cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Domestic Political Sources of American Monetary Policy: 1955-82

This study investigates what domestic political factors affect monetary policy in the United States. Monetary policy is measured by changes in adjusted bank reserves. A reaction function is estimated using quarterly data for 1955-82. Independent economic variables in the reaction function are current and expected inflation, slackness, international reserves, the balance of payments, and the high employment surplus. Political variables examined are elections, party, administration, and the relationship between monetary and fiscal policy. Elections do not affect Fed policy. Monetary policy is easier under Democratic presidents; the Kennedy and Nixon administrations do not fit this general pattern. The effect of party and administration is linear; neither party nor administration affects the relationship between the state of the economy and Fed policy. Monetary and fiscal policy covaried during the 1960s; by the 1970s easy fiscal and tight monetary policy became more common.
Online Gesture Spotting from Visual Hull Data

This paper presents a robust framework for online full-body gesture spotting from visual hull data. Using view-invariant pose features as observations, hidden Markov models (HMMs) are trained for gesture spotting from continuous movement data streams. Two major contributions of this paper are 1) view-invariant pose feature extraction from visual hulls, and 2) a systematic approach to automatically detecting and modeling specific nongesture movement patterns and using their HMMs for outlier rejection in gesture spotting. The experimental results have shown the view-invariance property of the proposed pose features for both training poses and new poses unseen in training, as well as the efficacy of using specific nongesture models for outlier rejection. Using the IXMAS gesture data set, the proposed framework has been extensively tested and the gesture spotting results are superior to those reported on the same data set obtained using existing state-of-the-art gesture spotting methods.
The Photoreed-A New Versatile Frequency-Sensitive Control Element

The photoreed performs the functions of resonant reed relays and tuning-fork filters or oscillators. The photoreed evolved from combining resonant reed and photoelectric principles, i.e., the action of light on a suitable photosensor to regulate the current through the photosensor and its load circuit. The photosensor is exposed to the light when the reed, acting as a shutter, vibrates. No electrical contacts are required. The design criteria and performance data of the photoreed are discussed for each circuit function. The photoreed has superior performance, flexibility and versatility when compared with conventional resonant reed relays.
Prognosis of Carcinoid Heart Disease Analysis of 200 Cases Over Two Decades

Background— The long-term prognosis of patients who develop carcinoid heart disease and the effect of cardiac surgery on outcome are not well established. Methods and Results— In this retrospective...
New Help or New Hegemony? The Transnational Indigenous Peoples' Movement and ‘Being Indian’ in El Salvador

The transnational indigenous peoples' movement (TIPM) can convey important political leverage to local indigenous movements. Yet this study exposes a more problematic impact: the political authority gained by funding organisations who interpolate TIPM norms into new discourses regarding indigeneity, and deploy that discourse in local ethnic contests. In El Salvador the TIPM has encouraged the state to recognise the indigenous communities and has opened a political wedge for indigenous activism. Yet TIPM-inspired programmes by the European Union and UNESCO to support indigenous activism paradoxically weakened the Salvadorean movement by aggravating outside impressions that Salvadorean indigenous communities are ‘not truly Indian’.
Structures, Internal Rotor Potentials, and Thermochemical Properties for a Series of Nitrocarbonyls, Nitroolefins, Corresponding Nitrites, and Their Carbon Centered Radicals

Structures, enthalpy (ΔfH°298), entropy (S°(T)), and heat capacity (Cp(T)) are determined for a series of nitrocarbonyls, nitroolefins, corresponding nitrites, and their carbon centered radicals us...
Reactions of negative ions with ClN3 at 300 K.

The reactivity of ClN3 with 17 negative ions has been investigated at 300 K. The electron affinity (EA) of ClN3 was bracketed to be between that of NO2 and N3, giving EA(ClN3) = 2.48 ± 0.20 eV, in agreement with an electronic structure calculation. Reaction rate constants and product ion branching ratios were measured. In nearly all cases the major product of the reaction was chloride ions. Charge transfer, N3− production, and O atom incorporation is also observed. DFT calculations of stable complexes and transition states are presented for two typical ions. Mechanistic details are discussed in terms of reaction coordinate diagrams.
The Solar Production of Hydrogen

We will consider some of the design issues underlying a successful (efficient, cost-effective) water photoelectrolysis system for conversion of sunlight to hydrogen, a portable chemical fuel, using earth-crust plentiful materials.
Numerical Integration via Integration by Parts

(1986). Numerical Integration via Integration by Parts. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 17, No. 5, pp. 418-422.
The Xylariaceae: Systematic, Biological and Evolutionary Aspects

(1979). The Xylariaceae: Systematic, Biological and Evolutionary Aspects. Mycologia: Vol. 71, No. 1, pp. 1-42.
Pure Oxygen Combustion and Natural Gas-Pure Oxygen Combustion Property

Pure oxygen combustion technology is paid much attention to and makes a rapid progress in European, American and Japan for its many advantages, such as having high theoretic flame temperature, reducing exhaust gas and NO x, raising fuel saving efficiency, lessening equipment dimension and so on. But we have a big gap in researching it and putting it into practice.
Urinary incontinence. Impact on working women.

Until recently, the impact of urinary incontinence (UI) on working women, a population generally characterized as healthy, has not been the focus of research. Women employed full time at a large un...
Synchronism and Therapy

My role as commentator I understand to involve me in a double responsibility: to accept the invitation intrinsic to every epistemic endeavor, first to ‘thinkalong-with’ the author (co-mentari), in order to understand what is said and maintained, and, second, to test it critically (i.e., again, dialogically). I want first, then, to lay out what I take to be the main themes of Prof. van den Berg’s presentation, and then to raise or mark out some issues which call for our closer scrutiny and reflection.
Decision-making around psychotropic medications for children in foster care: Perspectives from foster parents

Abstract Background and objective Children in foster care have complex mental health needs and receive high rates of psychotropic medications. Rarely can foster parents make legal decisions about treatment, yet they are intricately involved in the child's life and responsible for the child's safety and well-being. We aimed to conduct the first study of foster parent perspectives on decision-making relevant to the use of psychotropics with children in foster care. Methods We conducted semi-structured phone interviews with 13 parents in a small northeastern state who had fostered a child receiving psychotropics in the past 5 years. The state child welfare agency sent information about the study via email to all foster and adoptive parents for whom they had email contact. Interviews queried parents' knowledge and attitudes toward psychotropics, engagement in decisions, and recommendations for the decision-making process. Interview responses were coded and synthesized using mixed inductive and deductive methods in Dedoose software. Results Children came into care on an average of four psychotropics. Parents reported receiving little information about the medications and finding information on their own. Parents acknowledged the potential benefits of medications, yet attitudes were largely against their use. Internal and external pressures for and against the use of medications were described. Many parents felt left out of the decisions and recommended team decisions. Conclusions Efforts to improve foster parents' knowledge of medications, side effects, and monitoring, as well as team decision protocols, are sorely needed to improve decisions for this population.
Klinefelter Syndrome and Other Forms of Primary Testicular Failure

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is the most common sex chromosome disorder in men affecting 1 in 400–600 males across all ethnic groups. Men with KS have at least one supernumerary X chromosome resulting in a 47, XXY genotype. KS can present in childhood, adolescence or adulthood with varying degrees of hypogonadism, gynecomastia, very small testes and azoospermia. In adults, FSH and LH levels are elevated, and testosterone levels are low or low normal. The diagnosis is confirmed by tissue karyotyping which usually reveals a 47, XXY genotype, although about 10% of men with KS phenotype are mosaic (47, XXY/46, XY), and infrequently additional X chromosomes are present. Treatment consists of testosterone replacement, and in the subset of patients in whom sperm are present on testicular biopsy, infertility can be treated by in vitro fertilization using intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
Prognostic quantification of non-small cell lung cancer metastases to the lung

17080 Background: Lung is the most frequent organ site of metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), yet the impact of these metastases on the natural history of the disease has not been w...
Highly Conductive Ultrafiltration Membrane via Vacuum Filtration Assisted Layer-by-Layer Deposition of Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes

Conductive membranes can offer innovative solutions for membrane fouling control while maintaining enhanced filtration performance. Here, an emerging technique, vacuum filtration assisted layer-by-layer deposition of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), was used to prepare conductive surfaces on polysulfone (PSf) ultrafiltration membranes. PSf membranes were functionalized with oxygen-containing negatively charged functional groups through oxygen plasma treatment. MWNT-PSf membranes were prepared with 5, 10, 15, and 20 bilayers with amine- and carboxylic-functionalized MWNTs. The prepared membranes were characterized by the thickness, contact angle, and conductivity of the membranes. Scanning electron microscopy images of the membranes confirmed uniform MWNT distribution across the membrane surface. MWNT-PSf membranes exhibited slightly reduced permeability, improved selectivity, and greater conductivity with increasing number of MWNT bilayers and demonstrated almost complete inactivation ...
Design of fast pipelined arithmetic units in VLSI

In this paper we propose a constant time pipelined adder and multiplier. Traditionally efficient carry-lookahead adders concentrate on making the design regular so that it can be laid out in VLSI. This paper looks at the construction of constant time adders that are regular and technology independent. However, the constant can be made larger or smaller and depends on the area used. The absolute delay is stiB O(logn) and area used is O(n logn). Actual layout of a processor is shown in NMOS following the Mead and Conway design rules.
Black Anatase Formation by Annealing of Amorphous Nanoparticles and the Role of the Ti2O3 Shell in Self-Organized Crystallization by Particle Attachment

We use amorphous titania nanoparticle networks produced by pulsed laser vaporization at room temperature as a model system for understanding the mechanism of formation of black titania. Here, we characterize the transformation of amorphous nanoparticles by annealing in pure Ar at 400 °C, the lowest temperature at which black titania was observed. Atomic resolution electron microscopy methods and electron energy loss spectroscopy show that the onset of crystallization occurs by nucleation of an anatase core that is surrounded by an amorphous Ti2O3 shell. The formation of the metastable anatase core before the thermodynamically stable rutile phase occurs according to the Ostwald phase rule. In the second stage the particle size increases by coalescence of already crystallized particles by a self-organized mechanism of crystallization by particle attachment. We show that the Ti2O3 shell plays a critical role in both black titania transformation and functionality. At 400 °C, Ti2O3 hinders the agglomeration of...
Reaction of Lymphatic Tissue in Neoplastic Disease: Summary

In thinking about reactions of lymphatic tissue in neoplastic disease, there are two tempting possibilities for immunologists. One is the utilization of the immune system for aiding the prospective cancer patient in terms of detection and diagnosis. The other is the possibility of immunologic intervention in cancer. The potential of immunology in the area of detection and diagnosis is increasing, largely due to critical reevaluation of embryonic antigens and fetal isozymes in adult tumors. This afternoon we heard an excellent paper by Dr. Coggin on embryonic reexpression in cancer cells. I think it can be clearly stated now that in experimental and natural systems there is a reappearance of embryo specific antigen which is demonstrable in tumors. It is not yet entirely clear whether the various fetal or carcinoembryonic systems represent de novo synthesis characteristic of fetal or neoplastic states, or whether they simply represent unmasked structural complexes of the cell membrane. However, this should become clear once suitable means of purification and characterization of these antigens is achieved.
Stable isotope tracers reveal a trade-off between reproduction and immunity in a reptile with competing needs

Trade-offs between the reproductive and immune systems are predicted when resources are limited, but are difficult to measure. We used 15N-labelled amino acids to directly compare protein allocation by lizards to eggs and healing wounds. We showed that these two demands compete for the same resource, and that the ratio of protein allocation between them was related to body size, reproductive stage and plasma corticosterone levels. On average, rates of leucine deposition into eggs (0.022 μg/day) were an order of magnitude greater than those into scabs (0.002 μg/day), similar to leucine excretion rates (0.027 μg/day), and about half as large as leucine egestion rates (0.054 μg/day). We found that earlier reproductive stages and greater amounts of stored energy, but not manipulated food availability or the amount of food consumed, increased the absolute and relative allocation of protein to self-maintenance. We provide direct evidence for amino acid trade-offs between reproduction and wound healing. A plain language summary is available for this article.
Design and model based inferences with applications to acidification of lakes in eastern Canada

The design and model based approaches for making inferences about the number of lakes affected by acidic deposition and the chemical characteristics of aquatic resources at risk are described. In many instances when the lakes in the sample are selected for convenience without any randomization, the model based approach continues to provide valid inferences about the population of lakes. The performances of the two approaches are compared using a small population of 177 lakes which are located in southern Quebec. Examples from the Canadian acid rain monitoring program in the Atlantic provinces are also given.
Serious subjects: A test of the seriousness technique to increase participant motivation in political science experiments:

A central concern for experimental studies is participant motivation, which is crucial for internal validity. When participants are not committed to the task, internal validity diminishes because r...
The Muonium Antimatter Gravity Experiment

A direct measurement of the gravitational acceleration of antimatter has the potential to show that we live in a “Dirac-Milne” Universe, which could explain cosmological observations without the need for dark matter, dark energy, inflation, or missing antimatter. Such a measurement would also be sensitive to the possible existence of a fifth force. Cooling antimatter to temperatures where gravitational energies are comparable to thermal energies is challenging for most forms of antimatter, which annihilate upon contact with matter. The exception is the antimuon (μ + ), which is easily cooled by stopping in cold matter, but the short muon lifetime poses challenges. Positive muons that stop in material will combine with free electrons to form muonium, a neutral leptonic atom with most of its mass derived from the 2nd -generation antimuon. We are developing the Muonium Antimatter Gravity Experiment (MAGE) to measure the gravitational force on muonium using a novel, monoenergetic, low-velocity, horizontal muonium beam directed at an ultra-precise atom interferometer. If successful, MAGE will measure for the first time the gravitational coupling to a 2nd -generation particle in a system whose antimatter-dominated mass is not predominantly strong-interaction binding energy. The novel MAGE beam production approach could also have important applications to other muonium experiments as well as to the measurement of g – 2.
Asset market approach to exchange rate determination

The paper provides an analysis of exchange rate determination using an asset market approach model. The analysis includes exchange rate response to changes in government policies which are unanticipated and to changes in government policies which are anticipated before they occur. It is shown that the announcement of an expansionary policy will cause the exchange rate to depreciate, which induces balance of trade surplus and hence, external assets accumulation, before the policy is implemented. Empirical results accord well with the model, in particular they establish the positive relationship between anticipated money and the spot exchange rate. The results also support the hypothesis that anticipated expansionary monetary policy has a smaller impact on the exchange rate than the effect of unanticipated expansionary monetary policy.
A Dual Dilemma: An Examination of Body Dissatisfaction Among Asian American Females in Emerging Adulthood

A DUAL DILEMMA: AN EXAMINATION OF BODY DISSATISFACTION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALES IN EMERGING ADULTHOOD By Sarah J. Javier, B.S. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2013. Major Director: Faye Z. Belgrave, Professor Department of Psychology The purpose of this study was to examine what factors contribute to and result from body dissatisfaction using the theoretical framework of the Tripartite Model of Influence, which included family, peer, and media influence. Participants were recruited from SONA and student organizations and participated in an online survey (N =148). A MANCOVA indicated that Asian and White females did not differ in body dissatisfaction and other health outcomes. Thin-ideal internalization mediated the relationships between media influence, peer influence, and body dissatisfaction among Asian American females. Moderation analyses indicated that ethnic identity, Asian American identity, and acculturation did not moderate the relationship between the three tripartite influences and body dissatisfaction. Finally, a series of multiple regressions indicated that body dissatisfaction significantly predicted disordered eating, cosmetic surgery endorsement, and cigarette use among Asian Americans. Findings suggest that Asian American body dissatisfaction may be more related to Western influence than current literature shows.
Clinic-based primary care of frail older patients in California.

We surveyed medical directors of primary care clinics in California to learn how those clinics cared for their frail older patients. Of 143 questionnaires sent, 127 (89%) were returned. A median of 30% of all patient encounters were with persons aged 65 or older, and a median of 20% of older patients were considered frail. A total of 20% of the clinics routinely provided house calls to homebound elderly patients. Of clinics involved in training medical students of physicians (teaching clinics), 70% had at least one physician with an interest in geriatrics, compared with 42% of nonteaching clinics (P less than .005). For frail patients, 40% of the clinics routinely performed functional assessment, while 20% routinely did an interdisciplinary evaluation. Continuing education in geriatrics emerged as a significant independent correlate of both functional assessment and interdisciplinary evaluation. Among the 94 clinics with a standard appointment length for the history and physical examination, only 11 (12%) allotted more than 60 minutes for frail patients. The data suggest that certain geriatric approaches are being incorporated into clinic-based primary care in California but do not provide insight into their content or clinical effects.
DETERMINISTIC NOISE IN EXTRINSIC PHOTOCONDUCTORS

The measured current response of ultrapure Ge far-infrared photoconductors at 4.2 K exhibits behavior characteristic of driven nonlinear oscillators including a period doubling cascade to chaotic oscillation which produces deterministic broadband noise with noise temperature T n ∼10 8 K, frequency locking effects, and intermittency which produces low-frequency noise of the form 1/f α with α∼0.5 to 1.5. This deterministic broadband and low-frequency noise is fundamentally different from noise due to stochastic mechanisms such as Johnson and shot noise. Reduction of the deterministic noise level by greater than 30 dB has been achieved by locking onto a strong sinusoidal drive voltage. These experimental results are in good agreement with numerical solutions of a simple nonlinear rate equation model of extrinsic photoconductors.
Rodolfo Jacobson (ed.), Codeswitching worldwide II. (Trends in Linguistics: Studies and Monographs, 126.) Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 2001. Pp. ii, 371. Hb DM 178/EUR 91.01.

Widely impugned by an uninformed public – and even by many of those who practice it – with such derogatory terms as “Spanglish” or “Chinglish,” or “Pocho” in Spanish, codeswitching (CS) has emerged from marginal obscurity to become a major topic of interest among linguists of a wide variety of persuasions in the past 30 years. Weinreich (1953) famously denied that a switch between languages within a sentence was possible; the MLA bibliography now lists 900 titles on the subject, half of which have appeared since 1995. The present volume – the third edited by the indefatigable Rodolfo Jacobson, a pioneer in the field since the 1970s – reflects both this growth and the increasing breadth of interest that has occurred along with increasing attention to bilingualism generally in its many aspects and implications.
Normal Forms for Submanifolds Under Group Actions

We describe computational algorithms for constructing the explicit power series expansions for normal forms of submanifolds under transformation groups. The procedure used to derive the coefficients relies on the recurrence formulae for differential invariants provided by the method of equivariant moving frames.
Nonverbal Affiliation by Physician Assistant Students during Simulated Clinical Examinations: Genotypic Effects

In the relationship between patients and health care providers, the use of nonverbal affiliative behaviors—including smiling, facial expressiveness, and a lack of dominance—is associated with multiple benefits to patient satisfaction, compliance, and health. However, little is known about what accounts for variance in providers’ tendencies to enact nonverbal affiliative behaviors during routine patient encounters. The present exploratory study examines nonverbal affiliative behaviors by physician assistant students in interactions with standardized patients. Each student conducted three clinical interviews over a 6-month period, each of which was coded for a cadre of nonverbal affiliative behaviors. Students also provided saliva samples for genotyping six single-nucleotide polymorphisms on the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) that are linked empirically to affiliation and other prosocial behaviors. Consistent with recent research, this study adopted a cumulative risk approach wherein students were scored for...
Explaining Variation in Findings From Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies for English Reading Interventions for English Learners

Beginning in 2002, researchers developed, implemented, and evaluated the efficacy of an English reading intervention for first-grade English learners using multiple randomized control trials (RCTs)...
Hyams grading as a predictor of metastasis and overall survival in esthesioneuroblastoma: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB), also known as olfactory neuroblastoma, represents up to 3% of all sinonasal neoplasms. Hyams histologic grading is a promising tool in predicting metastases and establishing prognoses for this complex tumor. METHODS A systematic literature search was performed in the PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Cochrane databases. ENB patients with Hyams I-II or III-IV were categorized as low-grade Hyams (LGH) or high-grade Hyams (HGH), respectively. Binary and continuous random-effects models were applied to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for the incidences of neck and distal metastases as well as for 5- and 10-year overall survival rates. RESULTS Of the 57 screened articles published from 1993 to 2018, 16 (525 patients) and 21 (563 patients) provided data for tumor metastases and overall survival rates, respectively. Neck metastasis was observed in 18.2% of HGH vs 7.9% of LGH patients. Distant metastasis was noted in 20.7% of HGH vs 8.9% of LGH patients. LGH patients had 5- and 10-year overall survival rates of 81.2% and 64.0%, respectively, as compared with 60.9% and 40.6%, respectively, for HGH patients. In comparing HGHs vs LGHs, the collective ORs for neck and distant metastases were 2.08 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-3.99; p = 0.03) and 2.37 (95% CI, 1.07-5.26; p = 0.03), respectively. Moreover, in comparing LGHs vs HGHs, collective ORs for 5- and 10-year overall survival rates were 3.39 (95% CI, 2.09-5.49; p < 0.001) and 3.03 (95% CI, 1.82-5.06; p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSION HGH ENBs, compared with LGH ENBs, are more likely to metastasize to neck or distal targets and to have lower overall survival rates.
Amphiphilic peptide binding on crystalline vs. amorphous silica from molecular dynamics simulations

The leucine-lysine amphiphilic peptide LKα14 has been used to study fundamental driving forces in processes such as peptide-surface binding and biomineralization. Here, we employ molecular dynamics...
Corticosteroids for Posttransplant Immune Reconstitution Syndrome in Cryptococcus gattii Meningoencephalitis: Case Report and Literature Review

Cryptococcus gattii represents an emerging fungal pathogen of immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts in the United States. To our knowledge, this is the first case of posttransplant immune reconstitution syndrome due to C. gattii meningoencephalitis successfully treated with corticosteroids. We also report successful maintenance phase treatment with isavuconazole, a novel triazole, following fluconazole-induced prolonged QT syndrome.
From Discussion Forums to eMeetings: Integrating High Touch Strategies to Increase Student Engagement, Academic Performance, and Retention in Large Online Courses

Student engagement and group work are critical to developing competencies, deeper learning, and attributes that align with 21st-century skills. Group work is particularly important for future employment in an increasingly competitive and dynamic workforce. A new capstone group work assignment using Online Human Touch (OHT) strategies was integrated into an Information Systems course at a regional university in the Caribbean. The course typically enrolls 250-300+ students per semester with one instructor. The assignment simulated a real-world business ‘eMeeting’ to proactively increase student engagement and retention. Quantitative data was collected three years prior to, and three years after the new ‘eMeeting’ format. Qualitative feedback after the integration shows significant increases in student engagement, while results and data show improved academic performance, higher scores on the standardized final exam and decreases in attrition. Integrating group assignments in large courses with real-world requirements, not only provide students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge, skills, and experience gained throughout the course, but enhance key soft skills sought by employers including problem-solving, ability to work in teams, communication, leadership, and time management.
The Hydrodynamics of Jellyfish Swimming

Jellyfish have provided insight into important components of animal propulsion, such as suction thrust, passive energy recapture, vortex wall effects, and the rotational mechanics of turning. These traits are critically important to jellyfish because they must propel themselves despite severe limitations on force production imposed by rudimentary cnidarian muscular structures. Consequently, jellyfish swimming can occur only by careful orchestration of fluid interactions. Yet these mechanics may be more broadly instructive because they also characterize processes shared with other animal swimmers, whose structural and neurological complexity can obscure these interactions. In comparison with other animal models, the structural simplicity, comparative energetic efficiency, and ease of use in laboratory experimentation allow jellyfish to serve as favorable test subjects for exploration of the hydrodynamic bases of animal propulsion. These same attributes also make jellyfish valuable models for insight into biomimetic or bioinspired engineeringof swimming vehicles. Here, we review advances in understanding of propulsive mechanics derived from jellyfish models as a pathway toward the application of animal mechanics to vehicle designs.
‘Sono masochista?’: Patrizia Valduga’s Lezione d’amore and the Poetics of Masochism

In Lezione d'amore (2004), Patrizia Valduga voices a woman, who suggests she is a masochist, and her male partner as they progress through their sexual encounters. This essay makes three claims: fi...
The Association of Obesity With Quadriceps Activation During Sit-to-Stand

Objective Obesity reduces voluntary recruitment of quadriceps during single-joint exercises, but the effects of obesity on quadriceps femoris muscle activation during dynamic daily living tasks, such as sit-to-stand (STS), are largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine how obesity affects quadriceps muscle recruitment during STS. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 10 women who were lean and 17 women who were obese completed STS from a chair with arms crossed over the chest. Three-dimensional motion analysis was used to define 3 distinct phases (I-III) of the STS cycle. The electromyographic (EMG) activity of the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and semitendinosus was measured. Results STS duration was greater (3.02 [SD = 0.75] seconds vs 1.67 [SD = 0.28] seconds) and peak trunk flexion angle was lower (28.9 degrees [SD = 10.4 degrees] vs 35.8 degrees [SD = 10.1 degrees]) in the women who were obese than in the women who were lean. The mean EMG activity of the knee extensors increased from phase I to phase II in both groups; however, the mean EMG activities of both the vastus medialis (32.1% [SD = 16.6%] vs 47.3% [SD = 19.6%] maximal voluntary isometric contraction) and the vastus lateralis (31.8% [SD = 19.4%] vs 47.5% [SD = 19.6%] maximal voluntary isometric contraction) were significantly lower during phase II in the women who were obese. The mean EMG activity of the semitendinosus increased throughout STS but was not significantly different between the 2 groups. Coactivation of the semitendinosus and knee extensors tended to be greater in the women who were obese but failed to reach statistical significance. Conclusions Knee extensor EMG amplitude was reduced in women who were obese during STS, despite reduced trunk flexion. Impact Reduced knee extensor recruitment during STS in obesity may redistribute forces needed to complete this task to other joints. Functional movement training may help improve knee extensor recruitment during STS in people who are obese. Lay summary People with obesity often have low quadriceps muscle strength and impaired mobility during daily activities. This study shows that women who are obese have lower voluntary recruitment of quadriceps when rising from a chair than women who are lean do, which could increase workload on hip or ankle muscles during this important daily task. Quadriceps strengthening exercises might improve the ability to rise from sitting to standing.
The Postmodern Turn in Educational Administration: Apostrophic or Catastrophic Development?:

The impact of postmodernism on educational administration will be catastrophic, i.e., a radical overturning of established thought and practice. The field has been slow in recognizing the full impa...
新開発技術「インテンサパルパ」の紹介

古紙処理システムを構成するさまざまな機器の中で，最初に位置するパルパの運転効率を上げることはシステム全体の効率化に直結する。本文では低濃度パルパ技術において，IIM時代から40年以上にわたって国内トップシェアを維持してきた(株)アイ・エイチ・アイ フォイト ペーパーテクノロジーが，その経験とノウハウをドイツのフォイトペーパー社の世界最先端技術と融合し開発した新型低濃度パルパ「インテンサパルパ」を紹介する。革新的離解性能を持つ「インテンサパルパ」のキーテクノロジーは，IPバット（Q型偏芯バット），VPバッフル，VPロータ，特殊スクリーンプレートの開発であり，パルピング動力の大幅削減，パルパ出口原料の大幅品質向上，パルパ小型化による大幅な省スペース，さらには原料調成システム全体の再構築をも可能にし，非常に大きなメリットを生み出す。
Initial treatment patterns and outcome of contemporary prostate cancer patients with bone metastases at initial presentation: data from CaPSURE.

BACKGROUND. The current study utilized the CaPSURE disease registry to describe the natural history, initial treatment, and factors correlated with mortality in patients who were diagnosed with bony metastatic disease (M+) at the time of initial presentation. METHODS. Treatment patterns at the time of diagnosis were analyzed. Two Cox proportional hazards models were developed, with outcomes of all cause-specific mortality and prostate cancer-specific mortality in patients with M+ disease. Clinical and sociodemographic variables were included in a backward stepwise procedure to identify predictors of mortality. RESULTS. Of 12,005 patients diagnosed between 1990–2004, 284 (2.4%) were diagnosed with M+ disease. After a median follow-up period of 3.8 years, 107 patients (39%) died. Of those who died, 68 (64%) died of causes related to prostate cancer, whereas 39 (36%) had died of causes not related to prostate cancer. The 5-year survival of all patients was 71% and the median survival had not been reached at the time of last follow‒up. Approximately 84% of patients received some form of hormonal therapy within 6 months of diagnosis, the use of which increased throughout the study period. Prostate cancer-specific mortality was found to be correlated with the presence of comorbid illness, younger age at diagnosis, and a Gleason score >7 in the primary tumor. CONCLUSIONS. Patients with M+ prostate cancer have a protracted natural history and a median survival that exceeds 5 years. Hormonal therapy is the mainstay for such patients. Comorbid illness, young age at diagnosis, and cancer grade appear to negatively affect the disease-specific survival. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Recent advances in the rheology of fluidized materials

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the hydrodynamics of aggregative fluidization (gas-solid beds) with special emphasis on rheological aspects of the problem. In both particulate (fluidization with a liquid) and aggregative fluidizations there are several hydrodynamic flow regimes primarily related to the characteristics of the solid phase, the fluid phase or the design of the equipment. To understand the flow regimes in aggregative fluidization, Grace applied the analogy with gas-liquid two-phase flow. Hydrodynamics of gas-solid fluidized beds cuts across many disciplines and is of significance to many industrial processes. One of the major complications in the fluidization of materials is the tendency towards radial segregation in the bed. The heterogeneity of the fluidization remains a daunting feature of gas-solid systems. The problem of the rheologist is the interpretation of the flow behavior of a fluidized material in terms of its physical and chemical properties and its state of fluidization. Systematic study is needed to establish the influence of external physical fields (for example, magnetic, electrical, acoustic, gravity, centrifugal) applied individually or in combination on behavior and rheological parameters of fluidization.
Maritime Culture in the UAE: The Construction of Museums and Heritage

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century cities along the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula have undergone rapid economic development facilitating the emergence of global urban projects. Museum buildings anchoring cultural heritage projects are being launched to construct an image of the host cities as uniquely competitive within the global post-industrial economy. These projects, although based on international cooperation, advance a nationalistic narrative architecturally framed within maritime imagery to attract the global flow of tourists. This article critiques selected museums and cultural heritage projects to advance the public understanding of host port cities as sites of pre-modern urbanism shaped by the interconnected maritime space of the Gulf.
Division by integers using multiplication: nifty assignment

Students are introduced to the concepts surrounding processor speed and computing cycles beginning in CS0 courses through assembly language and computer architecture courses and beyond. Students are encouraged to replace "expensive" operations such as division by a constant, with more efficient operations such as multiplication by reciprocals (in the case of floating point values) or shifts in the case of integer division by powers of two. This talk will describe a technique developed in the 1990's that allows integer division by a constant to be replaced with multiplication by an integer reciprocal. This technique provides a rich source of course assignments that may be applied to a range of courses.
DEM generation and time series analysis of InSAR using Kalman filters

The elevation and movement history of radar scat-terers can be obtained using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data. For any coherent imaging radar, the phase measurements for scatterers are expressed modulo 2π, causing ambiguity in the measurements. The phase measurements therefore must be “unwrapped” over all the data dimensions. Each synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image is collected in the two spatial dimensions of radar geometry: azimuth and range. Multiple images acquired from the same orbit at different times create a stack of SAR images, where the phase values in the stack constitute the third dimension: time. Solving the phase ambiguity of a point in this three-dimensional (3-D) dataset can be accomplished more accurately by using data from neighboring points in all three dimensions. Compared to unwrapping one — or two-dimensional subsets of the dataset, 3-D unwrapping is more complex and generally necessitates a combination of one — and two-dimensional filters. In this paper, we describe a novel 3D unwrapping algorithm based on Kalman filtering, apply the algorithm to DEM generation, and outline preliminary results of the time series analysis.
Fertilization response and nutrient diagnosis in peach palm (Bactris gasipaes): a review

Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is a relatively new food crop with great potential for the humid tropics. Native to tropical America, it is commercially grown to produce hearts-of-palm and, to a lesser extent, an edible fruit. Peach palm is well adapted to nutrient poor, acid soils, and is cultivated in Brazil and Costa Rica on highly weathered soils with low pH, high aluminum saturation and, often, low organic matter content. Fertilization trials on peach palm have shown significant responses to applied nitrogen while the response to other nutrients such as phosphorus has been less frequent. Additional research, however, is necessary to determine soil and foliar nutrient critical levels and to address questions concerning peach palm growth responses to nutrient additions varying in time and space. Recycled nutrients likely contribute significantly to peach palm nutrition because plant residues are produced in considerable amounts and can decompose rapidly in commercial peach palm plantation in humid environments where cut leaves and stems are left in the field following harvest. On the other hand, nutrient exports from the system are relatively small (e.g., 4.8–6.4 kg P ha-1yr-1, 28–32.3 kg N ha-1 yr-1, 31–45.2 kg K ha-1 yr-1). As for most perennial tree crops, diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies in peach palm is less clear than in annual crops because of factors such as nutrient cycling, internal retranslocation, stand age, foliage age and position within the crown, and seasonal and climatic variations. Some studies on peach palm have examined variation in nutrient content within leaves and plants, and among plants as well, but the sensitivity of different plant tissues to reflect changes in nutrient uptake and response to nutrient additions should be investigated in controlled field experiments.
Cytokine and catabolic enzyme expression in synovium, synovial fluid and articular cartilage of naturally osteoarthritic equine carpi.

Summary Reasons for performing study: Understanding the expression of catabolic and anabolic genes during osteoarthritis progression should help to identify the major mediators of the disease. Objective: To compare the cytokine and anabolic marker concentrations in synovium, synovial fluid and cartilage between normal and osteoarthritic joints. Methods: Carpi from horses age 2–11 years were used. Tissues were harvested at the time of surgery or euthanasia, and RNA was isolated for RT-PCR analysis. Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), aggrecanase 1 (ADAMTS-4), aggrecanase 2 (ADAMTS-5), matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13), interleukin 17 (IL-17) and collagen type I alpha 1(Col-1) expression were determined in synovium. TNFα, IL-1β, ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5, MMP-13, IL-17, collagen type IIB (Col-2B), and aggrecan expression were determined in cartilage. TNFα concentration in the synovial fluid was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Expression of TNFα, ADAMTS-5 and MMP-13 was significantly increased in synovial tissue from OA joints. Synovial membrane IL-1β abundance showed only moderate elevations in OA, without reaching significant levels. Cytokine expression was increased significantly in OA cartilage samples, particularly TNFα, IL-1β, ADAMTS-4 and MMP-13; and collagen type I expression was significantly increased in synovial tissues from OA groups. Collagen type II message was diminished in mild and moderate stages of OA, but rebounded to significant elevations in severely degenerate joints. Conversely, aggrecan levels significantly declined in cartilage from all OA groups. Synovial fluid TNFα peptide concentration was significantly increased in severe OA cases. Conclusion: TNFα was increased in all degrees of equine OA, and was abundantly expressed in synovial membrane and cartilage. IL-1β was overexpressed in OA cartilage, but not to a significant extent in synovium. Potential relevance: Control of TNFα should be considered further as a target in the treatment of OA. ADAMTS-4 may be the primary aggrecanase causing cartilage breakdown in OA.
Early heart development in the chick embryo: effects of isotretinoin on cell proliferation, α-actin synthesis, and development of contractions

Isotretinoin is a potent retinoic acid used in the treatment of skin disorders. Though very effective, it is teratogenic if administered during pregnancy, and its teratogenic effect may be related to the normal activity of retinoids as signalling molecules in the embryo. Although its exact mechanism of action is unknown, it has been suggested that it causes its characteristic pattern of defects that includes heart defects, by inhibiting the migration of neural crest cells. However, other effects on cells are known. We studied early cardiac cell proliferation using incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and detection with a monoclonal anti-BrdU. Proliferation in heart tissue of whole embryo cultures was inhibited in medium with 10(-6) M isotretinoin to 62% of the control level in myocardium. We studied its effects in culture on precardiac explant development in the absence of the neural crests. Culture of precardiac mesodermal-endodermal explants revealed that development of heart vesicles from the mesoderm was little affected, but the development of heartbeat was inhibited depending on dose in the 10(-5) to 10(-7) M range. The effect on development of contractions was augmented in the presence of serum; it could be duplicated by all-trans-retinoic acid, and it was reversible. Synthesis of the alpha-actin isotype, analyzed by isoelectric focusing, was found to be inhibited or delayed. The results suggest multiple effects of retinoids on growth, morphogenesis, and differentiation of early cardiac tissue, and are discussed in relation to the potential role of retinoids in early embryogenesis.
Nerve Sparing Robotic Extravesical Ureteral Reimplantation

Purpose: Laparoscopic transvesical ureteral reimplantation with or without robot assisted surgical devices is being developed as an alternative to open surgery. We sought to review our experience with an extravesical robotic technique, to determine whether postoperative voiding dysfunction might be avoided with pelvic plexus visualization and to evaluate the overall feasibility of this approach to ureteral surgery.Materials and Methods: A total of 41 patients underwent robotic extravesical reimplantation for bilateral vesicoureteral reflux. The patients were divided into groups based on bladder capacity as measured by voiding cystourethrogram. The operation was performed via a transperitoneal approach with robotic assistance using the da Vinci® Surgical System.Results: Operative success rates were 97.6%. There were no complications. There were no episodes of urinary retention documented by bladder scanning.Conclusions: Robotic extravesical reimplantation is in its infancy, and visualization of the pelvic ...
Novel two-dimensional morphometric maps and quantitative analysis reveal marked growth and structural recovery of the rat hippocampal regions from early hypothyroid retardation.

Abstract Effects of postnatal hypothyroidism and recovery from this condition on regional growth of the rat hippocampus (HC) were studied using two-dimensional (2D) foldout, morphometric maps of HC and its constituent CA1–CA4 regions. The maps were derived from unfolding serial coronal sections of the rat forebrain, consisting of the entire rostrocaudal extent of HC pyramidal cell layer in the normal control and hypothyroid weanling (P25, postnatal day 25) and young adult (P90) male rats, as well as animals allowed to recover from hypothyroid-induced growth retardation at weaning. The maps revealed novel views of HC regions for assessment of topological relationships and measurement of surface areas of the HC cortical sheet (pyramidal cell layer). In normal control P90 rats, the unfolded HC on each side extended 4 times more laterally than rostrocaudally; total HC surface area was about 40 mm 2 , compared to 30 mm 2 in the weanling, indicating 35% growth from P25 to P90; CA1 took up 52% of the total HC surface area, followed by CA3 (31%) and CA2 and CA4, 8% each. Hypothyroidism resulted in significant ( p