cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of climate variability on runoff in the north-central United States

AbstractLarge changes in runoff in the north-central United States have occurred during the past century, with larger floods and increases in runoff tending to occur from the 1970s to the present. The attribution of these changes is a subject of much interest. Long-term precipitation, temperature, and streamflow records were used to compare changes in precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET) to changes in runoff within 25 stream basins. The basins studied were organized into four groups, each one representing basins similar in topography, climate, and historic patterns of runoff. Precipitation, PET, and runoff data were adjusted for near-decadal scale variability to examine longer-term changes. A nonlinear water-balance analysis shows that changes in precipitation and PET explain the majority of multidecadal spatial/temporal variability of runoff and flood magnitudes, with precipitation being the dominant driver. Historical changes in climate and runoff in the region appear to be more consiste...
A Comparison of Infants' Categorization in Paired and Successive Presentation Familiarization Tasks

Three experiments directly compared infants' categorization in variations of the visual familiarization task. In each experiment, 4- or 6-month-old infants were familiarized with a collection of dogs or cats and then their response to novel dogs and cats was assessed. In Experiment 1, 4-month-old infants responded to the exclusive distinction of dogs or cats when tested in a paired-comparison task. In Experiments 2 and 3, 6-month-old infants, but not 4-month-old infants, responded to this same distinction in a successive presentation task, even when the amount of familiarization was equated to that of the paired comparison task. Therefore, familiarization with a particular set of stimuli does not induce infants to respond to a single category but rather they respond to different categories depending on features of the task.
Resveratrol derivatives as promising chemopreventive agents with improved potency and selectivity.

Despite scores of investigations, the actual impact of resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) on human health, as a dietary component or supplement, remains moot. This is due to many factors, such as relatively low potency, pleiotropic mechanisms, and rapid metabolism. Nonetheless, as a promiscuous molecule that interacts with numerous targets, resveratrol can be viewed as a scaffold for designing structural relatives potentially capable of mediating more intense responses with greater mechanistic stringency. We currently report the synthesis and biological evaluation of 92 stilbene analogs. The compounds were tested with in vitro assays for activation of quinone reductase 1, inhibition of QR2, nitric oxide production, aromatase, NFκB, TPA-induced ornithine decarboxylase, or cyclooxygenase-1 and -2, quenching of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical, interaction with estrogen receptors, and as antiproliferative agents. Several compounds were found to mediate responses with much greater potency than resveratrol; some mediated pleiotropic responses, as is the case with the parent molecule, but others were highly specific or totally inactive. When administered to rats, higher serum concentrations and greater stability was demonstrated with prototype lead molecules. Due to structural simplicity, facile syntheses are available for large-scale production. These data support the promise of more advanced development of novel resveratrol derivatives as drug entities.
‘Compensatory Hyper-regeneration’ in the Antennæ of Hemiptera

IT has been observed by several authors1 that antennae of various Hemiptera, especially Lygaeidae, occasionally exhibit an abnormality in which the number of antennal segments is reduced but at the same time the length of the remaining ones is increased, as if the loss of one segment were compensated by an exaggerated growth of the rest. I have presented evidence2 indicating that such cases in the Pentatomid bug Raphigaster nebulosa must be due to an incomplete regeneration after the loss of a normal antenna during nymphal stages, but so far neither experimental evidence for this nor a satisfactory explanation of the ‘compensatory’ nature of the abnormalities has been available. (Dr. H. Ruckes, of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, tells me that he has produced such ‘compensatory hyper-regeneration’ experimentally on antennae of the Pentatomid bug Euchistus variolarius, but his findings have not been published.)
Study of stability of high‐temperature polyimides using TG/MS technique

The oxidative stability of the carbon fiber-reinforced composite of polyimide was examined, in real time, using the evolved gas analysis techniques. Off-gas degradation products suggested the onset temperature for chain scissions to be fairly low at about 190–220°C. Based on the off-gas products present and the trend of their release, the composite degradation mechanism appeared to be similar between 190 and 371°C, thereby marking 371°C to be the highest accelerated aging temperature for its long-term lifetime prediction. Beyond 371°C, different degradation mechanisms would apply. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 1219–1227, 2002
Microstructure origin of strength and toughness of a premium rail steel

The mechanical properties, fracture toughness, fracture surface morphology, and failure mechanisms of different layers in a premium railhead were studied. Correlation between the mechanical properties and the failure mechanisms for each of the layers was made. It has been found that the microstructure and mechanical properties of the top layer are different from those of the inner layers, while the middle layer and the layer near the web demonstrated similar mechanical properties, microstructure, and fracture toughness. The top layer displayed 15% higher tensile strength than the other two layers. However, the strain to failure of the top layer, 11%, is only about 60% of that of the inner layers, 17.5%. The top layer has a fracture toughness, KIc, of 75 MPa m1/2. This value for the inner layers is about 95 MPa m1/2. Thus, the heat treatment decreases the ductility and fracture toughness of the top layer of the railhead. Transition from the brittlelike fracture mechanism of the top layer into a more ductile mechanism of the inner layers was also found.
The role of minerals in the thermal alteration of organic matter—III. Generation of bitumen in laboratory experiments☆

A series of pyrolysis experiments, utilizing two different immature kerogens (from the Monterey and Green River Formations) mixed with common sedimentary minerals (calcite, illite, or Na-montmorillonite), was conducted to study the impact of the mineral matrix on the bitumen that was generated. Calcite has no significant influence on the thermal evolution of bitumen and also shows virtually no adsorption capacity for any of the pyrolysate. In contrast, montmorillonite (M) and illite, to a lesser extent, alter bitumen during dry pyrolysis. M and illite also display strong adsorption capacities for the polar constituents of bitumen. By this process, hydrocarbons are substantially concentrated within the pyrolysate that is not strongly adsorbed on the clay matrices. The effects of the clay minerals are significantly reduced during hydrous pyrolysis. The strong adsorption capacities of M and illite, as well as their thermocatalytic properties, may in part explain why light oils and gases are generated from certain argillaceous source-rock assemblages, whereas heavy immature oils are often derived from carbonate source rocks.
Changes in maternal postpartum adiposity and infant feeding patterns. Juan comas prize–1981

The relationship between maternal fatness and infant feeding practices was studied in 46 healthy Caucasian women from parturition to 6 months postpartum. Mothers reported infant feeding practices in diary form throughout the study. Weight, triceps and subscapular skinfolds, and midarm circumference were measured on seven occasions. Upper arm fat area was computed. All women breast fed their infants for at least 5 months, with no nonbreast milk food introduced for at least 2 months. All women had declining or stable postpartum weights. Linear regressions of upper arm fat area on days since parturition were used to ascertain overall direction of change in adiposity for each woman. Declining fat area occurred in 17 cases and was associated with a breast-feeding pattern of short frequent feeds. In the remaining 29 cases, increasing fat area was associated with significantly longer and less frequent feeds. It is hypothesized that these different fat change patterns result from differential activity of adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase, which is itself mediated by serum prolactin concentration. Relevance of these findings for resolution of the controversy surrounding the critical body composition hypothesis and lactation amenorrhea is discussed.
A shift toward birthing relatively large infants early in human evolution

It has long been argued that modern human mothers give birth to proportionately larger babies than apes do. Data presented here from human and chimpanzee infant:mother dyads confirm this assertion: humans give birth to infants approximately 6% of their body mass, compared with approximately 3% for chimpanzees, even though the female body weights of the two species are moderately convergent. Carrying a relatively large infant both pre- and postnatally has important ramifications for birthing strategies, social systems, energetics, and locomotion. However, it is not clear when the shift to birthing large infants occurred over the course of human evolution. Here, known and often conserved relationships between adult brain mass, neonatal brain mass, and neonatal body mass in anthropoids are used to estimate birthweights of extinct hominid taxa. These estimates are resampled with direct measurements of fossil postcrania from female hominids, and also compared with estimates of female body mass to assess when human-like infant:mother mass ratios (IMMRs) evolved. The results of this study suggest that 4.4-Myr-old Ardipithecus possessed IMMRs similar to those found in African apes, indicating that a low IMMR is the primitive condition in hominids. Australopithecus females, in contrast, had significantly heavier infants compared with dimensions of the femoral head (n = 7) and ankle (n = 7) than what is found in chimpanzees, and are estimated to have birthed neonates more than 5% of their body mass. Carrying such proportionately large infants may have limited arboreality in Australopithecus females and may have selected for alloparenting behavior earlier in human evolution than previously thought.
Pathophysiology and Pharmacokinetics Following Burn Injury

Therapy for inpatient burn victims is a clear challenge for the clinician, since directly following injury the pharmacokinetic parameters of many drugs will change drastically. Blood flow to the tissues is decreased; the rate of distribution and elimination of intravenous drugs administered during this time is reduced, and absorption of oral drugs may be slowed. Approximately 48 hours after injury, the blood flow increases, as does internal core temperature: the rates may increase as a result. Immediately after injury, plasma albumin level rapidly decreases and remains significantly depressed even at 60 days post-burn. Thus, the protein binding of acidic and neutral drugs will decrease and higher amounts of free fraction will be available at the biophase. On the other hand, α1-acid glycoprotein increases in concentration and remains elevated at least 20 days post-burn. Basic drugs exhibit increased protein binding and will most probably need an increased dosage to achieve the appropriate pharmacological effect. Hepatic metabolism is also affected: the rate of phase I metabolism will decrease, while phase II metabolism is unimpaired and may possibly increase. Other liver functions, such as protein synthesis, are also impaired. The effect on phase I drug metabolism is believed to be due to oxygen-derived free radicals released during the course of injury. In those patients with full-thickness burns, the epidermal layer is destroyed. Topical drugs have less of a barrier to cross and, consequently, less drug is needed to achieve effectiveness. In addition, the stomach has been found to secrete excess protons which will eventually lead to ulcers in the majority of patients. Hyperchlorhydria may affect the dissolution and disintegration of orally administered drugs in tablet form, as well as the partitioning of the neutral un-ionised species between the stomach and bloodstream. In the small intestine decreased nutrient absorption and DNA synthesis occurs, but the effect this may have on drug absorption is questionable. This paper focuses on the epidemiology of burn injuries and the way in which the pathophysiology following such injury alters the pharmacokinetics of a drug. Specific examples are provided. Some mention is made of burn management, therapeutic drug monitoring in burn patients, experimental design considerations, and future research topics.
Museum of Science and Industry Library

Describes the history of the library, its services, its collections and its facilities. Its emphasis on educational and children's materials is discussed.
Studies of orotidine 5′-phosphate decarboxylase in Neurospora crassa

Abstract Extracts prepared from wild-type Neurospora crassa, strain 1A, contain an active orotidylate decarboxylase with properties generally similar to those reported for the comparable yeast enzyme (orotidine 5′-phosphate carboxy-lyase, E.C.4.1.1.23). A pyrimidine-requiring mutant, N. crassa strain 36601, contains enzyme systems for synthesizing orotidylate but lacks the decarboxylase required for completing the synthesis of uridylate de novo.
Comparison of Dose–Response Relationships for Induction of Lipid Metabolizing and Growth Regulatory Genes by Peroxisome Proliferators in Rat Liver☆☆☆

The regulation of gene expression via the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) is believed to be critical in the effects of peroxisome proliferators on lipid metabolism and possibly in hepatocarcinogenesis. The involvement of PPAR in the peroxisome proliferator-mediated induction of fatty acid metabolizing genes such as acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO), fatty acid-binding protein (FABP), and cytochrome P450IVA1 (CYP4A1) has been clearly demonstrated. However, the induction by peroxisome proliferators of important growth regulatory genes such as c-myc has not been investigated extensively. In these studies we examined the dose-response relationships for the induction of mRNA for the PPAR-regulated and lipid metabolizing genes ACO, FABP, and CYP4A1 and compared them to the immediate early gene c-myc. Liver mRNA from rats fed various amounts of the peroxisome proliferator Wy14,643 for 13 weeks was utilized. The lipid metabolism and growth regulatory genes were induced by subchronic administration of Wy14,643 but to varying degrees and with different sensitivities. The lowest dose that resulted in a significant change in ACO and FABP expression was 10 ppm. The mRNA for CYP4A1 and c-myc was significantly affected at the lowest dose examined (5 ppm). Also, the maximal induction ranged from 10(5)-fold (CYP4A1) to less than 10-fold (FABP) relative to vehicle-treated animals. The accumulation of mRNA for ACO, FABP, and CYP4A1, but not c-myc, showed typical receptor-mediated dose-response relationships. The effects on gene expression were compared to rates of hepatic cell proliferation, a pertinent marker of tumor promotion and hepatocarcinogenesis. Surprisingly, ACO mRNA showed an excellent correlation (r2 = 0.9) while c-myc mRNA exhibited a poor correlation (r2 = 0.3) with cell proliferation in rat liver. Although the differences between the dose-response relationships of ACO and c-myc mRNA accumulation may suggest immediate early genes are not controlled by PPAR, evidence from PPARalpha null mice support this receptor in both lipid metabolism and growth regulatory genes. This study shows the complexity of responses mediated by peroxisome proliferators, with ACO being a good marker of PPAR-mediated events as well as cell proliferation, while c-myc, a known growth regulatory gene, was induced by Wy14,643 partially via PPAR but did not correlate well with cell proliferation.
Selective photochemical modification by trichloroethanol of tryptophan residues in proteins with a high tyrosine-to-tryptophan ratio

Abstract We present an improved procedure for the selective modification of tryptophan residues in proteins. A simple, low-cost set-up allows rapid tryptophan photoreaction upon ultraviolet irradiation in the presence of 2,2,2-trichloroethanol. This photochemical reaction is carried out under native conditions, occurs only in the excited state of tryptophan, and yields a single, as yet unidentified, photoproduct. Except for tyrosine, no reaction with other amino acid side chains are known. Stringent photoselection of tryptophan, ensuring that tyrosine residues are not affected, is achieved in situ without the need for an elaborate system of optical filters or lenses. Illumination with a medium-wave uv lamp of samples placed in disposable, dual pathlength, polystyrene fluorescence cuvettes allows treatment of small sample volumes (≥100 μl) of various optical density. Chromophore accessibility in oligomeric assemblies or protein-nucleic acid complexes can be assessed by this reaction since the integrity of these structures is preserved. Moreover, this technique can be used to evaluate the involvement of tryptophan residues in catalytic or ligand binding processes.
Light scattering of whole excised human cataractous lenses. Relationships between different light scattering parameters

Abstract The light scattering intensities of 27 cataractous human lenses were obtained as a function of scattering angle. Unpolarized white light (tungsten) and polarized light of Hg lamp at 435·8 and 546·1 nm were used in the I∥ and I+ modes. Selected light scattering parameters such as relative scattering intensities ( I 45 I 0 ), dissymmetry ratio ( I 135 I 45 ) and depolarization ratios (I45/I0)+/(I45/I0)∥ were correlated with the age of lens with percent transmission using regression analysis. Excess scattering functions were calculated that quantitatively describe the quality of lens. These excess functions were also correlated with other scattering parameters. A method which can be used to estimate the light intensity that reaches the retina at different scattering angles for a cataractous lens once the back scatter intensity (slit lamp examination) is known is given.
Physiological Variation in the Genus Meloidogyne as Determined by Differential Hosts

Four species of root-knot nematodes, namely Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid et White) Chitwood, M. javanica (Treub) Chitwood, M. arenaria (Neal) Chitwood, and M. hapla Chitwood have a wide host-range and are widely distributed throughout the world. For each of the species there are certain non-hosts and these are different for each species, thus making it possible, through the use of differential hosts, to identify the species as well as detect pathogenic variations within a species. A knowledge of the nature and extent of this variation is needed for the development of varieties which possess a broad base for resistance.
A re-appraisal of tests for normality

Tests for normality can be divided into two groups - those based upon a function of the empirical distribution function and those based upon a function of the original observations. The latter group of statistics test spherical symmetry and not necessarily normality. If the distribution is completely specified then the first group can be used to test for ‘spherical’ normality. However, if the distribution is incompletely specified and F‘‘xi - x’/s’ is used these test statistics also test sphericity rather than normality. A Monte Carlo study was conducted for the completely specified case, to investigate the sensitivity of the distance tests to departures from normality when the alternative distributions are non-normal spherically symmetric laws. A “new” test statistic is proposed for testing a completely specified normal distribution
The Mediating Effects of Adaptive Skill on Values-Performance Relationships

Researchers posit that adaptability is an important contributor of performance and that it mediates the effects of distal predictors on performance. As limited empirical evidence supports these relationships, the present research examined whether adaptive skill mediated the effects of values on performance for military leaders. We found that adaptive skill was a distinct construct which uniquely contributed to overall performance. Further, we found that adaptive skill fully mediated the effects of values on technical-administrative behaviors and partially mediated the effects of values on contextual performance and leader behaviors. We discuss the need to further test the nomological network of KSAO–adaptability–performance relationships.
Paraventricular nucleus control of blood pressure in two-kidney, one-clip rats: effects of exercise training and resting blood pressure

Exercise-induced changes in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or nitric oxide signaling within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) have not been studied in renovascular hypertension. We tested whether exercise training decreases mean arterial pressure (MAP) and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in two-kidney, one-clip (2K-1C) hypertensive rats due to enhanced nitric oxide or GABA signaling within PVN. Conscious, unrestrained male Sprague-Dawley rats with either sham (Sham) or right renal artery clipping (2K-1C) were assigned to sedentary (SED) or voluntary wheel running (ExT) for 6 or 12 wk. MAP and angiotensin II (ANG II) were elevated in 2K-1C SED rats. The 2K-1C ExT rats displayed lower MAP at 6 wk that did not decline further by 12 wk. Plasma ANG II was lower in 2K-1C ExT rats. Increases in MAP, heart rate, and RSNA to blockade of PVN nitric oxide in 2K-1C SED rats were attenuated compared with either Sham group. Exercise training restored the responses in 2K-1C ExT rats. The increase in MAP in response to bicuculline was inversely correlated with baseline MAP. The rise in MAP was lower in 2K-1C SED vs. either Sham group and was normalized in the 2K-1C ExT rats. Paradoxically, heart rate and RSNA responses were not diminished in 2K-1C SED rats but were significantly lower in the 2K-1C ExT rats. Thus the decrease in arterial pressure in 2K-1C hypertension associated with exercise training is likely due to diminished excitatory inputs to PVN because of lower ANG II and higher nitritergic tone rather than enhanced GABA inhibition of sympathetic output.
LINKAGES BETWEEN WOMEN'S PROVIDER‐ROLE ATTITUDES, PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL‐BEING, AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

The primary aim of this investigation was to examine the extent to which the meanings women attach to their provider-role responsibilities are differentially related to their psychological well-being and family relationships and to the division of labor in the home. The sample included 43 dual-earner and 50 single-earner families. In home interviews, wives reported on role overload, depression, satisfaction with the marriage, and attitudes regarding women's and men's roles. Their children completed two measures assessing daily hassles and their relationship with their mother. Reports of daily involvement in household work were obtained from wives and husbands during four telephone interviews. Discriminant function analyses indicated that aspects of women's psychological well-being and marital and parent-child relationships and of the division of labor discriminated women in four different provider groups: main/secondary providers, ambivalent coproviders, coproviders, and homemakers. Wives who were ambival...
Effects of pubertal anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) administration on reproductive and aggressive behaviors in male rats.

Adolescence in human males is a hormonally sensitive period when many adult behaviors develop, including sexual and aggressive behaviors. Using a rat model, the authors examined the effects of three anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) during puberty: testosterone, nandrolone, and stanozolol. Copulation, vocalizations, scent-marking, and aggression were tested following AAS exposure. Relative to gonadally intact controls, rats injected with testosterone showed a significant increase in scent-marking and aggression in the opponent's home cage. Nandrolone had no effect. Stanozolol significantly inhibited all behaviors. Results suggest that depending on the chemical structure of the steroid, AAS exposure during puberty affects several androgen-dependent behaviors. Because adolescence in humans is a period of hormonal change, abuse of AAS, particularly stanozolol, during this time may disrupt the establishment of normal adult behavior patterns.
Kent Farnsworth on His Father's Electronic Television and Fusion Research

On 7 September 1927, Philo Taylor Farnsworth demonstrated the first all-electronic dissection and reconstruction of a television image, laying the foundation for the television revolution. In this interview with Kent Farnsworth, one of Philo's surviving sons, we get a rare glimpse of this prolific inventor's working habits.
Stabilization of a Satellite via Specific Optimum Control

The Optimum Stabilization of a tumbling satellite via Hamilton-Jacobi theory has been reported by one of the authors before in ?On the optimum stabilization of a satellite? [2]. This companion paper discusses the synthesis of a specific optimum control law for the same problem and compares the results with the optimum solution. It is shown that a specific optimum control law yields, acceptable performance while being much easier to instrument than the optimum control law.
Endoscopic balloon dilation of the biliary sphincter compared to endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy for removal of common bile duct stones during ERCP: a metaanalysis of randomized, controlled trials.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effect of endoscopic balloon dilation (EPBD) of the papilla with that of endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy (EST) in the treatment of patients with common bile duct stones. METHODS: Searches of computerized bibliographic and scientific citations, and review of citations in relevant primary articles. Eight fully published prospective, randomized trials in English that compared EPBD with EST for the removal of common bile duct stones were subjected to metaanalysis. RESULTS: EPBD compared with EST resulted in similar outcomes with regards to overall successful stone removal (94.3% vs 96.5%) and overall complications (10.5% vs 10.3%). Bleeding occurred less frequently with EPBD (0% vs 2.0%, p = 0.001). Post-ERCP pancreatitis occurred more commonly in the EPBD group (7.4% vs 4.3%, p = 0.05). No significant differences were seen in the rates of perforation or infection. Patients undergoing EPBD were more likely to require mechanical lithotripsy for stone extraction (20.9% vs 14.8%, p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of lower rates of bleeding, EPBD should be the preferred strategy over EST for endoscopic removal of common bile duct stones in patients with coagulopathy. Although EPBD is theoretically attractive for use in young patients for biliary sphincter preservation, the rate of pancreatitis is higher with EPBD and cannot be routinely recommended at this time.
Minnesota's approach to lake nutrient criteria development

Abstract Ecoregion-based phosphorus “criteria” that reflect the diversity of lake condition, varying from deep pristine lakes in the north to shallow hypereutrophic lakes in the south, were developed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in the late 1980s. Since then the criteria, including several refinements, have been widely used for local, state, and federal lake watershed management efforts in Minnesota. More recently, the criteria have been used to define thresholds for Clean Water Act Section 303(d) listing of nutrient-impaired lakes and are being advanced as lake standards to protect a wide diversity of beneficial uses. This paper summarizes the evolution of these criteria and describes data and research used in their development. A weight-of-evidence approach describes how this information was used to refine the criteria values.
Dynamic investigation of gold nanocrystal assembly using in situ grazing-incidence small angle x-ray scattering.

Here we investigate the dynamic self-assembly pathway of ordered gold nanocrystal arrays during the self-assembly of gold nanocrystal micelles, with and without the presence of colloidal silica precursors, using grazing-incidence X-ray scattering performed at a synchrotron source. With silica precursors present, a lattice with rhombohedral symmetry is formed from the partial collapse of a face-centered cubic structure. In the absence of silica, a transient body-centered orthorhombic phase appears, which rapidly collapses into a glassy nanocrystal film. The appearance of face-centered and body-centered structures is consistent with a phase diagram for charged colloidal particles with assembly modulated via Coulomb screening.
Identification of bacterial chemoattractants for oyster (Crassostrea virginica) hemocytes

The cytoplasmic and cell wall components of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus megaterium and the cytoplasmic and cell envelope components of the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli were assayed for chemotactic activity for the hemocytes of Crassostrea virginica. The cellular components were separated by differential centrifugation and gel filtration was used to determine the approximate molecular weights of the chemoattractant molecules. Active fractions were assayed for glycoproteins and lipoproteins. As a result, it is known that hemocytes are chemotactically attracted to proteins of approximately 10,000 daltons which are associated with the cell wall of B. megaterium and the cell envelope of E. coli.
Kinetics of Excitable Membranes : Voltage amplification in a diffusion regime

An understanding of the properties of excitable membranes requires the calculation of ion flow through the membrane, including the effects of nonuniformity in the transverse membrane properties (mobilities, fixed charge, electric field). Permeability is apparently controlled at the external interface. Two factors may be involved here: the statistical blocking of pores by divalent cations, and activation energy. Only the former is included in the present treatment. When the total transmembrane voltage is varied, a redistribution in ionic concentration occurs. This can cause a change in boundary (zeta) potential, large in comparison with the applied voltage change—"voltage amplification." The result is a steep change in membrane conductance. The calculated flow curves are compared with experimental results. The Appendix gives an outline of the numerical method used for solving the boundary value problem with several diffusible ions, across a nonuniform regime.
The value of routine cervical spine, chest, and pelvis radiographs in children after trauma

The appropriate use of imaging to screen infants and children for injuries after trauma remains controversial, and routine radiographs of the cervical spine, chest, and pelvis are still obtained at some centers. The purpose of this study was to document the abnormalities encountered on such films obtained in 292 pediatric trauma patients to evaluate the worth of obtaining such studies, particularly in children who are asymptomatic and have no clinical findings referable to these areas. The medical records, radiographs, and other imaging studies of 292 children evaluated in the emergency department after trauma were retrospectively reviewed. Ages ranged from 5 months to 17 years (mean =10 years). The numbers and types of abnormal imaging findings were documented for each patient and were correlated with the type of injury, patient complaints, physical examination findings, level of consciousness, and laboratory abnormalities. Final diagnosis and short-term outcome were also documented. The most common causes of injury were motor vehicle accidents (55.1%), automobile-pedestrian accidents (14.7%), and falls (13.4%). Acute cervical spine injuries were found in 2 patients (0.7%), radiographic abnormalities of the chest were found in 11 patients (3.8%), and pelvic fractures were detected in 6 patients (2.0%). All except 1 of the 19 confirmed injuries were associated with local symptoms and/or signs or were found in patients with altered mental status. A stable cervical fracture was found in one infant who was too young to complain of neck pain or tenderness. Twenty-two patients (7.5%) were asymptomatic with no physical findings, and in none of these children were any imaging abnormalities detected. We conclude that routine posttrauma radiographs of the cervical spine, chest, and pelvis are of limited utility and are not warranted in children and adolescents who are alert and demonstrate no associated symptoms or physical findings. Radiography, particularly of the cervical spine, may be worthwhile in infants and young children, but we advocate selective imaging in such patients.
Rubella myocarditis in a 9-year-old patient

A 9-year-old male with myocarditis is described. A greater than four-fold rise in titers against rubella with a subsequent fall supports the conclusion that his myocarditis was associated with rubella infection. Other than neonates, rubella myocarditis has been reported previously in only six patients, one of whom was a child.
pH-Controlled release from hydrophobic/polyelectrolyte copolymer hydrogels

Abstract Hydrophobic polyamine copolymer hydrogels, loaded with caffeine, release the drug at rates that vary sharply with pH. At neutral pH virtually no caffeine is released, while at pH 3 and 5 the drug is released with near-zero order kinetics, the release rate being greater at pH 3. Water sorption was measured concurrently, and the release of caffeine closely follows water uptake at pH 3 and 5, providing strong evidence for a moving front mechanism for sorption and release.
The surfaces of Phobos and Deimos

Knowledge acquired from spacecraft observations of the surfaces of Phobos and Deimos is reviewed. Consideration is given to: the first spacecraft data - Mariner 7; the first systematic exploration - Mariner 9; surface texture and composition from Mariner 9 data; surface morphology from Mariner 9; and Viking results. A series of Viking photographs of Phobos and Deimos is presented.
Computer assisted recognition and quantitation of the effects of airborne chemicals acting at different areas of the respiratory tract in mice.

The pattern and timing of a normal breath in unanesthetized mice was analyzed from measurement of inspiratory and expiratory airflows (VI and VE). Airflow was measured via a differential pressure transducer, attached to a pneumotachograph, which itself was attached to a body plethysmograph into which a mouse was placed. The analog voltage from the differential pressure transducer was digitized and stored for analysis on a microcomputer. Criteria were developed to classify each breath as normal (N) or belonging into one of seven abnormal categories. The abnormal categories were arrived at by computer analysis, recognizing specific modifications of the normal pattern into patterns of: sensory irritation of the upper respiratory tract (S), airflow limitation within the conducting airways of the lungs (A) or pulmonary irritation at the alveolar level (P). Combinations of these effects, i.e., S+A, P+A, P+S and P+S+A were also recognized. Computer analysis of each breath also permitted quantitative evaluation of the degree of S, A or P abnormalities. To induce each type of effect we used inhalation exposures to 2-chlorobenzylchloride, carbamylcholine or propranolol. We propose that this approach will permit rapid evaluation of the possible effects of airborne chemicals at three levels of the respiratory tract, with the classification of the type of effect easily obtained in an objective way using well defined criteria, followed by quantitation of the degree of each effect.
Lipid fractions in adult Schistosoma mansoni.

Total lipid from adult male and adult paired Schistosoma mansoni has been fractionated by thin-layer chromatography. Phospholipid, free sterol, and triglyceride were major components of both mixtures. A remarkably small amount of sterol ester was found in adult flukes considering the prevalence of this compound in mouse blood. Free fatty acids were found to be a minor component. Cholesterol was the major free sterol present.The technical assistance of Mrs Katye Ross Summerlin is gratefully acknowledged.
Childbirth and Authoritative Knowledge: Cross-Cultural Perspectives; African American Midwifery in the South: Dialogues of Birth, Race, and Memory; Reading Birth and Death: A History of Obstetric Thinking

Childbirth and Authoritative Knowledge: Cross-Cultural Perspectives. Robbie E. Davis-Floyd and Carolyn Sargent. eds. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1997. xii. 510pp. African American Midwifery in the South: Dialogues of Birth, Race, and Memory. Gertrude Jacinta Fraser. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998. xii. 287 pp. Reading Birth and Death:. History of Obstetric Thinking. Jo Murphy-Lawless. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1998. viii. 343pp.
Proving the Value of Library Collections

Proving the value of library collections has always been a concern of collection development librarians. Librarians have devised creative methods of gathering evidence to demonstrate to university administrations the essential role that libraries play in research productivity. In an attempt to demonstrate the value of library collections, the authors from the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries conducted a citation analysis study utilizing KU science faculty publications. Using a random sampling of faculty from the departments of Physics, Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, and Geology, the authors developed lists of the citations in these faculty publications and checked to determine if KU Libraries provides access to these cited materials. In addition, a random sampling of the citations from the faculty publications was also examined to determine if the citations could be accessed through aggregator full-text databases, electronic journal packages, or print journals and monographs. The authors also compared journal and monograph use and utilized the data collected as a method of justifying budget allocation practices. Finally, the monograph citations were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the approval plan profile by identifying the ratio of books that were purchased on the approval plan compared to books that were selected by subject librarians. The authors will share their findings and discuss how they used the citation analysis to demonstrate the value of the library collections and inform collection development decisions.
Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for the Determination of Vanillylmandelic Acid in Urine

The biochemical detection of catecholamine-secreting tumors relies on the determination of several metabolites, among them vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), a metabolite derived from epinephrine and norepinephrine via the intermediate 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol (1)(2). VMA may also be produced by the oxidative deamination of normetanephrine and metanephrine or by O-methylation of dihydroxymandelic acid, a minor metabolite of norepinephrine (2)(3). Our laboratory is actively involved in the application of stable-isotope-labeled internal standards and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to the determination of a wide variety of biochemical markers currently being tested with more conventional analytical platforms. This effort has substantially improved the efficiency and effectiveness of our services and reduced turnaround time in a high-volume testing environment. The following is a report of our development of a MS/MS method for the determination of VMA in urine. VMA was purchased from Sigma, and d,l-vanillylmandelic acid, ring-2H3 98% (d3-VMA; GC/MS for isotopic enrichment 99.7%) was purchased from Cambridge Isotope Laboratories. OasisTM HLB solid-phase extraction columns were obtained from Waters. All other chemicals and solvents were of the highest purity available from commercial sources and were used without further purification. Stock solutions of VMA and d3-VMA were prepared by dissolving 5 or 10 mg, respectively, in 10 mL of 0.1 mol/L HCl. A working solution of VMA (20 mg/L) was prepared by diluting stock solutions with 0.1 mol/L HCl. Calibrators were prepared in deionized water by the addition of working solution (20 mg/L) to VMA concentrations of 0 (blank), 1.04, 2.08, 4.17, 8.33, 12.50, 16.67, and 20.00 mg/L. Prepared calibrators were then treated as specimens …
The private consequences of public policies: active labor market policies and social ties in Europe

Though comparative political economists have examined active labor market policies (ALMPs) by focusing narrowly on how they affect economic outcomes, this paper develops and argues for a broadened conception of how such policies can shape a variety of outcomes beyond the labor market. In particular, I argue that ALMPs have the potential to shape the quality of people’s private lives by enhancing their opportunities and motives to interact with social others. Analyses of data collected in 17 European countries show that individuals in countries with higher spending on ALMPs report more frequent social interactions and a reduced sense of social exclusion. Moreover, I find that the positive influence of labor market policies on social ties is stronger among individuals whose labor market position is more precarious. The results suggest that public policies have important and multifaceted consequences for people’s private lives and countries’ patterns of social cohesion.
Meshology: A fast-growing field involving mesh and/or tape removal procedures and their outcomes

Stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse are two of the commonest conditions affecting women today. It is associated with significant compromise to quality of life. Through the years, there has been an evolution of technique and graft material to augment repairs for durability. Transvaginal placements of synthetic mid-urethral slings and vaginal meshes have largely superseded traditional tissue repairs in the current era because of presumed efficacy and ease of implant with device 'kits'. The use of synthetic material has generated novel complications, including mesh extrusion, pelvic and vaginal pain and mesh contraction. In this review, our aim is to discuss the management and outcomes associated with mesh removal. In addition, we will briefly review the safety communications issued by the US FDA on transvaginal mesh placement and a new classification system for complications arising from the use of synthetic graft endorsed by both the International Continence Society and International Urogynecological Association.
On self-noise at the nose of a supercavitating vehicle

Abstract The cavity of a supercavitating vehicle in water is maintained by the steady injection of gas from sources within the vehicle and cavity. An analysis is made in this paper to estimate the spectrum of the acoustic ‘self-noise’ produced at the nose of the vehicle by the unsteady impingement of the gas on the cavity interface. For the purposes of calculation it is assumed that the supercavity is circular cylindrical and is formed to the rear of a hemispherical cavitator. This arrangement closely approximates a supercavity being investigated experimentally at the Penn State Applied Research Laboratory. A ‘transfer function’ is derived for this configuration that relates the self-noise pressure at the nose to the pressure distribution on the cavity wall attributable to the impinging gas. It is applicable also to any geometrically similar supercavity maintained by gas injection, provided that the distribution on the interface of the surface pressure spectrum of fluctuations produced by the impinging gas is known. Numerical results are given using experimental data for the cavity wall surface pressure produced by a narrow, impinging air jet and when the nose is acoustically hard, but the method is easily modified to deal with more general impedance conditions on the cavitator.
An Implementation of Bayesian Adaptive Regression Splines (BARS) in C with S and R Wrappers

BARS (DiMatteo, Genovese, and Kass 2001) uses the powerful reversible-jump MCMC engine to perform spline-based generalized nonparametric regression. It has been shown to work well in terms of having small mean-squared error in many examples (smaller than known competitors), as well as producing visually-appealing fits that are smooth (filtering out high-frequency noise) while adapting to sudden changes (retaining high-frequency signal). However, BARS is computationally intensive. The original implementation in S was too slow to be practical in certain situations, and was found to handle some data sets incorrectly. We have implemented BARS in C for the normal and Poisson cases, the latter being important in neurophysiological and other point-process applications. The C implementation includes all needed subroutines for fitting Poisson regression, manipulating B-splines (using code created by Bates and Venables), and finding starting values for Poisson regression (using code for density estimation created by Kooperberg). The code utilizes only freely-available external libraries (LAPACK and BLAS) and is otherwise self-contained. We have also provided wrappers so that BARS can be used easily within S or R.
The Effect of Prior Information on Attitude Change

An 18 month longitudinal study tested the assumption that the amount of prior political information influences the degree of ideological attitude change under conditions of exposure to counterattitudinal presentations. Male and female college students (n = 97) served as Ss, and the study was conceived as a natural experiment in which the attitudes of beginning freshmen were exposed to the questioning and challenge of college coursework. Results indicated that well and moderately informed students changed their political orientation less than poorly informed students.
A study of traffic imbalances in a fast packet switch

The performance of a nonblocking space-division packet switch is studied given that traffics are imbalanced at input and output. Analysis shows that the performance of packet queuing delay at switch input, as well as the entire throughput of the switch, can be adversely affected by such imbalances. The work is then extended to examine a transient imbalance case, where the switch experiences the alternation of two transient periods, each at a different traffic imbalance mode. The alternation is modeled by a two-state Markov chain. Both balanced and imbalanced cases can be viewed as the two extremes of the transient case. It is observed that the system throughput and the queuing performance in the transient case heavily depend on both mean sojourn time and steady-state probability at each imbalance mode. >
Stiction-Free Soft Landing for Infrared Thermal Detectors

Micromachined structures that repeatedly contact their substrate must be actuated in such a way to minimize stiction. A study of electrostatic actuation for adaptive thermal detectors has been performed that shows only a few tenths of a volt can separate normal actuation, snap-down without stiction, and snap-down with stiction. The applied voltage needed to achieve snap-down without stiction is largely constant if the pulse width exceeds the mechanical response time, but increases dramatically if the pulse is applied for a shorter time