cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Left Ventricular Assist Device Driveline Infections The Achilles’ Heel of Destination Therapy

Heart failure is a chronic progressive disease that affects millions of people in the United States. Although medical management of heart failure has helped improve quality of life and survival, end-stage heart failure ultimately requires a heart transplant or long-term left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support. With more patients awaiting transplant, the demand for hearts outweighs the supply of donor hearts. The use of LVADs is increasing in patients with advanced heart failure as a treatment option for those awaiting a heart transplant or as a long-term solution if they are ineligible for a transplant. Although the LVAD is a marvel of modern medicine, infection is a cause of concern because today's LVADs are powered externally through a percutaneous driveline that can be a major source of infection.
Urine Output Measurement in Premature Infants

Determination of urine output is important for clinical care and research of the premature infant. This is achieved by placing a urine bag with adhesive edges on the infant, aspirating the bag, and determining the volume of urine therein. Unfortunately, urine leakage occurs around the bag. To account for such losses, the infant is placed on a preweighed, absorbent diaper. Urine output then is determined from the volume of urine in the bag and the increase in the weight of the diaper that has occurred between urine collections. The purpose of this study was to quantitate the confounding effect of evaporation on diaper weights when diapers are placed under a radiant warmer or in an isolette.
Photo cross-linkable Biodendrimers as ophthalmic adhesives for central lacerations and penetrating keratoplasties

Purpose Biodendrimer-based hydrogel adhesives were derived from biocompatible building blocks and poly(ethylene glycol) of 3,400, 10,000 and 20,000 g/mole. The leaking pressures were determined for these adhesives when used to seal 4.1-mm central lacerations and penetrating keratoplasties (PKPs) in enucleated porcine eyes. Methods Three biodendrimers, ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(3,400), ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(10,000), and ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(20,000), at a range of weight percents were each photo cross-linked in the presence of a photo-initiator to form a hydrated network. These biodendrimer-based adhesives were applied directly to a 4.1-mm linear central laceration. In a PKP, the corneal button was initially secured with 8 or 16 sutures and then sealed with the adhesive. Results For the 4.1-mm central lacerations, the ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(3,400) at 20% and 40% wt/vol, the ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(10,000) at 10 and 20% wt/vol, and the ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(20,000) at 20% wt/vol held to leaking pressures above 200 mm Hg. In the autograft with 16 sutures, the 20% wt/vol of the ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(3,400), ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(10,000), and ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(20,000) held to a pressure at or above 100 mm Hg. In the autograft with eight sutures, the ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(10,000) and ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(20,000) formulations at 20% wt/vol held to leaking pressures of 85 +/- 22 and 80 +/- 30 mm Hg, respectively. Conclusions The 10% wt/vol ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(10,000) formulation withheld leaking pressures above 200 mm Hg when used to secure a 4.1 mm central laceration. The 20% wt/vol ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(10,000) and ([G1]-PGLSA-MA)(2)-PEG(20,000) formulations, with 8 or 16 sutures, secured the PKP well above normal IOP. Biodendrimer-based adhesives are of potential use for repairing corneal wounds.
Potentiometric, Electrical Conductance and Self-Diffusion Measurements in Clay-Water Systems*

Potentiometric measurements using commercially available cationic glass electrodes, electrical conductance and self-diffusion measurements of cations and water were made in electrolyte-free 3–5 per cent Li, Na, K, Cs, Ca and Sr bentonite-water systems and bi-ionic systems with varying ratios of K and Ca. Activation energies for conductance in the homoionic clays were calculated using the Arrhenius equation.
Peri-urban malnutrition in bangladesh: Differential energy, protein, and growth status of children

A sample of 292 children 12 to 59 months of age in two large squatter camps near Dhaka underwent nutritional assessment during July and August 1979. Anthropometric measurements included weight, height, left mid‐upper arm circumference, and skinfolds at four sites (triceps, biceps, subscapular, and supra‐iliac). Derived upper arm indicators included muscle and fat areas as estimators of body composition. Findings were compared with previous anthropometric survey data from rural Bangladesh and with normative data from the United States. Twenty‐three percent of camp children were moderately to severely wasted (<80 % WH) and 34 % were severely stunted (<85 % HA). Wasted children of both sexes were of similar body composition though above 90 % WH girls were significantly fatter than boys. This relatively fatter body composition appeared greater than expected for normal sexual dimorphism, but it was not associated with any statural advantage for girls. For both sexes, stature was more strongly associated with m...
A high-performance liquid chromatography-based radiometric assay for sucrose-phosphate synthase and other UDP-glucose requiring enzymes.

A method for product analysis that eliminates a problematic step in the radiometric sucrose-phosphate synthase assay is described. The method uses chromatography on a boronate-derivatized high-performance liquid chromatography column to separate the labeled product, (14C)sucrose phosphate, from unreacted uridine 5{prime}-diphosphate-(14C)glucose (UDP-Glc). Direct separation of these compounds eliminates the need for treatment of the reaction mixtures with alkaline phosphatase, thereby avoiding the problem of high background caused by contaminating phosphodiesterase activity in alkaline phosphatase preparations. The method presented in this paper can be applied to many UDP-Glc requiring enzymes; here the authors show its use for determining the activities of sucrose-phosphate synthase, sucrose synthase, and uridine diphosphate-glucose pyrophosphorylase in plant extracts.
Economic Evaluation of Drug Abuse Treatment and HIV Prevention Programs in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review

Drug abuse and transmission of HIV during pregnancy are public health problems that adversely affect pregnant women, their children and surrounding communities. Programs that address this vulnerable population have the ability to be cost-effective due to resulting cost savings for mother, child and society. Economic evaluations of programs that address these issues are an important tool to better understand the costs of services and create sustainable healthcare systems. This study critically examined economic evaluations of drug abuse treatment and HIV prevention programs in pregnant women. A systematic review was conducted using the criteria recommended by the Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine and the British Medical Journal (BMJ) checklist for economic evaluations. The search identified 6 economic studies assessing drug abuse treatment for pregnant women, and 12 economic studies assessing programs that focus on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. Results show that many programs for drug abuse treatment and PMTCT among pregnant women are cost-effective or even cost-saving. This study identified several shortcomings in methodology and lack of standardization of current economic evaluations. Efforts to address methodological challenges will help make future studies more comparable and have more influence on policy makers, clinicians and the public.
A new method to isolate local-area practice styles in prescription use as the basis for instrumental variables in comparative effectiveness research.

Background: Knowledge of whether particular prescription drugs for particular conditions are overused or underused is needed to attain a more efficient healthcare system. The portion of geographic variation in prescription drug use representing “practice style” may provide natural experiments as instrumental variables to address this knowledge gap. Objective: To demonstrate a new method to isolate local-area practice style in prescription drug use as instrumental variable in community settings. Study Design and Subjects: A retrospective cohort study using Iowa Medicaid claims files from 1997 to 1999. Patients with continuous enrollment and essential hypertension diagnosis were selected. An approach to measure geographic prescribing patterns at the ZIP code level based on the method of driving area of clinical care (DACC) was introduced. The properties of the DACC-based measure to serve as an instrumental variable were compared with a geographic prescribing measure based on primary care service areas and a measure of individual physician prescribing preferences. The use of thiazide diuretics treatment for the hypertension served as the basis for this study. Results: Each measure described a significant portion of the variation in the use of thiazide diuretics, and measured patient characteristics were well balanced across patient groups based on each measure. In multivariate analysis, the DACC-based measure had a stronger relationship with thiazide choice for individual patients than either primary care service areas-based or individual physician-based measures. Conclusion: Treatment variation identified by the DACC method appears suitable as the basis for instrumental variables to assess the comparative effectiveness of treatments in practice.
Mapping Economic Diversity in the First World: The Case of Fisheries

Fisheries are understood within a binary frame that is both spatialized into the First and Third Worlds and founded upon a developmentalist discourse of fisheries that produces the conditions for capitalism. The result is an inevitable march toward privatization of resources abstractly understood and their utilization by individuals as capital. The Third World is allowed to diverge from this inevitability because of its inherent characteristics of subject and space read as fisheries-based community and territory. These different imaginaries of subject and space produce very different prescriptions for economic development; the First World must choose capitalism whereas the Third World might explore other options, albeit at a local scale. Producing alternative forms of fisheries management in the First World, then, requires both a strategy of valuing that which has been relegated to the periphery (for example, community, cooperation, and participation) as well as a blurring of binary categories generally. ...
Influence of chemical and physical surface heterogeneity on chemical reaction equilibria in carbon micropores

Recent simulation results are presented for the equilibrium yield of the ammonia synthesis reaction in various model microporous carbons. It is found that the reaction equilibria within the micropores is affected by many factors, including pore size, pore shape, connectivity, surface roughness, and surface chemical activation. In order to probe these effects, reactive Monte Carlo simulations of the reaction were performed in several microporous carbon models: smooth slit-shaped carbon pores, a realistic carbon model generated from experimental diffraction data, single-walled carbon nanotubes, and smooth slit-shaped pores activated by carboxyl surface groups. The simulations show that the ammonia conversion is most sensitive to the carbon pore width and to the amount of surface chemical activation. Effects of surface corrugation and pore connectivity on the equilibrium reaction yield are minimal.
CD44 receptor unfolding enhances binding by freeing basic amino acids to contact carbohydrate ligand.

The extracellular carbohydrate-binding domain of the Type I transmembrane receptor CD44 is known to undergo affinity switching, where change in conformation leads to enhanced binding of its carbohydrate ligand hyaluronan. Separate x-ray crystallographic and NMR experiments have led to competing explanations, with the former supporting minor conformational changes at the binding site and the latter a major order-to-disorder unfolding transition distant from the binding site. Here, all-atom explicit-solvent molecular dynamics studies employing adaptive biasing force sampling revealed a substantial favorable free-energy change associated with contact formation between the Arg41 side chain and hyaluronan at the binding site, independent of whether the distant site was ordered or disordered. Analogous computational experiments on Arg41Ala mutants showed loss of this favorable free-energy change, consistent with existing experimental data. More provocatively, the simulation data revealed the molecular mechanism by which the order-to-disorder transition enhances hyaluronan binding: in the disordered state, a number of basic residues gain sufficient conformational freedom—lacking in the ordered state—to spontaneously form side-chain contacts with hyaluronan. Mutation of these residues to Ala had been known to decrease binding affinity, but there had previously been no structural explanation, given their lack of proximity to the carbohydrate-binding site in existing structures of the complex.
Neural nicotinic acetylcholine responses in solitary mammalian retinal ganglion cells.

Using the patch-clamp technique,whole-cell recordings from solitary rat retinal ganglion cells in culture have established the nicotinic nature of the acetylcholine responses in these central neurons. Currents produced by acetylcholine (5–20 μmol/l) or nicotine (5–20 μmol/l) reversed in polarity near −5 mV and were unaffected by atropine (10 μmol/l). Agonist-induced currents were blocked by low doses(2–10 μmol/l) of the classical ‘ganglionic’ antagonists hexamethonium and mecamylamine, as well as by d-tubocurarine and dihydro-β-erythroidine (the latter two do not discriminate clearly between ganglionic and neuromuscular junction receptors). Treatment with the potent neuromuscular blocking agent α-bungarotoxin (10 μmol/l) did not affect the cholinergic responses of these cells, while toxin F (0.2 μmol/l), a neural nicotinic receptor antagonist, readily abolished acetylcholine-induced currents. Thus, the experiments performed to date show that the nicotinic responses of retinal ganglion cells in the central nervous system share the pharmacology of autonomic ganglion cells in the peripheral nervous system. The ionic current carried by the nicotinic channels was selective for cations, similar to that described for nicotinic channels in other tissues. In addition, single-channel currents elicited by acetylcholine were observed in whole-cell recordings with seals > 5 GΩ as well as in occasional outside-out patches of membrane. These acetylcholine-activated events, which had a unitary conductance of 48 pS and a reversal potential of 0 mV, represent the ion channels that mediate the neural nicotinic responses observed in these experiments on retinal ganglion cells.
The TEN study: time epinephrine needs to reach muscle

Background An epinephrine autoinjector (EAI) is designed to deliver epinephrine into the vastus lateralis muscle. Several studies have demonstrated both patient and physician difficulties in correctly using EAIs, specifically premature removal of the device from the thigh. Objective To evaluate the correlation between duration of injection with an EAI and amount of epinephrine absorbed into muscle tissue. Methods Twenty-one EAI devices (0.3 mL) were used to determine the amount of epinephrine injected into marbleized beef during 7 time periods. A digital scale was used to record preinjection and postinjection weights of EAIs and beef. The weight difference between the preinjection and postinjection periods of the EAIs was used to calculate the total amount of epinephrine released and available for absorption into the marbleized beef. The difference between the preinjection and postinjection beef weight was used to determine the amount of epinephrine absorbed into the meat. Results The correlation with duration of injection for both the amount of epinephrine absorbed and released was 0.321 ( P = .48). At all intervals, 95.9% or more of epinephrine was absorbed into the marbleized beef. The correlation with duration of injection and percent of epinephrine absorbed was 0.464 ( P = .29). There were no time periods that were significantly different from the percentage of epinephrine absorbed by the marbleized beef at 10 seconds (analysis of variance P = .16). Conclusion No linear relationship between time and amount of epinephrine injected or absorbed into muscle tissue was demonstrated. These data suggest that holding the device in place for 1 second is as effective as 10 seconds.
Burn Induces a Th-17 Inflammatory Response at the Injury Site

Introduction The high incidence of morbidity and mortality following major burn can be in part attributed to immune dysfunction and wound healing complications. Inflammation plays a major role in the complex process of wound repair. Recently, a novel class of T-helper cells, termed Th-17 cells, has been found to secrete the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-17 and IL-22. The Th-17 response also involves other cytokines, such as IL-6 and TGF-β, which have been shown to be associated with burn-induced inflammation. Nonetheless, the relationships between the Th-17 response and post-burn inflammation are unknown.
QoS ROUTING IN HYPERCUBE MULTICOMPUTERS

In this paper, we present a coding method to capture QoS information in hypercube multicomputers. The coding method is based on a localized algorithm where each node interacts with its neighbors to gather QoS information. Specifically, each node maintains a QoS vector where the k-th element represents the guaranteed QoS performance to a destination that is k hops away. The localized algorithm exhibits desirable properties of self-stabilizing, self-optimizing, and self-healing. Simulation results show that this coding method provides a good approximation of the minimum QoS value to a k-hop destination and, at the same time, uses a relatively small number of packets to propagate a change in link state (QoS value) compared with the classical distributed Bellman-Ford method.
Lumbrical tears in rock climbers.

Performance rock climbing places high demands on the hand and may lead to specific injuries. In a “one-finger-pocket” hold, the interphalangeal joints remain in 20–40° flexion. To increase the maximum force of the holding finger by the quadriga effect, the interphalangeal joints of the adjacent fingers become almost maximally flexed. Holding a “one-finger-pocket” with the ring or small finger leads to a shift of the deep flexor tendons which increases the distance between the two adjacent origins of either the third or the fourth lumbrical. This may cause disruption and tear of that muscle. An organized haematoma in the third lumbrical was visible by ultrasonography in one of the three cases described.
Obstacles and supports related to the use of educational technologies: the role of technological expertise, gender, and age

In order for institutions of higher education to provide essential technology resources and encourage the adoption of educational technologies, it is vital to gather information about the barriers their users encounter and the supports they find most helpful. The purpose of this study is to better understand how differences in user traits (e.g., age, gender, and technological expertise) may be impacting the use of technologies to support instruction. In this study, we report data from a university-wide survey of faculty at the University of Washington (N = 547). Study results indicate that individuals with technical expertise at the “beginner” level rely on different sources of support and encounter different barriers than do individuals at the “expert” level, even after controlling for gender and age. Our data demonstrate the importance of recognizing the range of expertise that exist among users when assessing barriers and implementing programs to support faculty in the adoption of educational technologies.
Rural Area Consumer Demand and Regional Input-Output Analysis: Comment

In the November 1982 issue of the Journal, Martin and Henry (MH) report on a study in which the total (direct plus indirect) impact of household expenditures is considered in an input-output (I-O) model. A linear expenditure system (LES) is estimated and compared with a quadratic expenditure system (QES) as bases for projecting household expenditures. They conclude that the QES is superior. They then consider various means of handling the household sector in I-O models. They first exclude closing a standard I-O model with respect to households (treating households as an endogenous sector), since it provides no indication of the impact of changing distributions of income. They then review Miyazawa's method of incorporating a disaggregated household sector. MH offer a method of incorporating a nonlinear household sector based on Miyazawa's linear method. Unfortunately their alternative results in a considerably different structure than that of Miyazawa's. Ironically, the MH approach, if made consistent with that of Miyazawa, offers a solution which is superior to both the MH and Miyazawa alternatives. The following discussion will (a) outline the Miyazawa approach, (b) prove its' equivalence to the standard closed I-O model with a disaggregated household sector, (c) demonstrate the difference between the MH and Miyazawa alternatives, and (d) suggest a preferable way of achieving the objectives outlined by MH. The Miyazawa method of incorporating income distribution effects is to separate the final demand vector, F, in the open I-O model into Fe, the final demand by households, and F, all other final demand. Then the static balance equation is
Energy inequalities and error estimates for torsion of elastic shells of revolution

This paper is concerned with the problem of axisymmetric torsion by terminal loads of elastic shells of revolution. Such shells are considered here to be three-dimensional bodies occupying a region of space which includes all points whose distances from a given surface - the midsurface - do not exceed h/2, where h is the shell thickness. The analysis is based on the classical linear theory of elasticity for homogeneous, isotropic materials, and it may be regarded as an extension of the work described in [1] and [2]. The purpose of the present paper is to assess the quality of an approximate solution of the thin shell problem. The case of axisymmetric torsion of thin shells of revolution is perhaps tile simplest one for this purpose, since simple approximate solutions - constructed from two-dimensional shell theories or otherwise - are known [3]. Our results provide estimates, based on the three-dimensional theory of elasticity, for the error involved in a stress analysis in which the 'exact' solution is replaced by an approximate one.
Emerging Framework for Planning and Implementation of Online Programs

The dramatic growth of online education over the past two decades is requiring colleges to make a shift from fragmented approaches to program planning and implementation towards a framework integrating both into a coherent support system. This article provides an overview of an emerging holistic framework for planning and implementation of online programs calling for shared strategic planning needs assessment strategies, and establishing program consensus. Guided by a program vision, curriculum and instructional strategies are identified along with internal and external supports needed for successful implementation. The framework suggests demand-driven strategic planning, benchmarking approaches to implementation practices, and interactive feedback to ensure effective program planning and implementation.
Trends and Future Developments in the Pharmacological Treatment of Acute Ischaemic Stroke

Stroke stands as the third leading cause of death. It makes great demands on patients, who must not only survive the complications of the acute stages, but must cope then with the great physical and economic costs of long-term disabilities. Therefore, there is urgent need to establish generally useful regimens for the acute treatment of ischaemic stroke. Three treatment approaches are based upon pathophysiologic concepts derived from experimental work with focal cerebral ischaemia. These include pharmacologic strategies for arterial recanalisation, inhibition of inflammatory processes and neural protection. Focal cerebral ischaemia secondary to occlusion of a brain-supplying artery initiates neuronal and microvascular events, and the simultaneous processes of inflammation which further injure tissue. The use of plasminogen activators to mediate thrombus and lysis in the acute setting has been shown to be clinically beneficial. Further work with arterial reperfusion strategies is under way. Early clinical studies with polymorphonuclear leukocyte-dependent endothelial adhesion receptor antagonists are being completed, but a strategy has yet to emerge. A large effort examining the potential efficacy of agents which may stabilise or protect neurons from ischaemic injury has shown promise in experimental models, and has been translated into clinical trials. Experimental work, and limited clinical experience, have indicated that: (a) the time window for intervention is important in limiting ischaemic and inflammatory injury, and for reducing the risk of haemorrhagic transformation; (b) putative neuroprotective strategies may potentially elongate the time interval for treatment; and (c) limitations from the adverse effects of plasminogen activators and of agents which beneficially affect neuronal dysfunction during ischaemia must yet be overcome. This review surveys pharmacological approaches currently undergoing evaluation which provide the goal of establishing effective strategies for the treatment of patients with acute cerebral ischaemia.
Ventral Striatal Noradrenergic Mechanisms Contribute to Sensorimotor Gating Deficits Induced by Amphetamine

The psychotomimetic drug -amphetamine (AMPH), disrupts prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response, an operational measure of sensorimotor gating that is deficient in schizophrenia patients. Historically, this effect has been attributed to dopaminergic substrates; however, AMPH also increases norepinephrine (NE) levels, and enhancement of central NE transmission has been shown recently to disrupt PPI. This study examined the extent to which NE might participate in AMPH-induced disruptions of PPI and increases in locomotor activity, another classic behavioral effect of AMPH, by determining whether antagonism of postsynaptic NE receptors blocked these effects. Separate groups of male Sprague–Dawley rats received either the α1 receptor antagonist, prazosin (0, 0.3, 1 mg/kg), or the β receptor antagonist timolol (0, 3, 10 mg/kg) before administration of AMPH (0 or 1 mg/kg) before testing for PPI or locomotor activity. As an initial exploration of the anatomical substrates underlying possible α1 receptor-mediated effects on AMPH-induced PPI deficits, the α1 receptor antagonist terazosin (0 or 40 μg/0.5 μl) was microinfused into the nucleus accumbens shell (NAccSh) in conjunction with systemic AMPH administration before startle testing in a separate experiment. Prazosin, but not timolol, blocked AMPH-induced hyperactivity; both drugs reversed AMPH-induced PPI deficits without altering baseline startle responses. Interestingly, AMPH-induced PPI deficits also were partially blocked by terazosin in NAccSh. Thus, behavioral sequelae of AMPH (PPI disruption and hyperactivity) may be mediated in part by NE receptors, with α1 receptors in NAccSh possibly having an important role in the sensorimotor gating deficits induced by this psychotomimetic drug.
Teaching the Arts of Public Theology

While intense discussions are raging over the definition and status of public theology, within graduate theological education relatively little attention is being paid to the teaching of the practices of public theology. This article explores one venue in graduate theological education that attempts to equip seminary and divinity school students in the arts of public theology. This program, the National Capital Semester for Seminarians, is located at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC and is open to any student enrolled in a seminary or divinity school in North America. The article is a critical examination of the pedagogical goals and design of the program. In addition there is an examination of the skills and practices that comprise the arts of public theology. A central thesis of the article is that interest in the intersection of theology and public policy is currently high among students, yet there is a paucity of resources in typical graduate theological curricula to address this demand.
Cross-Channel Becomings-Animal: Primal Courtliness in Guillame de Palerne and William of Palerne

AbstractThis essay argues that William of Palerne, a fourteenth-century Middle English translation of the twelfth-century Old French romance Guillaume de Palerne, outdoes its French predecessor in sustaining Western aristocratic hegemony. William's translation is motivated not by patriotism, but by a desire to disseminate elitist class values. Both versions feature what Bourdieu calls “rites of passage,” in which nobles cement their exceptional status through privileged crossings into the animal world. The romances' werewolf narratives reveal the predatory nature of aristocratic power, with a future prince's animal life figuring the sovereign's incorporation of violent nature. In donning animal skins, the fugitive lovers become what Agamben calls bare life, with the elite idioms of courtly love and venery marking their ritual passage into full aristocratic identity and imperial power. By magnifying Alexandrine's role, William highlights the ritual nature of the lovers' becoming-animal. By intensifying his...
A comparison of the responses to snakes of lab- and wild-reared rhesus monkeys

Abstract Thirty-one laboratory-reared monkeys were compared with twenty-seven captive wild-reared monkeys in their responses to a live snake, various snake models, sinuous and straight rubber tubing, a wood block, and food. Each object was presented in a standard laboratory situation. Two response indices were recorded: the time taken for an animal to reach for a food reward placed close to the test object, and any emotional disturbance displayed by the animal. Wild-reared monkeys usually showed intense avoidance responses to the live snake. About half the wild-reared monkeys showed intense avoidance responses to snake models; the rest, mild avoidance responses. Wild-reared monkeys usually showed mild avoidance responses to the sinuous tubing and practically no avoidance responses to straight tubing, wood block, and food. Lab-reared subjects usually exhibited mild avoidance responses to the live snake and practically no avoidance responses to the other objects. It is concluded that the rearing environment contributes importantly to the development of a rhesus monkey's fear of snakes.
Multiple keratoacanthomas in hypertrophic lichen planus: treatment with systemic retinoids (etretinate)

A 75-year-old woman was referred for treatment of multiple keratoacanthomas and hypertrophic lichen planus. Surgical excision was considered but was not possible given the multiplicity of the lesions. Etretinate, potent topical corticosteroids and gradient support stockings were initiated. Complete resolution was achieved in four months and oral and topical therapy was discontinued. Four months after discontinuation of all therapy there has been no recurrence.
Electron-Spin-Resonance Study of the High-Field Phase of the Spin-Peierls System Tetrathiafulvalene-Au- bis -dithiolene

We present ESR data obtained in the high-field phase of the spin-Peierls system tetrathiafulvalene-Au${\mathrm{S}}_{4}$${\mathrm{C}}_{4}$${(\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{F}}_{3})}_{4}$ (TTF-AuBDT). The measurements were performed on single crystals, and are the first ESR measurements performed in the high-field phase of this system. Our results demonstrate for the first time a marked effect of the magnetic structure of the high-field phase of a spin-Peierls system on the ESR spectrum. The data are analyzed in terms of the available theories for spin-Peierls systems. The results are in good agreement with the predictions of the theory.
Application of ceramic membrane and ion-exchange for the treatment of the flowback water from Marcellus shale gas production

Abstracts Flowback water from shale gas well drilling has a high TDS (total dissolved solids) content, ranging from 5000 ppm to 261,000 ppm, along with a TSS (total suspended solids) content of 300–3000 mg/L. Recently, the rapid expansion of shale gas production in Marcellus Formation has raised serious environmental concerns about the large amount of flowback water in this area. A process based on ceramic membrane filtration and ion-exchange was studied for the treatment of the flowback water from Marcellus Formation. The studied process contains a combination of two MF (microfiltration) membranes, 1.4 μm and 0.2 μm respectively, and mixed bed ion-exchange. After treatment, all TSS and >99% of TDS were successfully removed from the flowback water to meet the criteria for surface discharge. The cost estimation of the treatment is approximately 18.4 $/m 3 , 40–70% lower than the cost estimate of the DEP(Department of Environmental Protection in Pennsylvania).
Metaphysiological and evolutionary dynamics of populations exploiting constant and interactive resources:R—K selection revisited

I begin by reviewing the derivation of continuous logistic growth and dynamic consumer—resource interaction equations in terms of specific resource extraction and biomass conversion functions that are considered to hold at a population level. Evolutionary stable strategy (ESS) methods are discussed for analysing populations modelled by these equations. The question of selection trade-offs is then considered, particularly in the context of populations being efficient at extracting resources versus converting resources to their own biomass. Questions relating to single populations with high versus low conversion rates and interacting populations with high versus low self-interference rates are also considered. The models discussed here demonstrate conclusively that self-interference is an essential part of any consumption process: without it population growth and interaction processes do not make any sense. The analysis clarifies concepts relating to the somewhat discredited notion ofr—K selection.
A Measure of Effect Size for Experimental Designs with Heterogeneous Variances

A recent trend in the psychological literature has been to include measures of effect size when reporting probability values. The several measures of effect size associated with the Student t test for two independent samples are appropriate only when the variances are homogeneous. In this paper, commonly used measures of effect size are considered and compared, using four data sets. A chance-corrected measure of effect size is provided for two or more treatment groups characterized by either homogeneous or heterogeneous variances.
Molecular and macroscopic NLO properties of organic polymers

Two classes of aryltrienes in which the conjugation was incorporated in six-membered rings have been developed. The microscopic nonlinear susceptibility, μβ, the product of the dipole moment and the second-order nonlinear susceptibility, of these chromophores were measured using electric field-induced second harmonic generation (EFISH). The chromophores were then copolymerized as side-chain pendant groups in a methacrylate backbone copolymer with methyl methacrylate and their macroscopic electrooptic coefficients, r, were experimentally determined using a reflection technique after electric field poling of the polymers. When compared with 4,4′-N,N-dimethylaminonitrostibene (DANS), these molecules demonstrated electrooptic activities up to three times of DANS, when measured at 1.3 μm. By using a simple two-level free-gas model, the two sets of measurements corresponded closely at low poling fields. At high fields, the simple model breaks down as more detailed poling parameters are required to accurately describe the nonlinear poling effects. The results of the analysis of the high-field poling data will be published separately. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
3D Prostate Segmentation of Ultrasound Images Combining Longitudinal Image Registration and Machine Learning

We developed a three-dimensional (3D) segmentation method for transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) images, which is based on longitudinal image registration and machine learning. Using longitudinal images of each individual patient, we register previously acquired images to the new images of the same subject. Three orthogonal Gabor filter banks were used to extract texture features from each registered image. Patient-specific Gabor features from the registered images are used to train kernel support vector machines (KSVMs) and then to segment the newly acquired prostate image. The segmentation method was tested in TRUS data from five patients. The average surface distance between our and manual segmentation is 1.18 ± 0.31 mm, indicating that our automatic segmentation method based on longitudinal image registration is feasible for segmenting the prostate in TRUS images.
Nickel(II) genotoxicity: potentiation of mutagenesis of simple alkylating agents.

Abstract Many metals have been shown to alter the function of a wide range of enzyme systems, including those involved in DNA repair and replication. To assess the impact in vivo of such metal actions a “Microtitre” fluctuation assay was used to examine the ability of Ni(II) to act as a comutagen with simple alkylating agents. In E. coli, Ni(II) chloride potentiated the mutagenicity of methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) in polymerase-proficient strains (WP2+ and WP2−), but not in polA− strains (WP6 and WP67) or in lexA− (CM561) or recA− (CM571) strains. The absence of UV excision repair (WP2− and WP67) had little, if any, effect. An extended lag phase was seen at 2–4 h in the polA− strains following treatment with Ni(II) chloride and MMS, but normal growth resumed thereafter. Results suggested that mutations induced by MMS were fixed during log phase growth and that more than 2 h of exposure were necessary for potentiation by Ni(II) to be observed. Thus, the extended lag phase probably cannot explain the lack of potentiation. RecA-dependence of the comutagenic effect was corroborated with S. typhymurium TA1535 and TA100. Only in the pKM101 containing strain. TA100, was potentiation of ethyl methanesulfonatev (EMS) and MMS by Ni(II) chloride evident. The mucAB genes carried on pKM101 increase the sensitivity of TA100 to a variety of mutagens, providing there is a functional recA gene product. Taken together, the data suggest that Ni(II) acts indirectly, as comutagen, in bacterial systems, possibly affecting processes involving recA− and/or polA-dependent function(s).
Characterization of Carbonaceous Material from the Puerto Rico Trench of the Atlantic Ocean

SAMPLES of two types of rocks containing organic material were collected from 65° 41′ 24″ W., 20° 15′ 58″ N. during a cruise of the R.V. Chain of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to the north wall of the Puerto Rico Trench (Fig. 1). One of the samples is soft material, predominantly organic (Ch 34–D3). The other sample is hard material, a mudstone into which organic material seems to have migrated and subsequently been silicified (Ch 34–D3–182). This organic material and the associated basalts, limestones, cherts and siliceous mudstones were collected from depths of between 3,350 and 3,450 fathoms1,2. These are the first organic samples obtained from ocean depths of this magnitude. The limestones collected in the same dredge haul are Cenomanian in age3; however, the age of the organic material is unknown.
Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials of nicotine chewing-gum.

Abstract A meta-analysis was made of fourteen randomised controlled trials that evaluated the efficacy of nicotine chewing-gum in stopping patients smoking. The combined success rates in specialised cessation clinics are significantly higher with nicotine gum (27%) than with placebo gum (18%) at 6 months (n = 734), and 23% and 13% at 12 months, respectively. In contrast, success rates in general medical practices are similar with nicotine gum (11.4%) and with placebo gum (11.7%) at 6 months (n=1022). However, in general practices, the success rates are 17% for nicotine gum and 13% for the no gum control at 4-6 months, and 9% and 5% at 12 months, a significant difference between the treatments at each time (n = 2238). The data suggest that proper use of nicotine gum in specialised clinics will increase the rate of stopping patients smoking. The use of the gum in general medical practices is questionable.
The effect of geometric errors in the reconstruction of iridium‐192 seed implants

In the treatment of tumors using interstitial implants of radioactive seeds, the accuracy of computed dose distributions depends upon the accuracy with which the three‐dimensional source geometries are reconstructed from radiographs of the implants. The effect of geometric reconstruction errors in iridium–192 seed implants were studied, using tumordose as the measure. Tumordose was defined as the average dose around the periphery of the treatment volume. Three ideal mathematical implants and five actual patient implants were used. The implants were distorted by randomly moving a specified number of seeds a specified distance. Tumordoses were directly calculated for the ideal implants. For the actual implants, isodose distributions were plotted and were read by a radiotherapist. For both types of implants, percentage errors in the tumordoses were calculated for the distorted reconstructions relative to the correct reconstructions. It was found that the tumordose was accurate to within 5% if all the seeds were reconstructed to within 0.5 cm of their actual positions. Furthermore, up to 5% of the seeds could be mismatched between films, or otherwise incorrectly reconstructed, with position errors as large as 20 cm, and not change the tumordose by more than 5%.
Activation energies for the ATP-driven reversal of oxidative phosphorylation in submitochondrial particles

The participation of energy transfer Factor B at the second phosphorylation site between cytochromes b and c1 in the respiratory chain was tested spectroscopically at the wavelength pair 562–575 mμ with ascorbate plusN,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD) as substrate and ATP as energy source for the reversal of oxidative phosphorylation. At temperatures above 30°, Factor B produced a distinct stimulation of the activity of ammonia particles but did not alter the extent of cytochrome b reduction. Below 30° no effect of Factor B could be observed. A similar though not completely matching biphasic thermal effect was also seen in the reversal of oxidative phosphorylation between NADH dehydrogenase and cytochrome b (site 1) promoted by Factor A or B with the urea and ammonia-EDTA particles, respectively. A phosphorylating electron transport particle from heavy mitochondria (ETPH) showed the same biphasic thermal respose in the ATP-driven NAD+ reduction as well as in its oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity without the addition of any factors. In all the above cases, there was a break in the Arrhenius plot around 30° except for the reversal of oxidative phosphorylation at site 1 in ETPH. The activation energies and their changes on supplementation with the energy transfer factors differed for the particles. Factor B had no effect on the activation energy of ammonia particles in the reversal of site 1 or 2 but simply increased the rate of the reversal. The effect of oligomycin at low levels in the reversal of site 1 phosphorylation with ammonia particles was similar to the effect of Factor B. It is concluded, in agreement with previous reports, that oligomycin and Factor B act in the same region of the energy transfer reactions. Factor A strikingly decreased the activation energy for the reversal of phosphorylation at site 1 below 31° in urea particles from 43.8 to 24.3 kcal/mole, supporting a structural role for the factor in stimulating oxidative phosphorylation. Above 31° the change was from 27.5 to 20.5 kcal/mole. Omission of dithiothreitol or addition of low levels of p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonate (PCMS) produced a decrease in the rate of reversal of site 1 phosphorylation in ETPH. Concomitant with this decrease a break was induced in the Arrhenius plot at about 28°. The activation energy above the break was between 11.8 and 12.8 kcal/mole, similar to the value for Factor B-supplemented ammonia particles in the same temperature range. Below the transition temperature, the activation energy was 24.6–26.2 kcal/mole. It is concluded from these studies that reconstitution of oxidative phosphorylation occurs best at temperatures between 30 and 43° possibly due to easier reassembly of the membrane structure at the higher temperatures.
Some evidence for the nonverbal contagion of racial bias

Abstract Four experiments provide evidence for the hypothesis that we can “catch” racial bias from others by merely observing subtle nonverbal cues. Video recordings were made of white participants (with varying levels of racial bias) interacting with a neutral black confederate. Videos contained subtle expressions of positivity or negativity, corresponding to white participants’ levels of bias. Participants randomly assigned to observe the subtle anti-black bias videos (vs. pro-black) formed more negative impressions of the black person (Experiment 1), adopted more negative racial stereotypes (Experiment 2), and demonstrated greater anti-black bias themselves (Experiment 3). Participants only demonstrated increased bias when they knew that a black person was the target (vs. white; Experiment 4). Results suggest that nonverbal expressions of racial bias affect more than simply the actor and target—they affect passive, naive observers. The good news, however, is that the same is true of pro-black bias. Implications for organizations are discussed.
Memristor memory trade-offs and design considerations

The continuous demand for high storage capacities in modern electronic systems has made it more than ever important to find memory technologies beyond CMOS that are able to cope with the challenges at the nanoscale while catering to the requirements of high performance and robust operation. Memristors are excellent candidates for post CMOS memories, owing to their nanoscale nature and their programmability and ability to retain their state when turned off. In this paper we present design considerations for memristor memories for robust operation and discuss the trade-off between reading operations, refresh rates, and writing, stemming from the inherent variability of the memristor state when read.
Testing as a component of continuing education programs: evaluation of conference presentations by this method.

As a means of evaluating the effect of each presentation at a national medical conference and of the meeting as a whole, the scheduled lecturers were asked to supply the testers with several questions that summarized the most important points of their talks. Audience participants at the meeting were given tests drawn from these questions — one test before the beginning of the meeting, and another at the end. The results were compared for the answers to each lecturer's 3-question group, and for the complete tests. All scores were better at the end than at the beginning of each lecture. A follow-up survey of the attitudes of participants showed a positive reaction to the use of such testing at future meetings.