associated with its use, while still maintaining adjuvanticity. Using a novel immunogen targeting the N-terminus of the 42-amino acid amyloid-beta peptide, we compared low dose CFA administered i.p., with three other commonly used adjuvants given i.p.: alum, incomplete Freunds adjuvant (IFA) and monophoshoryl lipid A + trehalose dicorynomycolate (MPL + TDM). The results of the study showed that, though the reduction in intraperitoneal dose of CFA mitigated transient weight loss and leukocytosis observed previously with higher doses of i.p. CFA, all mice administered CFA or IFA i.p. developed abdominal adhesions and granulomatous peritonitis. Mice from all adjuvant groups, however, appeared to tolerate the respective adjuvants well and excellent comparative immunogenicity was observed in mice immunized with the Freunds and MPL + TDM adjuvants. Consequently, we conclude that though a high-titered, humoral response may be generated using low dose CFA administered i.p., the accompanying toxicity remains significant, and thus alternative adjuvants and/or routes should be considered.
Novel regulation and function of Src tyrosine kinase.

Src tyrosine kinase is a critical signal transducer that modulates a wide variety of cellular functions. Misregulation of Src leads to cell transformation and cancer. Heterotrimeric guanine-nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) are another group of signaling molecules that transduce signals from cell-surface receptors to generate physiological responses. Recently, it was discovered that Gαs and Gαi could directly stimulate Src family tyrosine kinase activity. This novel regulation of Src tyrosine kinase by G proteins provides insights into the adenylyl cyclase-independent signaling mechanisms involved in ligand-induced receptor desensitization, internalization and other physiological processes.
Overview of Practice Management in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

The manager of a psychiatric practice must create and direct a clinical delivery system, design and oversee the administrative services necessary to support the system, and guide the business operations that contribute to its success. Regardless of the size of the practice, the psychiatrist administrator must handle seven core administrative responsibilities and oversee individual functions and capabilities within each domain. These responsibilities include practice development, clinical services management, medical office operations, clinical management, information management, business management, and risk management. This article provides a roadmap for creating and sustaining successful clinical and administrative endeavors. It can also be used by existing practices as an audit instrument to provide a snapshot of current capabilities so that strengths as well as opportunities for continued growth can be identified.
The regime of Anastasio Somoza, 1936-1956

To many observers, Anastasio Somoza, who ruled Nicaragua from 1936 until his assassination in 1956, personified the worst features of a dictator. While not dismissing these characteristics, Knut Walter argues that the regime was in fact more notable for its achievement of stability, economic growth, and state building than for its personalistic and dictatorial features. Using a wide range of sources in Nicaraguan archives, Walter focuses on institutional and structural developments to explain how Somoza gained and consolidated power. According to Walter, Somoza preferred to resolve conflicts by political means rather than by outright coercion. Specifically, he built his government on agreements negotiated with the country's principal political actors, labor groups, and business organizations. Nicaragua's two traditional parties, one conservative and the other liberal, were included in elections, thus giving the appearance of political pluralism. Partly as a result, the opposition was forced to become increasingly radical, says Walter; eventually, in 1979, Nicaragua produced the only successful revolution in Central America and the first in all of Latin America since Cuba's.
Stochastic approximation on discrete sets using simultaneous difference approximations

A stochastic approximation method for optimizing a class of discrete functions is considered. The procedure is a version of the simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (SPSA) method that has been modified to obtain a stochastic optimization method for cost functions defined on a grid of points in Euclidean p-space having integer components. We discuss the algorithm and examine its convergence properties.
The strength and the impact of new media

This paper presents a perspective on the impact and use of new media that focuses on the strength of the interpersonal tie connecting communicators. Research shows that more strongly tied pairs communicate more frequently, maintain more and different kinds of relations and use more media to communicate. It is argued that where ties are strong, communicators adapt their use of media and expand to other media to support the exchanges important to their tie; where ties are weak communicators rely on few means of contact (often only one), and depend on media and protocols established by others. It is theorized that dependence on a common, widely used medium makes a weak tie network vulnerable to dissolution and reformulation following changes to that medium; by contrast strong ties are more robust under conditions of change since their connection rests on multiple relations and media.
Development by the laboratory rodent host of humoral antibody activity to Cuterebra fontinella (Diptera; Cuterebridae) larval antigens.

The humoral antibody response of laboratory mice and rats to larval antigens of the rodent bot fly, Cuterebra fontinella , was evaluated with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The development of circulating antibody in host serum was monitored during single and repeated infestations. Both rats and mice produced antibody to antigens of larval C. fontinella and demonstrated anamnestic responses to these antigens upon subsequent reinfestation. Rats developed strong resistance to infestation after 2 exposures, while mice were susceptible to infestation for the duration of the study. Immunobiological consequences of disrupted larval migration and random spikes in antibody activity are discussed.
Measurement for the time-resolved spatial profile of a laser

We used noncollinear optical parametric down-conversion to generate temporally gated images of the spatial-intensity profile of an ultraviolet laser beam. The third-harmonic generation of Nd:YLF at 351 nm was mixed with 1064-nm radiation from a Nd:YAG laser to produce a signal beam image at 524 nm.
Cloning, Expression, and Catalytic Activity of Helicobacter hepaticus Urease

Helicobacter hepaticus causes disease in the liver and lower intestinal tract of mice. It is strongly urease positive, although it does not live in an acidic environment. The H. hepaticus urease gene cluster was expressed in Escherichia coli with and without coexpression of the Helicobacter pylori nickel transporter NixA. As for H. pylori, it was difficult to obtain enzymatic activity from recombinant H. hepaticus urease; special conditions including NiCl2 supplementation were required. The H. hepaticus urease cluster contains a homolog of each gene in the H. pylori urease cluster, including the urea transporter gene ureI. Downstream genes were homologs of the nik nickel transport operon of E. coli. Nongastric H. hepaticus produces urease similar to that of H. pylori.
Henneguya sp. in yellowfin goby Acanthogobius flavimanus from the San Francisco Estuary

Myxozoan spores were observed in yellowfin goby Acanthogobius flavimanus collected from Suisun Marsh, San Francisco Estuary (SFE). Although histopathological changes associated with the parasite were not observed, the spores formed plasmodia that partially blocked the gastric and intestinal mucosa and gut lumen and may affect the perfomance and survival of the yellowfin goby. Morphological features of the spores resembled Henneguya sp. and molecular analysis of the 18S ribosomal DNA (Domain III) confirmed close similarity to H. rhinogobii and H. pseudorhinogobii isolated from the Japanese freshwater goby. The yellowfin goby myxozoan however, is likely an undescribed species based on phylogenetic analysis and morphologic features. Detailed description of vegetative and spore stages are currently lacking for proposal to a new species of Henneguya. A specific PCR test was developed, which confirmed a 100% prevalence of the parasite among randomly collected gobies in group 1 (N = 30) and group 2 (N = 15) at termination of the study at one month in captivity. The myxozoan was also detected from 18 gobies (12%) that died in the first group within two weeks in captivity. Apparently healthy gobies that served as controls did not reveal the presence of the myxozoan by PCR. This study documents the occurrence of a potentially new species of myxozoan in the yellowfin goby and underscores the detection of a parasitic infection in an introduced fish in the SFE. Although the pathogenesis of the myxozoan was not assessed and the prevalence as reported here is restricted to a comparatively small collection site in Suisun slough, the reemergence, identification, and ecological relevance of the parasite on goby populations in the SFE may be investigated in the future using the specific diagnostic tool developed in this study.
Use of complementary and alternative medicine among adults with skin disease: updated results from a national survey.

Background In the United States, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used for a variety of diseases, including those of the skin. An estimate of the prevalence of CAM use among adults with skin disease using the alternative health supplement of the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) has been published. Objective We sought to analyze the 2007 NHIS data to update the prevalence of CAM use among adults with skin disease in the United States. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey using the 2007 alternative health supplement of the NHIS. Results Among those reporting skin problems in the past year, 84.5% (95% confidence interval 76.9-92.0) used CAM. Only 1.1% of this group (95% confidence interval 0.7-1.6) used CAM specifically for skin disease. Adjusting for race, sex, income, education level, and region, those reporting skin problems were more likely to use CAM than those who did not report skin problems (adjusted odds ratio 2.5, P ≤ .002, 95% confidence interval 1.4-4.4). Vitamin/mineral and herbal supplements were the most common CAM modalities used among those with skin disease in general, and among those who used CAM specifically for skin problems. Limitations As this is not a dermatology-focused database, the definition of skin disease is limited. It was not possible to comment on trends between the 2002 and 2007 data because the 2007 survey was significantly changed. Conclusion CAM use among adults with skin problems in the United States continues to be common. Addition of a specific dermatology supplement to a future NHIS survey would allow for population-based estimates not only of CAM use but of associations with other comorbid conditions among adults with skin disease in the United States.
Visual information decoding deficits in schizophrenia

Schizophrenic and control subjects were tested on two-flash fusion (TFF) and visual backward masking (VBM) tasks in a repeated measures design. Each subject was tested in a single session. Both tasks used the same equipment and stimuli. There was no difference between the groups in their ability to detect the presence of two separate stimuli in the TFF task. Schizophrenic subjects did require longer interstimulus intervals (ISI) than control subjects to accurately report one of the two targets in the VBM task. Analysis of individual targets reveals that the VBM deficit is a function of the similarity of the target and mask. The more feature detail discrimination necessary, the longer an ISI is required in VBM. The data are interpreted as supporting the conclusion that since the groups did not differ in their performance of the TFF task, which would also have been affected by a sensory abnormality, the deficit in VBM must be explained by reference to a higher level of information processing. The VBM deficit is a failure to decode the target stimulus, and is not simply a function of abnormalities due to an overactive transient channel system.
On the Computation of Relative Rotations and Geometric Phases in the Motions of Rigid Bodies

In this paper, expressions are established for certain relative rotations which arise in motions of rigid bodies. A comparison of these results with existing relations for geometric phases in the motions of rigid bodies provides alternative expressions of, and computational methods for, the relative rotation. The computational aspects are illustrated using several examples from rigid-body dynamics: namely, the moment-free motion of a rigid body, rolling disks, and sliding disks.
61st Annual Fall Conference and Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association Council for High Blood Pressure Research

This issue of Hypertension contains selected manuscripts based on the presentations at the 61st Annual Fall Conference and Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association Council for High Blood Pressure Research, held September 26 to 29, 2007, in Tucson, Ariz. By all objective measures the council meeting was a great success, and we congratulate the members of the program committee chaired by Clinton Webb. The council meeting was preceded by a workshop on “New Developments in the Renin-Angiotensin System: the (Pro) Renin Receptor, Renin Inhibition and ACE2.” There were 702 registered attendees at the main council meeting, and 478 abstracts were submitted. The program committee selected 398 abstracts for presentation as oral and poster communications. In addition to the free communications, presentations by the award recipients and the special state-of-the-art lecturers all contributed to an excellent meeting. The 2007 Novartis Award, the most prestigious award in hypertension research, was presented to Friedrich C. Luft, MD (Figure 1). Professor Luft, Director of the Experimental and Clinical Research Center at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany, was honored for his discoveries in three areas of hypertension: (1) sodium intake, kidney function, and arterial pressure in humans; (2) immune mechanisms in hypertension; and (3) the genetics of hypertension. Professor Luft’s excellent lecture “Lost in Translation” recounted his work that identified a specific gene region on chromosome 12 in a family …