cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Complex Reconstruction in Tumor Patients

Spine tumor patients require unique considerations as tumor location, patient biology, and adjuvant treatment status can all affect reconstruction techniques. The primary goal of reconstruction is to remove the tumor and provide neural decompression while simultaneously stabilizing the spinal column and correcting any deformity. Surgical approaches can consist of anterior column resection with reconstruction, traditional posterior-based decompression and reconstruction techniques, or anterior column resection through a posterior-based approach. Large segment resections such as total en bloc spondylectomy require restoration of mechanical stability with expandable cages, bone graft, and multilevel segmental fixation. The development of carbon-fiber implants allows radiolucent instrumentation to be used with subsequent imaging for monitoring disease progression. While traditional bone graft techniques such as iliac crest autograft continue to be important in obtaining fusion, advanced techniques such as free fibula or rib grafts and the potential use of biologics in the future may play a significant role.
Redesigning an online information literacy tutorial for first-year undergraduate instruction

Abstract Between spring 2018 and fall 2019 four librarians in the University Library at California State University, Los Angeles developed and launched an interactive online information literacy tutorial for first-year undergraduate students. The Library Research Tutorial for First-year Introduction to Higher Education Courses updates the functionality and content of the University Library's previous 2015 tutorial. Backward design and predictable understandings and misunderstandings were the conceptual frameworks for developing the tutorial. This article describes the development and implementation of the tutorial, which included obtaining grant funding from the University Library, selecting authoring software, scriptwriting, and conducting usability testing. Fall 2019 student performance data for the tutorial are also presented. The authors offer recommendations to future creators for embarking upon a tutorial project.
Historical trauma and substance use among American Indian people with current substance use problems.

Objective In the United States, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people suffer health inequities associated with alcohol and other drug use and also experience historical trauma symptoms resulting from colonization. Research suggests that historical trauma may be associated with substance use among AI/ANs. Method As part of a Community-Based Participatory Research project with tribal partners from a rural AI reservation, our team collected cross-sectional survey data from 198 tribal members who self-identified as having substance use problems. We examined associations between historical trauma thoughts, historical trauma symptoms, and substance use outcomes. We also examined historical trauma symptoms, current trauma symptoms, awareness of systemic discrimination, and ethnic identity as moderators of the associations between historical trauma thoughts and substance use variables. Results Historical trauma thoughts, controlling for symptoms, were associated with greater abstinent days, fewer heavy alcohol use days, fewer drinks per drinking day, and fewer drug use days; historical trauma symptoms, controlling for thoughts, were associated only with fewer abstinent days. Moderation analyses showed that historical trauma thoughts were associated with better substance use outcomes when historical trauma symptoms were low, current trauma symptoms were low, awareness of systemic discrimination was high, and ethnic identity was high. Conclusion When distressing trauma symptoms are low, historical trauma thoughts may act as a protective factor or as a marker for other factors associated with better substance use outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
The Industry Adaptability Index: Big Enterprises Adapt Better

The movement pattern of the Industry Adaptability Index over different periods demonstrates that in the Russian economy, biggest enterprises can better adapt to external conditions. Small and medium-sized ones adapt less successfully. This observation was also confirmed by data for January-September 2018.
Optimal asset allocation with restrictions on liquidity

An optimal asset allocation problem involving restrictions on liquidity is studied in this article. The portfolio consists of liquid and illiquid asset. The portfolio is only allowed to rebalance a...
Voting power in the proxy process

Abstract The likelihood that a firm will enact a management-sponsored antitakeover charter amendment depends on ownership structure. This implies that the adoption of antitakeover amendments may be anticipated. Then announcement returns provide a biased estimate of wealth effects. An estimator that corrects for the bias induced by anticipation indicates that the enactment of an antitakeover amendment is associated with a statistically significant decrease in shareholder wealth. The voting power of employee stock ownership plans and the chief executive officer plays a prominent role in determining whether a firm will adopt this type of takeover defense.
TGF-beta receptors.

The nature and role of cell surface proteins that bind members of the TGF-beta family has been investigated. TGF-beta, activins, and BMPs each bind to receptors of 55 kDa (type I) and 70 kDa (type II). In the TGF-beta system, these receptors are implicated in the mediation of multiple responses. A member of the type II receptor family has been cloned that encodes four alternatively spliced versions of a transmembrane serine/threonin kinase receptor related to the recently cloned mouse activin receptor and C-elegans daf-1 gene. Inhibitors of serine/threonine kinase activity block transcriptional and growth inhibitory responses to TGF-beta. In addition to the signaling receptors, many cell types express the TGF-beta binding proteoglycan betaglycan. Betaglycan has been purified, molecularly cloned, and shown to bind TGF-beta via its core protein and basic fibroblast growth factor via its heparan sulfate chains. In addition to receptors I and II and betaglycan, some cells express a newly identified set of membrane proteins that specifically bind either TGF-beta 1 or TGF-beta 2. Three of the four isoform-restricted binding proteins are bound to the membrane via phospholipid anchors. Like betaglycan, these proteins might function to regulate the interaction between TGF-beta and their target cells.
Structural Persistence in Proactive Organizations

Data from 36 well-established services and newly formed proactive agencies offering some services to adult rape victims are used to test our arguments that proactive organizations more than other service agencies use volunteers, make use of personal referrals to specific individuals in serving clients, educate the public, and secure more commitment of staff to the task or goals of the agency and less to the specific agency itself. We question life-cycle hypotheses that organizations drift away from such voluntaristic and personal practices as part of maturation. Organizational imprinting in a specific era, and the inadequate supply of resources to substitute for volunteer zeal, make any inexorable unfolding in a life cycle unlikely to hold for proactive organizations.
Nitric oxide degradation of heparin and heparan sulphate.

NO is a bioactive free radical produced by NO synthase in various tissues including vascular endothelium. One of the degradation products of NO is HNO2, an agent known to degrade heparin and heparan sulphate. This report documents degradation of heparin by cultured endothelial-cell-derived as well as exogenous NO. An exogenous narrow molecular-mass preparation of heparin was recovered from the medium of cultured endothelial cells using strong-anion exchange. In addition, another narrow molecular-mass preparation of heparin was gassed with exogenous NO under argon. Degradation was evaluated by gel-filtration chromatography. Since HNO2 degrades heparin under acidic conditions, the reaction with NO gas was studied under various pH conditions. The results show that the degradation of exogenous heparin by endothelial cells is inhibited by NO synthase inhibitors. Exogenous NO gas at concentrations as low as 400 p.p.m. degrades heparin and heparan sulphate. Exogenous NO degrades heparin at neutral as well as acidic pH. Endothelial-cell-derived NO, as well as exogenous NO gas, did not degrade hyaluronan, an unrelated glycosaminoglycan that resists HNO2 degradation. Peroxynitrite, a metabolic product of the reaction of NO with superoxide, is an agent that degrades hyaluronan; however, peroxynitrite did not degrade heparin. Thus endothelial-cell-derived NO is capable of degrading heparin and heparan sulphate via HNO2 rather than peroxynitrite. These observations may be relevant to various pathophysiological processes in which extracellular matrix is degraded, such as bone development, apoptosis, tissue damage from inflammatory responses and possible release of growth factors and cytokines.
Bax plays a pivotal role in thapsigargin-induced apoptosis of human colon cancer HCT116 cells by controlling Smac/Diablo and Omi/HtrA2 release from mitochondria

Bax is a crucial mediator of the mitochondrial pathway for apoptosis, and loss of this proapoptotic Bcl-2 family protein contributes to drug resistance in human cancers. We report here that the endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin (THG) induces apoptosis of human colon cancer HCT116 cells through a Bax-dependent signaling pathway controlling the cytosolic release of mitochondrial apoptogenic molecules. Treating HCT116 cells with THG results in caspase-8 activation; Bid cleavage; Bax conformational change and mitochondrial translocation; the release of cytochrome c, Smac/Diablo, and Omi/HtrA2 into the cytosol; caspase-3 activation; and apoptosis. In contrast, knockout of Bax completely abrogates the full processing/activation of caspase-3 but has no effect on the processing of caspase-8 and the initial cleavage of caspase-3 to p24 fragment after THG treatment. The caspase-8-specific inhibitor z-IETD-fmk, as well as pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk, but not the calpain inhibitor E-64d, prevents Bid cleavage, Bax conformational change, and subsequent caspase-3 processing and apoptosis. Caspase-8 processing is dependent on de novo protein synthesis; DR5 expression is strongly up-regulated by THG treatment. Moreover, the absence of Bax blocks THG-induced Omi and Smac release from mitochondria, and expression of cytosolic Omi (GFP-IETD-Omi) or Smac (GFP-IETD-Smac) restores the sensitivity of Bax-knockout HCT116 cells to apoptosis in response to THG treatment. Taken together, our results indicate that Bax-dependent Smac and Omi release plays an essential role in caspase-3 activation and apoptosis induced by THG in human colon cancer HCT116 cells.
On the discretization of parameter domain in Hough transformation

Although the basic principle of Hough transformation can be described accurately in continuous spaces, its application is often conducted in digitized ones. The discretization of both a spatial image and the related transformation parameters will result in positioning errors in the parameter domain that affect the accumulation through which the Hough transformation functions. This makes the discretization of its parameter domain an important issue. Its resolution needs to be carefully selected to assure the effective concentration of the accumulation. In this paper, the effects of the digitization of both the spatial and the parameter domain on the resolution of the latter are analyzed numerically, and a procedure to determine the resolution, and therefore the discretization, of the parameter domain is proposed. Computer simulations show the effect of this consideration, and its importance is also demonstrated by applying successfully the Hough transformation to texture analysis in mammographic image processing with the appropriate digitization of its parameter domain.
On the analysis of discontinuous systems

Abstract An effective procedure, employing an operational approach, is demonstrated for the analysis of constant parameter continuous systems with multiple lumped parameter attachments and concentrated forces. Convenience of the method and of the form in which the results are obtained are evaluated in comparison with other applicable methods. Systems with piecewise constant parameters are also investigated. The desirability of obtaining a complete closed-form steady-state solution and various methods of obtaining it are examined. Finally, an example is treated which illustrates the application of the operational method to system with jump discontinuities in deflection and slope.
Adaptive and hierarchical modeling of fatigue crack propagation

A methodology is developed to adaptively and hierarchically simulate fatigue crack growth in structural components. Cracks are modeled by overlaying portions of the finite element mesh free of cracks with a discontinuous finite element field containing unconstrained double nodes along the discontinuity. Crack propagation is simulated by advancing the crack front in the superimposed mesh only keeping the underlying mesh fixed. Adaptively in time and space domain together with the hierarchical nature of the method ensure both economical and reliable simulation of crack propagation. Numerical results of fatigue crack growth in the attachment lug were found to be in good agreement with the experimental data. 19 refs.
A Recipe for Primordial Soup

If the universe emerged from a state of high temperature and high density, we can study the origin of the universe by recreating those conditions in the laboratory. While we can not reproduce the Big Bang, we can recreate its conditions and study the physical processes responsible for producing the rich and varied universe we observe today.
Towards the model human scheduler

This article presents a framework for understanding and modeling the human operator when performing scheduling functions. The eventual goal is to build a complete model of the human scheduler, which will be termed the Model Human Scheduler (MHS). Presented is a framework for the MHS based on Rasmussen's (1986) decision ladder. This framework consists of a collection of 27 production rules which link different types of scheduling activities, from skill-based through rule-based to knowledge-based activities. The framework defines the task that lies ahead if we are to achieve a fully computational MHS. The MHS incorporates Card, Moran, and Newell's (1986) Model Human Processor (MHP) as a computational operationalization of just one of the 27 production rules. An example is given of how the MHP can describe, in detail, the process of planning a sequence of steps according to the Moore-Hodgson dispatch rule. This is the first step in developing the full model, and it starts to define an appropriate program of empirical research to support the modeling effort.
British Direct and Portfolio Investment in Latin America Before 1914

This article aims to determine what changes occurred in Britain's control over its Latin American investments between 1865 and 1913. This is done by examining trends in the direct-portfolio composition of total investment and of private investment, as well as that of each industrial grouping. A major finding is the rise of British private portfolio investment. Differences in the capital market instruments used in each type of investment are analyzed as is the nationality of those controlling private portfolio investment. Finally, there is an assessment of major factors associated with the rise of the private portfolio component of investment.
Properly understanding the impacts of distributed resources on distribution systems

The subject paper discusses important impacts of distributed resources on distribution networks and feeders. These include capacity, line losses, voltage regulation, and central system support (such as volt/var control via central generators and substation) as the number, placement and penetration levels of distributed resources are varied. Typically, the impacts of distributed resources on the distribution system are studied by using steady-state rather than dynamic analysis tools. However, the response time and transient impacts of both system equipment (such as substation/feeder capacitors) and distributed resources needs to be taken into account and only dynamic analysis will provide the full impact results. ORNL is completing a study of distributed resources interconnected to a large distribution system considering the above variables. A report of the study and its results will be condensed into a paper for this panel session. The impact of distributed resources will vary as the penetration level reaches the capacity of the distribution feeder/system. The question is how high of a penetration of distributed resource can be accommodated on the distribution feeder/system without any major changes to system operation, system design and protection. The impacts will most surely vary depending upon load composition, distribution and level. Also, it is expected that various placement of distributed resources will impact the distribution system differently.
Ibuprofen-Induced Patent Ductus Arteriosus Closure: Physiologic, Histologic, and Biochemical Effects on the Premature Lung

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to study the pulmonary, biochemical, and morphologic effects of a persistent patent ductus arteriosus in a preterm baboon model of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. METHODS. Preterm baboons (treated prenatally with glucocorticoids) were delivered at 125 days of gestation (term: 185 days), given surfactant, and ventilated for 14 days. Twenty-four hours after birth, newborns were randomly assigned to receive either ibuprofen (to close the patent ductus arteriosus; n = 8) or no drug (control; n = 13). RESULTS. After treatment was started, the ibuprofen group had significantly lower pulmonary/systemic flow ratio, higher systemic blood pressure, and lower left ventricular end diastolic diameter, compared with the control group. There were no differences in cardiac performance indices between the groups. Ventilation index and dynamic compliance were significantly improved with ibuprofen. The improved pulmonary mechanics in ibuprofen-treated newborns were not attributable to changes in levels of surfactant protein B, C, or D, saturated phoshatidylcholine, or surfactant inhibitory proteins. There were no differences in tracheal concentrations of cytokines commonly associated with the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The groups had similar messenger RNA expression of genes that regulate inflammation and remodeling in the lung. Lungs from ibuprofen-treated newborns were significantly drier (lower wet/dry ratio) and expressed 2.5 times more epithelial sodium channel protein than did control lungs. By 14 days after delivery, control newborns had morphologic features of arrested alveolar development (decreased alveolar surface area and complexity), compared with age-matched fetuses. In contrast, there was no evidence of alveolar arrest in the ibuprofen-treated newborns. CONCLUSIONS. Ibuprofen-induced patent ductus arteriosus closure improved pulmonary mechanics, decreased total lung water, increased epithelial sodium channel expression, and decreased the detrimental effects of preterm birth on alveolarization.
Foliar architecture of vanilloid orchids: insights into the evolution of reticulate leaf venation in monocotyledons.

Abstract Leaves of representative taxa within the vanilloid clade of Orchidaceae were cleared and their venation patterns studied. Within subtribe Pogoniinae, Isotria and Pogonia exhibit a prominent reticulate venation pattern, although only Pogonia ophioglossoides is characterized by free vein endings. Within subtribe Vanillinae, all species of Epistephium , as well as the New Caledonian endemics, Eriaxis rigida and Clematepistephium smilacifolium , have reticulate-veined leaves that are characterized by numerous free vein endings. Leaves of most species of Vanilla exhibit a parallel-veined pattern stereotypical of monocots, although branched secondaries with free endings were observed in V. africana . Most members of subtribe Galeolinae are «saprophytes» with reduced bract-like leaves. Vascular bundles enter these leaf-homologues in a parallel manner, but quickly ramify throughout the tissue in an irregular manner. Leaf venation is used to hypothesize patterns of generic relationships within the vanilloid clade. Molecular evidence for phylogenetic relationships among angiosperms indicates that reticulate leaf venation has arisen independently in several unrelated monocot families, including the vanilloid Orchidaceae, perhaps by a similar evolutionary scenario.
A finite element solution of unsteady transonic flow problems for three-dimensional wings and bodies

A computerized finite element method has been developed to solve a form of the three-dimensional inviscid, irrotational unsteady transonic equation for pointed and rectangular wings and wing-body combinations. The equation is a 'parabolized' version of the full unsteady transonic equation which includes the effect of the advancing wave and the acceleration in the steady flow field thus including a thickness effect. Automatic mesh generation using conformal mapping has the advantage of allowing relatively arbitrary cross-sections to be closely approximated while taking advantage of the body's similarity to a more simple configuration. Plunge, pitch, and roll modes are computed
The Rate of Cerebral Utilization of Glucose, Ketone Bodies, and Oxygen: A Comparative in Vivo Study of Infant and Adult Rats

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured by means of Celabeled microspheres in infant (20-day-old) and adult (3-month-old) rats, anesthetised with Na-5-ethyl-5-(1-methylpropyl)2-thiobarbituric acid. Cerebral arteriovenous differences of acetoacetate, D-beta-hydroxybutyrate, glucose, lactate, and oxygen and brain DNA content were determined in other groups of similarly treated infant and adult animals fed or starved for 48 or 72 hr. The mean CBF values of 0.48+/-0.04 and 0.62+/-0.07 ml/(g X min), +/- SEM, in infant and adult animals, respectively, were not significantly different. CBF was unaffected by starvation. At any given arterial concentration the cerebral arteriovenous difference of acetoacetate was significantly higher in infant than adult rats. The same was true for D-beta-hydroxybutyrate at arterial concentrations above 1 mmol/liter. There was an approximately linear relationship between arterial concentration of acetoacetate and its cerebral arteriovenous difference in both infant and adult rats. A similar relationship was found for D-beta-hydroxybutyrate only in infant animals. In the fed state, the cerebral uptake of glucose and ketone bodies (micromoles per (mg DNA X min)) was not different in infant and adult rats. During starvation, cerebral uptake of ketone bodies expressed as micromoles per (mg DNA X min) was higher in infant than adult rats, indicating a higher rate of utilization of ketone bodies per cell in these animals. For glucose, no such difference was found in either fed or starved groups (Table 3). The average percentage of the total cerebral uptake of substrates (micromoles per min) accounted for by ketone bodies increased in both infant and adult rats during starvation. This percentage value was clearly higher in infant than adult rats during starvation. After 72 hr of starvation the values were 38.8% and 15.2% in infant and adult rats, respectively (Fig. 3). Calculated cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2), assuming complete oxidation of glucose and ketone bodies and expressed as micromoles per (mg DNA X min), was similar in fed and starved rats of both age groups (Table 3), indicating that ketone bodies serve as an alternative substrate for glucose during starvation. Calculated CMRO2 for glucose plus ketone bodies was similar to the measured CMRO2 in adult rats both in the fed and the starved groups. For infant rats, calculated CMRO2 for glucose plus ketone bodies was higher than measured CMRO2, indicating that in this age group a portion of substrate was used for synthesis or storage rather than for complete oxidation.
Venous thromboembolism in medically ill patients: Identifying risk and strategies for prevention

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a condition that has multiple causes but few warning signs. Consequently, the 2 manifestations of VTE-pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis-often go unpredicted. This is especially true for medical patients. Treatment guidelines indicate that most hospitalized patients should receive prophylaxis for VTE. This report discusses these guidelines, the high prevalence of VTE among medical patients, and clinical studies of thromboprophylaxis in medically ill patients. VTE prophylaxis continues to be underutilized in medically ill patients. These patients are at significant risk of VTE and require prophylaxis, an objective that is supported by the recent guidelines of the American College of Chest Physicians. In addition, several lines of clinical evidence support the use of prophylaxis in this subgroup of patients. Improved systems are needed in medically ill patients to help improve outcomes and compliance for the use of VTE prophylaxis.
Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle-Based Double Drug Delivery System for Glucose-Responsive Controlled Release of Insulin and Cyclic AMP

A boronic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticle-based drug delivery system (BA-MSN) for glucose-responsive controlled release of both insulin and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) was synthesized. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled, gluconic acid-modified insulin (FITC-G-Ins) proteins were immobilized on the exterior surface of BA-MSN and also served as caps to encapsulate cAMP molecules inside the mesopores of BA-MSN. The release of both G-Ins and cAMP was triggered by the introduction of saccharides. The selectivity of FITC-G-Ins release toward a series of carbohydrate triggers was determined to be fructose > glucose > other saccharides. The unique feature of this double-release system is that the decrease of FITC-G-Ins release with cycles can be balanced by the release of cAMP from mesopores of MSN, which is regulated by the gatekeeper effect of FITC-G-Ins. In vitro controlled release of cAMP was studied at two pH conditions (pH 7.4 and 8.5). Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of cAMP-loade...
Synthesis of new polydimethylsiloxane‐polyamide copolymers from phenylene‐bis‐5‐oxazolones and aminopropyl‐terminated polydimethylsiloxane oligomers

Alternating polydimethylsiloxane-polyamide block copolymers were prepared in dichloromethane or chloroform solution at room temperature from 3-amino-n-propyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane oligomers and 2,2′-p-phenylenebis(4,4-dimethyl-5-oxazolone). Solution and thermal properties of the polymers were characterized.
Dissection of the Internal Mammary Artery During Cephalic Vein Removal for Coronary Artery Surgery

An easy method that facilitates the exposure of the internal mammary artery and its dissection during simultaneous cephalic vein removal is described.
Increasing minimum daily temperatures are associated with enhanced pesticide use in cultivated soybean along a latitudinal gradient in the mid-western United States.

Assessments of climate change and food security often do not consider changes to crop production as a function of altered pest pressures. Evaluation of potential changes may be difficult, in part, because management practices are routinely utilized in situ to minimize pest injury. If so, then such practices, should, in theory, also change with climate, although this has never been quantified. Chemical (pesticide) applications remain the primary means of managing pests in industrialized countries. While a wide range of climate variables can influence chemical use, minimum daily temperature (lowest 24 h recorded temperature in a given year) can be associated with the distribution and thermal survival of many agricultural pests in temperate regions. The current study quantifies average pesticide applications since 1999 for commercial soybean grown over a 2100 km North-South latitudinal transect for seven states that varied in minimum daily temperature (1999–2013) from −28.6°C (Minnesota) to −5.1°C (Louisiana). Although soybean yields (per hectare) did not vary by state, total pesticide applications (kg of active ingredient, ai, per hectare) increased from 4.3 to 6.5 over this temperature range. Significant correlations were observed between minimum daily temperatures and kg of ai for all pesticide classes. This suggested that minimum daily temperature could serve as a proxy for pesticide application. Longer term temperature data (1977–2013) indicated greater relative increases in minimum daily temperatures for northern relative to southern states. Using these longer-term trends to determine short-term projections of pesticide use (to 2023) showed a greater comparative increase in herbicide use for soybean in northern; but a greater increase in insecticide and fungicide use for southern states in a warmer climate. Overall, these data suggest that increases in pesticide application rates may be a means to maintain soybean production in response to rising minimum daily temperatures and potential increases in pest pressures.
Factors associated with breast-feeding duration

Abstract A telephone survey of 45 WIC mothers was conducted to identify factors related to breastfeeding duration. Mothers who breastfed longer than 2 months were compared with those who were not breastfeeding at 2 months postpartum. Factors associated with increased breastfeeding duration were: having previous breastfeeding experience and a positive attitude toward breastfeeding, having agreement with the decision to breastfeed from the baby's father and help in the home from best friends and obtaining breastfeeding information from hospital nurses and classes and films. Mothers who breastfed longer than 2 months introduced formula during the third month while mothers who breastfed less than 2 months introduced formula during the first month. Inadequate milk supply was the reason for stopping breastfeeding given most often by mothers who breastfed longer than 2 months; whereas, nipple discomfort was the reason given most often by mothers who were not breastfeeding at 2 months postpartum.
Harnessing intrinsic localized modes to identify impurities in nonlinear periodic systems

Intrinsic localized modes (ILMs) are concentrations of vibrational energy in periodic systems/lattices due to the combined influences of nonlinearity and discreteness. Moreover, ILMs can move within the system and may strongly interact with an impurity, such as a stiffness change, mass variation, etc. Numerous scientific fields have uncovered examples and evidence of ILMs, motivating a multidisciplinary pursuit to rigorously understand the underlying principles. In spite of the diverse technical studies, a characterization of ILM interaction behaviors with multiple impurities in dissipative lattices remains outstanding. The insights on such behaviors may be broadly useful when dynamic measurements are the only accessible features of the periodic system. For instance, one may guide an ILM within the lattice using a deliberately applied and steered impurity and harness the observed interaction behaviors with a second, static (immovable) impurity/defect to identify how the underlying lattice is different at the second, defected site, whether or not one knew the position of the defect a priori. In this spirit, this research studies, analyzes, and characterizes the interaction types amongst an ILM and multiple impurities, and devises a method to identify a static defect impurity using quantitatively and qualitatively distinct interaction phenomena. The method is found to be robust to moderate levels of lattice stiffness heterogeneity and is applicable to monitor various property changes that represent impurities. Finally, experimental studies verify that ILMs interact with multiple impurities in unique ways such that defect features may be effectively identified.
Mortality Assessment for Pancreas Transplants

We determined and compared the mortality of pancreas transplant recipients and of patients on the pancreas waiting lists by using United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and International Pancreas Transplant Registry (IPTR) data. From January 1, 1995, through May 31, 2003, a total of 12,478 patients were listed for a simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplant; 2942 for a pancreas after (previous) kidney transplant (PAK); and 1207 for a pancreas transplant alone (PTA). In this retrospective observational cohort study, patients with multiple listings at different transplant centers and patients who changed transplant centers were counted only once. The Social Security Death Master File (SSDMF) and the UNOS kidney transplant database were used to update mortality information. By univariate analyses, 4-year patient survival rates on the waiting lists (vs. post-transplant), in the SPK category, were 58.7% (vs. 90.3%); in the PAK category, 81.7% (vs. 88.3%); and in the PTA category, 87.3% (vs. 90.5%). Up to one-third of recipient deaths after post-transplant day 90 were not related to the transplant procedure itself. Multivariate analyses showed that the overall mortality in all three categories was not increased after transplantation (for SPK recipients only, it was significantly decreased). In summary, the mortality for solitary pancreas transplant recipients is not higher than for wait-listed patients.
A Comparative Analysis of the Job Satisfaction of Industrial Managers and Certified Public Accountants

This study is designed to extend and enlarge upon previous empirical studies concerned with the perceived job satisfaction of managerial personnel. It focuses upon comparing the perceived need sati...
Moving beyond familism: Potential contributions of gerontological theory to studies of Chicano/Latino aging.

Research on Chicano and Latino elders assumes that most Chicano/Latino elderly are primarily active within a family context. Familism is the most common feature of Chicano/Latino families that is used to explain the status of the elderly, how they cope with aging, and how gender dynamics among the elderly are constructed. Predictions about the future of the supportive nature of family for the elderly vary depending on how familism is conceptualized. This focus on familism is shown to be a limiting approach to Chicano/Latino aging. We illustrate how an explicit grounding in different gerontological theories directs the study of Chicano/Latino aging to include broader sociological issues. We also suggest reconceptualizing familism so that the existence of familism has theoretical as well as empirical importance. Placing research on Chicano/Latino aging into a broader sociological framework would move research away from a sociology in aging to a sociology of aging.
Effects of an orally administered mixture of chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride and manganese ascorbate on synovial fluid chondroitin sulfate 3B3 and 7D4 epitope in a canine cruciate ligament transection model of osteoarthritis

Abstract Objective To evaluate effects of an orally administered mixture of chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride and manganese ascorbate (CS–G–M) on articular cartilage metabolism in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) deficient and reconstructed knees, as reflected by concentrations of synovial fluid 3B3, 7D4 and total sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG). Methods Sixteen adult dogs that underwent unilateral CCL transection were randomized into four groups. Thereafter, group I ( N =3) had a sham CCL reconstruction, group II ( N =3) had CS–G–M and sham CCL reconstruction, group III ( N =5) had CCL reconstruction, and group IV ( N =5) had CS–G–M and CCL reconstruction. Synovial fluid collected at 0, 1, 3 and 5 months was examined by ELISA for 3B3 and 7D4 epitope, and by DMMB assay for total GAG. Results Synovial fluid from CCL transected knees of CS–G–M treated dogs contained significantly elevated concentrations of 3B3 ( P =0.029), 7D4 ( P =0.036) and 7D4/GAG ( P =0.007) in comparison to controls, in a cross-sectional analysis at 3 months. Furthermore, 7D4 and 7D4/GAG concentrations remained significantly elevated ( P =0.012) in CCL transected knees of CS–G–M treated dogs over the 5 month period. However, when epitope concentrations were expressed as a ratio of CCL-transected to contralateral non-operated knee, treatment effect of CS–G–M was no longer significant. Reconstruction of the CCL had no significant effect on synovial fluid epitope. Conclusions Administration of CS–G–M was associated with altered concentrations of 3B3 and 7D4 epitope in synovial fluid, suggesting that these compounds may act to modulate articular cartilage matrix metabolism in vivo .
Early effects of gibberellic acid on barley aleurone layers.

Abstract The most obvious effects resulting from the application of the hormone gibberellic acid (GA) to cereal aleurone layers are the secretion of metabolites and the de novo synthesis and secretion into the medium of enzymes, mostly hydrolases ( Varner, 1964 ; Varner et al., 1965 ; Chrispeels and Varner, 1967 a,b ; Jacobsen and Varner, 1967 ). For that reason research on the mode of action of GA has focused on the elucidation of the roles of protein synthesis and RNA synthesis in the responses. The present report follows observations that the effects of GA occur sequentially ( Pollard, 1968 ). Furthermore, we have found that GA enhances the secretion of more than 20 metabolites and enzymes. It is desirable to identify the earliest of these reponses since they are most likely to be near the primary action of the hormone. We wish to report (1) the effect of GA on the secretion of soluble carbohydrates and several phosphatases, the earliest effects it has been possible to detect and (2) data relating the effects of the hormone to other aspects of metabolism, especially protein synthesis, RNA synthesis and respiration.
Antihypertensive Properties of Furosemide

The antihypertensive properties of single doses of furosemide were evaluated in 113 patients. Doses over 120 mg consistently produced a fall in arterial pressure whereas smaller doses did not. Thus 20 of 22 patients (90%) who received more than 120 mg had a 26 ± 6% average reduction in mean arterial pressure. The hypotensive action began in 30 to 45 minutes, the nadir of the decrease occurred between 2 and 2½ hours, and the hypotension usually lasted 10 to 12 hours. Repeated weekly doses of furosemide over a 2-month period in six patients were not associated with development of drug resistance. The antihypertensive properties of doses of furosemide of more than 120 mg seemed to be of about the same potency as ethacrynic acid. The antihypertensive effect of high doses of furosemide did not seem to be related to the diuretic effect or to the decrease in plasma volume. These studies have demonstrated that doses of furosemide of more than 120 mg consistently decreased arterial pressure. The usefulness of this...
“Separate but Equal”: Revolution and counter-Revolution in the American City

Not too long ago, in the halcyon days of the New Deal, the National Resources Committee (1937) issued a report on Our Cities , a most enlightened description of what is wrong with the quality of urban life in America: unbridled exploitation of land by private owners, slums and blighted areas expanding more rapidly in the cities than rehabilitation programs, high taxes caused by imbalanced industrial structures. In fact, looking through this 1937 document should convince anyone that the magnitude of problems has intensified but not their character. Even the demand in the New Deal report that industrial plants conform to the human needs of the city or else face restriction is roughly parallel to the anti-pollution restrictions now being placed on would-be industrial tenants of the inner-city. What then has happened in the interim to exacerbate the problem? It is this: thirty years ago the essential polarity was between what was called the “urban enterprise” and the “rural life.” Now, the polarity that defines the situation is the inner city, or the city as enlarged ghetto on one hand; and suburban enterprise, or the county as the industrial enterprise on the other. It might be said that from a socioeconomic perspective, even this is really the same problem writ large—since the problem of size only enlarges the scope of the urban malaise; it does not change things. Thirty years ago, the ghetto was within a borough of Manhattan or the Bronx, now the ghetto is the borough. But what is merely a matter of scale enlargement from an economic viewpoint, is a qualitatively new dilemma for political men.
Free electrophoretic analysis in various buffers of the soluble proteins from the crystalline lens.

Free electrophoresis affords a satisfactory means for determining the distribution of the soluble protein components from the crystalline lens. Resolution of the various components is strongly influenced by the buffer employed. Resolution of the slower components can be improved by allowing the faster components to migrate from the field of view. Several Tris, several phosphate, and two Veronal buffers were studied in this investigation. Tris phosphate, pH 9·05, Tris Veronal, pH 8·57, and potassium phosphate, pH 7·7, Γ/2 0·2 buffers were satisfactory for all species studied. Tris hydrochloride, pH 8·4, Γ/2 0·2 and sodium Veronal pH 8·6, Γ/2 0·1 and 0·2 buffers were satisfactory for the chicken. Tris-Veronal pH 8·57 (1·5° C) 0·05 m buffer allows highly satisfactory electrophoretic analyses of the lens proteins from the largest number of species, and would seem to have the widest application. Other buffers are better for some species; therefore, extensive studies on a single species of lens protein may require several buffers in order to obtain the most information. The only instance of a component migrating toward the cathode in this study occurs in the lens from fish with Tris-Veronal as the buffer. This negative migration occurred with no other buffer and can be explained in terms of decreased binding of the Veronal anion. The stability of the lens extracts from various species was strongly influenced by the buffer employed.
β-catenin: a common target for the regulation of cell adhesion by Wnt-1 and Src signaling pathways

Abstract β-catenin is a cytosolic protein originally identified through its association with the cadherin class of cell-adhesion proteins. However, recent studies have demonstrated that there are cadherin-independent pools of β-catenin and that β-catenin binds at least one other protein, the product of the tumor-suppressor gene APC . Furthermore, β-catenin is the target of two signal transduction pathways mediated by the proto-oncogenes src and wnt-1 . This raises the possibility that β-catenin plays a pivotal role in balancing cellular responses to both adhesive and proliferative signals.
Leptin and steroid hormone responses to exercise in adolescent female runners over a 7-week season.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the responses of leptin and steroid hormones to maximal exercise in adolescent female runners over a competitive season. Seven adolescent female distance runners completed three testing trials during weeks 1.4 and 7 of their high-school track season. Blood samples were collected before and after a discontinuous graded exercise test to exhaustion (GXT) for each trial. Tests were administered during the subjects' normal training time (3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.). Compared to week 1, peak O2 uptake rose significantly during the season and was 10% and 7% higher at weeks 4 and 7, respectively. Levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), cortisol, testosterone, and leptin increased significantly in response to the graded exercise tests. Testosterone levels were also changed over the course of the study. Resting testosterone levels and testosterone responses to exercise in weeks 4 and 7 were both higher than in week 1. Resting concentrations and acute increases of the other hormones were not changed over the season. It appears, therefore, that DHEA, DHEAS, cortisol, testosterone and leptin concentrations increase in response to running in adolescent female runners. Data also suggest that training and/or maturation increases resting testosterone concentrations and testosterone responses to running in adolescent female runners during a training season.
Critical evaluation of the so-called junction nevus.

The serious study of pigmented nevi was undertaken by many workers in the closing years of the 19th Century. All recognized that the microscopic picture of nevi differed from anything seen in other organs. The presence of nevus cells in both the epidermis and dermis led to concepts of origin at one or the other site, or at both sites.
The dynamic behavior of a fixed‐bed catalytic reactor

The dynamic behavior of a fixed-bed catalytic reactor was studied under isothermal conditions by means of frequency response analysis. The investigation was conducted over a range of nonreacting and reacting conditions by using the hydrogen-oxygen combination over supported platinum as the reaction system. The kinetics of the surface catalysis of this reaction were investigated separately and then were incorporated into the analysis of frequency response data under reaction conditions. A method was developed whereby nonlinear chemical reaction effects appearing in the frequency response measurements could be separated from hydrodynamic factors for a plug flow reactor. Use is made of the describing function technique, often used to approximate nonlinear servomechanism response, to accomplish this. It is shown by this method that Peclet numbers measured for the reacting system agree with those measured in the absence of reaction. Based on the semitheoretical value of 2 for the Peclet group at high Reynolds numbers, a value of 0.73 sq. cm./min. was determined for the effective diffusion coefficient of hydrogen at 100°C. within the porous catalyst particles. Analysis of frequency response data in which this diffusion is not accounted for leads to Peclet numbers which are unreasonable in view of previously reported results.
Critical assessment of the operator-splitting technique in solving the advection-dispersion-reaction equation: 1. First-order reaction

Abstract Operator-splitting technique (OST) is a common mathematical approach used in the solution of the advection-dispersion-reaction equation (ADRE), especially in the presence of biological decay, where the scales of transport and biological decay are far apart. The OST introduces a time-lag between the advection-dispersion and reaction stages by splitting the ADRE causing a breakdown of the physics of the problem, thus limiting its applicability. In this work, the applicability of the operator splitting technique is studied in parts. This first manuscript addresses the critical limitations of the operator-splitting technique as related to first-order decay, and the second manuscript extends the work to include coupled transport between hydrocarbon and oxygen with Monod kinetics describing biological decay. The critical assessment is performed to address the errors associated with the time-lag due to splitting. The assessment is based on mass balance errors, deviations of concentration prediction and sensitivities of concentration deviations. The results show that the splitting introduces an inherent error independent of the discretization errors. This inherent error increases with reaction rate and time-lag, and the overall errors can be reduced by using the alternate operator-splitting technique suggested by previous researchers.