cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF INHALATION ANAESTHETICS ON FILTRATION OF VENOUS GAS EMBOLI BY THE PULMONARY VASCULATURE

Venous gas emboli are prevented from reaching the systemic circulation by filtration in the pulmonary vasculature. This filtration can be overwhelmed by exceeding certain critical rates of venous air infusion. To characterize further these filtration phenomena, the effects of pentobarbitone, isoflurane and halothane anaesthesia on the incidence of spillover of venous bubbles into the arteries were studied in groups of nine dogs. Venous air was infused at rates of 0.25, 0.30, and 0.35 ml kg−1 min−1. Spillover of venous bubbles into the arteries was detected with a Doppler ultrasonic probe located over the suprarenal aorta. At the lowest venous air dose (0.25 ml kg−1 min−1), no bubbles were detected in the systemic circulation in the pentobarbitoneor halothane-anaesthetized dogs, while arterial bubbles were detected in two with isoflurane anaesthesia. At 0.30 ml kg−1 min−1 air, one, four and two dogs had arterial bubbles detected with pentobarbitone, halothane or isoflurane anaesthesia, respectively, while at 0.35 ml kg−1 min−1 spillover of bubbles occurred in four, five and three, respectively. The spillover of venous bubbles into the arteries was dose-related for the pentobarbitone- and halothane-anaesthetized dogs.
The determinants of import demand in trinidad and Tobago: 1967–84

(1988). The determinants of import demand in trinidad and Tobago: 1967–84. Applied Economics: Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 303-313.
Protein phospholipase C Zeta1 expression in patients with failed ICSI but with normal sperm parameters.

Purpose This study was conducted to determine if expression of the testis-specific phospholipase C Zeta1 (PLCZ1) correlated with low success or fertilization failure after ICSI in patients with normal parameters after standard semen analysis (SA).
Clustering of Lennard-Jones particles below the critical temperature

The clustering properties of sub-critical 3D Lennard-Jones particles have been determined by Monte Carlo computer simulation. The goal was to study liquid formation, which results in the definition of a cluster that is based on the radial distribution function of the LJ liquid. The cluster distribution was compared with that predicted by classical nucleation theory and analyzed with the cluster distribution scaling law. It was found that the surface tension must vary with cluster size in order for classical theory to fit the simulation data. Also, the scaling law was determined to have limited usefulness over the range of system densities and was most applicable to lower densities and higher temperatures. The density profile revealed that the clusters did not have well defined surfaces and were liquid-like in the interior. The fractal dimension was calculated from the radius of gyration and found to agree with the accepted value. The presence of a phase transition was determined from the cluster energy plots.
Distribution and excretion of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice

Abstract The distribution and excretion of the toxic pollutant, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF), was studied in male C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice (22–29 g). [14C]TCDF was administered iv at a dose of 0.1 μmmol/kg. The liver was the major site of TCDF accumulation, with more TCDF in the livers of C57BL/6J mice compared to DBA/2J mice. TCDF had a half-life of approximately 1.8 days in the livers of both strains. At 7 hr and 1 day, respectively, radioactivity was redistributed to adipose tissue of C57BL/6J mice and DBA/2J mice. The terminal T 1 2 of TCDF in adipose tissue of C57BL/6J mice was 1.1 days, whereas it was 6.8 days in DBA/2J mice; the sixfold longer half-life in DBA/2J mice may be related to the approximately 36% greater adipose tissue content of this strain which may sequester more TCDF. More than 80 and 55% of the dose was excreted in the feces of C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice, respectively, within 10 days as polar metabolites. The whole body half-life of TCDF was 2 days in C57BL/6J and 4 days in DBA/2J mice. Thus, DBA/2J mice sequester more of the TCDF dose in adipose tissue, accounting for a relatively slower rate of clearance and lower concentrations of TCDF at the putative target site(s) for toxic action.
Esophageal lung with multiple congenital anomalies: Conundrums in diagnosis and management

Abstract Background/Purpose: Communicating bronchopulmonary foregut malformations (CBPFM) are a diverse group of potentially devastating congenital anomalies with anatomy that may be difficult to delineate. The authors present a case that illustrates conundrums in the diagnosis and management of these complex disorders. Methods: A term baby had esophageal atresia (EA), tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), and tetralogy of Fallot. Initially, a gastrostomy was performed, and a balloon catheter was inserted through the endotracheal tube to occlude the fistula until the patient was hemodynamically stable. Subsequently, the fistula was ligated. Postoperatively, the left lung collapsed, and bronchoscopy showed an atretic left mainstem bronchus. Repeat thoracotomy showed that the fistula ligation was intact. Air was introduced through the gastrostomy tube, and, surprisingly, the left lung inflated, indicating the left mainstem bronchus arose from the esophagus distal to the ligated TEF. Results: Despite reopening this fistula, ventilation remained poor, and support was withdrawn. Autopsy findings confirmed a unilobed left lung arising from the esophagus, EA, TEF, and atretic left mainstem bronchus, tetralogy of Fallot, and DiGeorge syndrome. Conclusions: This is the first report of a combination of EA and distal TEF with a second CBPFM involving the esophagus and the entire left lung. Successful correction of these anomalies will require extensive delineation of the anatomy to plan an operative strategy.
Genes influenced by the non-muscle isoform of Myosin light chain kinase impact human cancer prognosis.

The multifunctional non-muscle isoform of myosin light chain kinase (nmMLCK) is critical to the rapid dynamic coordination of the cytoskeleton involved in cancer cell proliferation and migration. We identified 45 nmMLCK-influenced genes by bioinformatic filtering of genome–wide expression in wild type and nmMLCK knockout (KO) mice exposed to preclinical models of murine acute inflammatory lung injury, pathologies that are well established to include nmMLCK as an essential participant. To determine whether these nmMLCK-influenced genes were relevant to human cancers, the 45 mouse genes were matched to 38 distinct human orthologs (M38 signature) (GeneCards definition) and underwent Kaplan-Meier survival analysis in training and validation cohorts. These studies revealed that in training cohorts, the M38 signature successfully identified cancer patients with poor overall survival in breast cancer (P<0.001), colon cancer (P<0.001), glioma (P<0.001), and lung cancer (P<0.001). In validation cohorts, the M38 signature demonstrated significantly reduced overall survival for high-score patients of breast cancer (P = 0.002), colon cancer (P = 0.035), glioma (P = 0.023), and lung cancer (P = 0.023). The association between M38 risk score and overall survival was confirmed by univariate Cox proportional hazard analysis of overall survival in the both training and validation cohorts. This study, providing a novel prognostic cancer gene signature derived from a murine model of nmMLCK-associated lung inflammation, strongly supports nmMLCK-involved pathways in tumor growth and progression in human cancers and nmMLCK as an attractive candidate molecular target in both inflammatory and neoplastic processes.
Deadline-aware broadcasting in wireless networks with local network coding

Energy limitation is one of the most important challenges in wireless networks. Reducing the number of transmissions is one of the most effective ways to reduce the energy consumption. For this purpose, network coding can be used to mix packets together to reduce the number of transmissions. In addition to the importance of energy efficiency, in many applications, delay and deadline constraints are also important metrics. On the other hand, in order to increase the coding opportunity and efficiency of network coding, relay nodes need to wait to receive more packets, which increases the delay of the packets. In this paper, we study the problem of using network coding in wireless networks with deadline constraints. We provide three heuristics in an all-to-all broadcast application, to compute the local waiting time of the packets at relay nodes to improve the efficiency of the network coding without missing deadlines. Our simulation results show that our techniques reduce the number of transmissions while allowing all of the nodes to receive the packets on-time.
Chaos and universality in a four-dimensional spin glass

We present a finite-size scaling analysis of Monte Carlo simulation results on a four-dimensional Ising spin-glass. We study chaos with both coupling and temperature perturbations, and find the same chaos exponent in each case. Chaos is investigated both at the critical temperature and below where it seems to be more efficient (larger exponent). Dimension 4 seems to be above the critical dimension where chaos with temperature is no longer present in the critical region. Our results are consistent with the Gaussian and bimodal coupling distributions being in the same universality class.
THE LOSS OF EARNINGS CAPABILITY FROM DISABILITY/HEALTH LIMITATIONS: TOWARD A NEW SOCIAL INDICATOR

Health problems and physical and mental impairments can restrict the kind and amount of work that individuals can perform. Several studies have estimated the loss in earnings experienced by disabled/health-limited workers, but they do not examine the trend in this loss over time. The authors propose an alternative indicator of productivity loss that is more appropriate for inter temporal comparisons: “lost earnings capability”–the difference between the amount of money persons could potentially earn if they were free of disability/health limitations and the amount of money that they can actually earn given their limitations. The estimates indicate that the mean lost earnings capability per disabled/health-limited person grew over the period from 1973 to 1988, while the population with disabilities/health limitations fell. In 1973, lost earnings capacity totaled about 5.3 percent of Gross National Product (GNP); by 1988, the loss had fallen to about 4.5 percent of GNP as a consequence of the reduction in the number of people with limitations. Data are from the Current Population Surveys and the Survey of Income and Program Participation.
Preliminary experiment with photoperiod to influence crawfish spawning

Abstract In the fall of 1977, crawfish that had been trepped in a pond during the summer were brought to the laboratory to observe spawning. In ambient light 34 out of 49 females spawned. In 1978 crawfish were trapped from the same pond and brought to the laboratory. Beginning 20 March, 18 crawfish were exposed to reduction of light duration by about 5 min per day. During June and July 14 females spawned and four did not spawn. Of 15 crawfish exposed to ambient light none spawned.
Combined Multiple-Valve Procedures: A Five-Year Experience with 125 Patients

Abstract One hundred twenty-five patients underwent 128 operations for combined multiple-valve procedures, with an overall early mortality of 16%. Highest mortality was associated with mitral and tricuspid valve disease (28.5%), followed by triple-valve disease (18.2%) and aortic and mitral valve disease (14%). Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, cardiac index, mean pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary artery wedge pressure, and arteriovenous oxygen difference were all significantly different in patients with regard to early mortality. Late follow-up of 94% has been achieved in 105 early survivors, with a late mortality rate of 11.2%. Analysis of late functional results reveal that 85% of survivors improved at least one Functional Class. Actuarial 5-year survival of 75% was achieved for early survivors of operation.
Peptoid Oligomers with α-Chiral, Aromatic Side Chains: Sequence Requirements for the Formation of Stable Peptoid Helices

The achiral backbone of oligo-N-substituted glycines or “peptoids” lacks hydrogen-bond donors, effectively preventing formation of the regular, intrachain hydrogen bonds that stabilize peptide α-helical structures. Yet, when peptoids are N-substituted with α-chiral, aromatic side chains, oligomers with as few as five residues form stable, chiral, polyproline-like helices in either organic or aqueous solution. The adoption of chiral secondary structure in peptoid oligomers is primarily driven by the steric influence of these bulky, chiral side chains. Interestingly, peptoid helices of this class exhibit intense circular dichroism (CD) spectra that closely resemble those of peptide α-helices. Here, we have taken advantage of this distinctive spectroscopic signature to investigate sequence-related factors that favor and disfavor stable formation of peptoid helices of this class, through a comparison of more than 30 different heterooligomers with mixed chiral and achiral side chains. For this family of peptoi...
Quasi-rocking real-time pushdown automata

A pushdown automaton (PDA) is quasi-rocking if it preserves the stack height for no more than a bounded number of consecutive moves. Every PDA can be transformed into an equivalent one that is quasi-rocking and real-time and every finite-turn (one-turn) PDA can be transformed into an equivalent one that is quasi-rocking or real-time. The quasi-rocking [quasi-rocking in the increasing mode, and quasi-rocking in the decreasing mode] real-time restriction in finite-turn (one-turn) PDAs coincides with the double Greibach [reverse Greibach, and Greibach] form in nonterminal-bounded (linear) context-free grammars. This provides complete grammatical characterizations of quasi-rocking and/or real-time (finite-turn and one-turn) PDAs and, together with known relations and other relations proved in the present paper, yields an extended hierarchy of PDA languages. Basic decision properties for PDAs can be stated in stronger forms by using the quasi-rocking and real-time restrictions and their undecidability/decidability status rests on the way PDAs quasi-rock.
Wilhelm Agrell, Essence of Assessment: Methods and Problems of Intelligence Analysis

Wilhelm Agrell, in his 2012 book Essence of Assessment: Methods and Problems of Intelligence Analysis, adopts a highly objective and calculated approach to intelligence analysis. The book seeks to ...
Hydrolysis and fermentation of pericarp and endosperm fibers recovered from enzymatic corn dry-grind process.

ABSTRACT A modified dry-grind corn process has been developed that allows recovery of both pericarp and endosperm fibers as coproducts at the front end of the process before fermentation. The modified process is called enzymatic milling (E-Mill) dry-grind process. In a conventional dry-grind corn process, only the starch component of the corn kernel is converted into ethanol. Additional ethanol can be produced from corn if the fiber component can also be converted into ethanol. In this study, pericarp and endosperm fibers recovered in the E-Mill dry-grind process were evaluated as a potential ethanol feedstock. Both fractions were tested for fermentability and potential ethanol yield. Total ethanol yield recovered from corn by fermenting starch, pericarp, and endosperm fibers was also determined. Results show that endosperm fiber produced 20.5% more ethanol than pericarp fiber on a g/100 g of fiber basis. Total ethanol yield obtained by fermenting starch and both fiber fractions was 0.370 L/kg compared wi...
Psychological methodology will change profoundly due to the necessity to focus on intra-individual variation.

I am in general agreement with Toomela’s (Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science doi:10.1007/s12124-007-9004-0, 2007) plea for an alternative psychological methodology inspired by his description of the German–Austrian orientation. I will argue, however, that this alternative methodology has to be based on the classical ergodic theorems, using state-of-the-art statistical time series analysis of intra-individual variation as its main tool. Some more specific points made by Toomela will be criticized, while for others a more extreme elaboration along the lines indicated by Toomela is proposed.
Affinity capture and detection of immunoglobulin E in human serum using an aptamer-modified surface in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

Capture and detection of Immunoglobulin E (IgE) in simple solution and in human serum using an aptamer-modified probe surface for affinity Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization Mass Spectroscopy (affinity MALDI-MS) detection is reported. Detectable signals were obtained for 1 amol of IgE applied either in a single, 1 μL application of 1 pM IgE or after 10 successive, 1 μL applications of 100 fM IgE. In both cases, the surface was rinsed after each application of IgE to remove sample concomitants including salts and free or non-specifically associated proteins. Detection of native IgE, which is the least abundant of the serum immunoglobulins and occurs at sub-nM levels, in human serum was demonstrated and interference from the high abundance immunoglobulins and albumin was investigated. The aptamermodified surface showed high selectivity towards immunoglobulins in serum, with no significant interference from serum albumin. Addition of IgE to the serum suppressed the signals from the other immunoglobulins, confirming the expected selectivity of the aptamer surface towards IgE. Dilution of the serum increased the selectivity toward IgE; the protein was detected without interference in a 10,000-fold dilution of the serum, which is consistent with detection of IgE at amol (pM) levels in standard solutions.
The effect of global equivalence ratio and postflame temperature on the composition of emissions from laminar ethylene/air diffusion flames

Soot extinction, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, on-line mass spectrometry, and tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) were used to monitor both condensed-phase and gas-phase combustion emissions from an enclosed, axisymmetric ethylene/air diffusion flame flow tube system. The system was operated at global equivalence ratios (GER) ranging from 0.52 to 1.52 (fuel-lean to fuel-rich). The temperature of the flow tube was varied from ambient conditions to 1273 K. Temperatures in the flow tube were measured using thermocouples. The velocity of the smoke particulate was measured using phase Doppler particle analysis (PDPA). It was found that the concentration of the gas-phase products of incomplete combustion increased as the GER was increased. Concentrations of CO2 and soot showed maxima at GER = 1. Upon heating of the effluents, levels of CO and CO2 increased, coincident with decreases in soot, oxygen, and acetylene levels at each GER. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) concentrations also increased with increasing GER. For overventilated cases, PAH levels decreased as the temperature of the tube furnace was increased. However, for the underventilated flames, PAH levels were found to rise to a temperature of ∼873 K, and then fall upon further temperature increases. The velocity and temperature measurements, coupled with the soot volume fraction measurements were used to calculate the soot oxidation rate, which appears to be in reasonable agreement with the Nagle Strickland-Constable (NSC) expression.
Scanning electron microscope analysis of tooth enamel treated with rotary instruments and abrasives

This study compared the effects of various rotary instruments and polishing agents on tooth enamel. Topographical features of enamel were studied at consecutive stages of polishing with photoanalysis of scanning electron micrographs. The results indicate that enamel modified by diamond burs may be polished to produce the smoothest surface with white finishing stones, Ceramist finishing points, and flour of pumice.
Political liberation and economic policy reform in Africa

Abstract This paper assesses the impact of political liberalization on economic reform in sub-Saharan Africa. It argues that the emergence of more participatory politics will not necessarily make successful reform less likely. Although the instability of political change will exact an economic cost in the short run, in the long run, political liberalization provides opportunities as well as risks for economic reform. It probably makes some macroeconomic reforms more difficult, but it provides a window of opportunity for significant progress on governance issues. The net impact will vary across states; in most countries, the prospects for economic reform will not be dramatically altered, because political reform does not alter some of the structural characteristics of economic policy making in Africa.
Neighboring amide participation in thioether oxidation: relevance to biological oxidation.

To investigate neighboring amide participation in thioether oxidation, which may be relevant to brain oxidative stress accompanying � -amyloid peptide aggregation, conformationally constrained meth- ylthionorbornyl derivatives with amido moieties were synthesized and characterized, including an X-ray crystallographic study of one of them. Electrochemical oxidation of these compounds, studied by cyclic voltammetry, revealed that their oxidation peak potentials were less positive for those compounds in which neighboring group participation was geometrically possible. Pulse radiolysis studies provided evidence for bond formation between the amide moiety and sulfur on one-electron oxidation in cases where the moieties are juxtaposed. Furthermore, molecular constraints in spiro analogues revealed that S-O bonds are formed on one-electron oxidation. DFT calculations suggest that isomeric σ*SO radicals are formed in these systems.
Postpartum aggression in mice: Inhibitory effect of estrogen

The daily administration of estradiol benzoate (EB) to lactating mice that previously exhibited aggression toward a male intruder reduced the amount of time subsequently spent fighting as well as the total number of animals that fought. EB treatment also depressed body weight of the dams and their lactation performance. Daily progesterone treatment only reduced lactation performance.
Toxic effects of methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) in rats: role of metabolism.

Abstract The toxicity of methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) has been investigated in relation to its in vivo biotransformation in the rat. The LD 50 dose of MMT was found to be 50 mg/kg for oral administration and 23 mg/kg for ip administration. Death appeared to be caused by severe pulmonary hemorrhagic edema. Histological studies of MMT-treated animals revealed pathologic changes in lungs, liver, and kidney. Phenobarbital pretreatment protected rats from the lethal effects of 2.5 times the LD 50 dose of MMT, it shifted the site of tissue injury from the lungs to the liver, and it caused a doubling of the rate of biliary excretion of MMT metabolites. The possibility is discussed that MMT per se is toxic without bioactivation, and that the protective effect of phenobarbital pretreatment is due to a first-pass effect preventing toxic concentrations of orally administered MMT from reaching the systemic circulation.
Employment, age, race, and crime: A labor theoretic investigation

The fundamental objective of this paper has been to reinvestigate the relationship between employment and crime, while taking account of deterrence, age and race effects. The data, a sample of Brooklyn arrestees, was collected by the Vera Institute of Justice simply to explore, with individual data, the relationship between employment and crime. In this research, a labor theoretic formulation is used incorporating a model that views the problem as one of rational choice between legitimate work and participation in crime. Factors affecting the diminution of crime participation with age are investigated. Changes at age 18 in economic opportunities and in deterrence effects from moving from juvenile to adult status are found to have a significant impact on crime participation. The results are important because they tend to confirm with official crime report data, results found in earlier studies using self-report data, i.e., (1) when the process is appropriately modeled, previous contacts with police are found to cause some experimenters with crime to become desisters, (2) prior work experience and economic opportunities tend to reinforce this tendency to desist, (3) even though blacks are found to have a greater prevalence of involvement in crime, when the data are standardized for all of the aforementioned factors and educational attainment, there is no significant difference between blacks and whites in their tendency to recidivate.
Involvement of cyclooxygenase-2 and prostaglandins in the molecular pathogenesis of inflammatory lung diseases

Inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and its metabolites have diverse and potent biological actions that are important for both physiological and disease states of lung. The wide variety of prostaglandin (PG) products are influenced by the level of cellular activation, the exact nature of the stimulus, and the specific cell type involved in their production. In turn, the anti- and proinflammatory response of PG is mediated by a blend of specific surface and intracellular receptors that mediate diverse cellular events. The complexity of this system is being at least partially resolved by the generation of specific molecular biological research tools that include cloning and characterization of the enzymes distal to COX-2 and the corresponding receptors to the final cellular products of arachidonic metabolism. The most informative of these approaches have employed genetically modified animals and specific receptor antagonists to determine the exact role of specific COX-2-derived metabolites on specific cell types of the lung in the context of inflammatory models. These data have suggested a number of cell-specific, pathway-specific, and receptor-specific approaches that could lead to effective therapeutic interventions for most inflammatory lung diseases.
Cell lineage distribution atlas of the human stomach reveals heterogeneous gland populations in the gastric antrum

Objective The glands of the stomach body and antral mucosa contain a complex compendium of cell lineages. In lower mammals, the distribution of oxyntic glands and antral glands define the anatomical regions within the stomach. We examined in detail the distribution of the full range of cell lineages within the human stomach. Design We determined the distribution of gastric gland cell lineages with specific immunocytochemical markers in entire stomach specimens from three non-obese organ donors. Results The anatomical body and antrum of the human stomach were defined by the presence of ghrelin and gastrin cells, respectively. Concentrations of somatostatin cells were observed in the proximal stomach. Parietal cells were seen in all glands of the body of the stomach as well as in over 50% of antral glands. MIST1 expressing chief cells were predominantly observed in the body although individual glands of the antrum also showed MIST1 expressing chief cells. While classically described antral glands were observed with gastrin cells and deep antral mucous cells without any parietal cells, we also observed a substantial population of mixed type glands containing both parietal cells and G cells throughout the antrum. Conclusions Enteroendocrine cells show distinct patterns of localisation in the human stomach. The existence of antral glands with mixed cell lineages indicates that human antral glands may be functionally chimeric with glands assembled from multiple distinct stem cell populations.
Interactions Among High School Cross‐Country Runners and Coaches: Creating a Cultural Context for Athletes' Embodied Experiences

This study explored the culture of a high school girls' cross-country team. Of interest was whether and how interactions with coaches and athletes contributed to athletes'body-related attitudes and behaviors. Data were collected via participant observation and in-depth interviews. Constant comparison processes were used to analyze the data. Findings revealed a team culture emphasizing values of unity/harmony and healthfulness. In turn, these values framed individual experiences of the body and team interactions. All athletes expressed relatively positive feelings about the body, and none of the athletes reported regularly dieting. Two patterns of body-related athlete-athlete interactions emerged: fat talk and deferential avoidance. Three patterns of body-related coach-athlete interactions were identified: verbal interventions for regulation of athlete attitudes and behaviors, deferential avoidance, and condemnations and censures. Analyses suggested that in a variety of ways, these interaction patterns set a context for the athletes' body-related attitudes and behaviors.
Personal Constructs, Threat and Attitudes toward Death:

The present study introduced a personal construct approach to the assessment of threat of death. Two experiments were reported in which the relationship of this measure, referred to as the Threat Index, to a number of self-report variables, the Lester Fear of Death Scale, and the Templer Death Anxiety Scale was investigated. A total of 112 college students participated in the experiments which demonstrated a significant relationship between the Threat Index, self-reported fear of death, conceivability of personal mortality, and the Lester Scale. No significant relationship was found between the Threat Index and belief in afterlife, frequency of thoughts about death or suicide, or the Templer Scale. The possible advantages of the Threat Index procedure were discussed in terms of its relationship with the other measures of death concern, the various self-report variables, and previous criticisms of death concern assessment techniques.
Sertoli Cell Vacuolization and Abnormal Germ Cell Adhesion in Mice Deficient in an Inositol Polyphosphate 5-Phosphatase

The dynamic nature of cellular interactions during differentiation of germ cells and their translocation from the basement membrane to the lumen of the seminiferous tubules requires the existence of complex and well-regulated cellular adhesion mechanisms in the testis. Successful migration of the developing germ cells is characterized by dynamic breakage and reformation of cadherin-containing adherens junctions between the germ cells and Sertoli cells, the polarized somatic cells of the testis that support and nourish the developing gametes. Here, we demonstrate the accumulation of abnormally swollen, actin-coated, endosome-like structures that contain intact adherens junctions and stain positive for N-cadherin and β-catenin in the Sertoli cell cytosol of mice deficient in Inpp5b, an inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase. Simultaneous to the formation of these abnormal structures, developing germ cells are prematurely released from the seminiferous epithelium and sloughed into the epididymis. Our results demonstrate a role for Inpp5b in the regulation of cell adhesion in the testis and in the formation of junctional complexes with neighboring cells, and they emphasize the important and essential role of phosphoinositides in spermatogenesis.
Composing, songwriting, and producing: Informing popular music pedagogy

In forwarding comprehensive popular music pedagogies, music educators might acknowledge and address expanded notions of composition in popular music that include processes of recording, engineering...
Political Regimes and International Trade: The Democratic Difference Revisited

How do domestic political institutions affect the outcomes of international trade negotiations? Specifically, are the aggregate trade barriers agreed upon by a democratic pair lower than those by a pair composed of a democracy and an autocracy? I revisit these important questions by highlighting some problematic aspect of the analysis by Mansfield, Milner, and Rosendorff (2000). Contrary to their central conclusion, I find that whether the aggregate trade barriers are lower for a democratic pair than those for a mixed pair depends on the preferences of the decision makers involved. Thus, although domestic political institutions are important, they alone are insufficient to predict a higher level of cooperation among democracies.
Reference ballistic chronograph

A ballistic chronograph with an expanded uncertainty of less than ±0.2 m/s has been designed, constructed, and tested. Because of this low uncertainty, this chronograph can be used as a reference to calibrate and/or characterize the performance of commercially available chronographs.
Enhancing learning for children with autism spectrum disorders in regular education by instructional modifications

Abstract Children with autism spectrum disorders sometimes are fully included in regular education classrooms with its standard curriculum and instructional methods. Under these classroom conditions, the children might perform successfully for some academic subjects but not for others. For these latter academic subjects, standard instruction could be enhanced to promote more effective stimulus control and learning. In the present study, stimulus control was enhanced by a package of response antecedent and consequence conditions. Maintenance tasks were interspersed with acquisition tasks, and the quality, quantity, immediacy, and density of reinforcement were improved compared to classroom instruction. A stimulus preference assessment was conducted, prompts and transfer of stimulus control procedures were implemented, and tangible and token reinforcers were manipulated on ratio schedules. Rapid acquisition of diverse tasks for each of the three participants was noted. Enhanced stimulus control procedures, such as those tested in the present study, can help children with autism spectrum disorders succeed in regular education classrooms.
On The Survival Of Some Unstable Two-Sided Matching Mechanisms: An Experimental And Computational Investigation Of The Stability Hypothesis

We conduct a laboratory experiment and parallel computational adaptive agent simulations on unraveling of contract dates in two-sided matching markets inspired by the entry-level professional labor markets for medical interns in Britain. Experimental design consists of decentralized and mixed games, which adopt centralized mechanisms that have "successfully" or "unsuccessfully" been used in Britain to stop unraveling. The experiment uses an unsuccessful and unstable priority mechanism, a successful and unstable linear programming mechanism, and a successful and stable deferred acceptance mechanism (firm optimal stable mechanism). We study computational adaptive agent markets to model the learning in the experiment and to conjecture about robustness of experimental results. We find that the linear programming mechanism is not as successful as the deferred acceptance mechanism in preventing early contracts in the experiment although it performs better than the priority matching mechanism in terms of overall inefficiency.
Autonomic workflow execution in the grid

Mobile agents are being leveraged in both workflow management and grid computing contexts. The convergence of these two research streams supports execution in the grid where tasks are allowed to vary in their level of interdependence. The result is an expansion of grid applications beyond those which consist of homogeneous computations decomposed and performed in parallel to those which support the parallel execution of sequences of interdependent tasks that constitute a workflow. However, grid computation of critical workflows requires that the grid platform exhibits the autonomic characteristic of self-healing in order to ensure workflow execution. To address this issue, in this work, we first develop a model for dynamic fault tolerance technique selection, which can be embedded generically in a mobile agent workflow management system. We then augment an existing architecture for flexible fault tolerance in the grid with our model, thus allowing the system to optimally configure its fault tolerance mechanisms through awareness of the computational environment. The result is a foundation for autonomic workflow management in the grid
Effects of symbol rate on the classification of digital modulation signals

The paper considers features based on the multiplication of two consecutive signal values. Furthermore, three new classifiers using the features are proposed: fixed threshold tree classifier, dynamic threshold tree classifier and support vector machine (SVM) classifier. It is shown that the multiplication produces dependence of the features on the symbol rate. In order to quantify the effects of this dependence, the paper studies the performance of the newly proposed classifiers as well as the maximum likelihood (ML) classifier (Wei, W., 1998; Wei and Mendel, J.M., 2000), the qLLR classifier (Polydoros, A. and Kim, K., 1990), and the cumulants based classifier (Swami, A. and Sadler, B.M., 2000). Simulations show that the SVM classifier has promising results in the sense that it is closest to the theoretically optimal results obtained by the ML classifier.
Drug-Induced Alopecia

Hair loss is a common complaint, and an understanding of the hair cycle is vital in order to interpret whether hair loss is secondary to medication use, as the use of prescription medications is widespread. When there is a temporal association between the onset of hair loss and the commencement of a medication, the medication is commonly presumed to have caused the hair loss. Drug-induced alopecia is a result of either rapid termination of the normal growth phase (anagen effluvium) or a premature conversion of actively growing hairs into the dormant, resting phase (telogen effluvium). Hair loss, in particular telogen effluvium, may, however, occur in response to a number of triggers including fever, hemorrhage, severe illness, and stress. Because hair loss is often delayed and because diffuse alopecia often begins sub-clinically, it may be challenging to determine the primary of alopecia. As a rule of thumb, adverse drug reactions are reversible provided the causative drug is avoided; however, identifying the culprit medication can be difficult. This chapter will review the normal hair cycle and discuss the major drugs that have been associated with alopecia, along with their mechanism (s) of action.
Learning by Demonstration to Support Military Planning and Decision Making

While the concept of learning by demonstration has been around for many years, recent advances in artificial intelligence technology have led to a resurgence of work in the field. We describe the development and application of learning by demonstration technology to support user creation of automated procedures for a rich collaborative planning environment that is in widespread use by the U.S. Army. User feedback and evaluation results show that the technology can be used effectively by the target user community and that it has tremendous potential for improving the speed and quality of performance for a range of critical tasks.
Damage identification of a full-scale five-girder bridge using time-series analysis of vibration data

Abstract This paper presents damage identification of a full-scale, five-girder bridge subjected to controlled levels of sequential damage using time-series analysis of vibration data measured during field tests and also simulated by finite-element (FE) modeling. Three-dimensional (3-D) FE models of the bridge corresponding to various damage scenarios considered for the experiment are constructed and calibrated using the modal parameters of the tested bridge extracted from vibration records obtained using a relatively dense measurement grid. A time series-based damage identification technique, autoregressive with exogenous input (ARX) models and sensor clustering, is evaluated using the real bridge data and the simulated bridge data obtained from the boundary value problem. Modification of the technique through incorporation of a new damage-sensitive feature (DSF) is proposed to enhance identification of the induced damage to this highly redundant bridge. The effects of damage locations, damage extents, and vibration measurement noise on the damage identification results of the bridge are investigated. The analysis results indicate that the damage identification technique can be successfully used to identify the existence of damage in this highly indeterminate bridge. It is found that damage location, damage extent, and vibration measurement noise significantly impact interpretation of the inferred damage location. The effects of interpretation parameters on the damage identification results are discussed in detail.
Juvenile Hormone Mimics as Feed Additives for Control of the Face Fly and House Fly

Three juvenile hormone mimics, methoprene (as Altosid®); (E) -4-[(6,7-epoxy-3,7-dimethyl-2-nonenyl)oxy]-1,2-(methylenedioxy)benzene (as Hoffman-La Roche Ro 20-3600); and (E) -6,7-epoxy-1-( p -ethylphenoxy)-3,7-dimethyl-2-octene (as Stauffer R-20458) were mixed with fresh cow manure and seeded with larvae of the house fly, Musca domestica L., and the face fly, Musca autumnalis De Geer. Methoprene at 1 ppm completely inhibited development of face flies, and at 10 ppm markedly inhibited the development of house flies. Ro 20-3600 at 10 ppm inhibited the development of face flies but had no effect on house flies, even at 100 ppm. R-20458 at 100 ppm had no effect on face flies or house flies. Also, methoprene fed to cattle at a rate of 1 mg/kg body weight gave essentially complete control of face flies, and a rate of 2.5 mg/kg body weight gave significant control of house flies. Ro 20-3600 fed at a rate of 10 mg/kg body weight gave complete control of face flies but had no effect on house flies.
ILIOPSOAS AREA AS AN OBJECTIVE FRAILTY ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR TAVR

Frailty is a powerful predictor of outcomes after trans-catheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Sarcopenia as assessed by iliopsoas muscle area (IPA) has been validated as a tool to assess frailty prior to surgical procedures. We evaluated IPA as a predictor of outcomes after TAVR. 103 patients
Growth of Optical Quality Sapphire Single Crystal Fibers

Void-free sapphire single crystal fibers with diameters of 110 μm and 60 μm and lengths of over 2 m have been grown by the laser-heated pedestal growth method. The growth dynamics of the floating zone was studied and shows the features expected from a simple theoretical model. Optical losses have a minimum of 0.5 dB/m in the near infrared at 1064 nm. An absorption band centered at 400 nm results in losses of up to 20 dB/m in the visible. The fibers have potential applications in high temperature thermometry and in delivery systems for laser surgery. Absorption losses of 0.88 dB/m with a damage threshold higher than 1.2 kJ/cm 2 at 2936 nm made tissue ablation feasible with fibers several meters in length.
The primary cilium: what once did nothing, now does everything.

Primary cilia are microtubule-based organelles that exist in almost every mammalian cell type and function as sensors of extracellular signals. In cycling cells, they grow from the mother centriole of the centrosome during early G12 and are lost before mitosis. However, the mechanisms that govern primary cilium formation are largely unknown. Primary cilia play important roles in developmental processes such as kidney tubule patterning and the establishment of left-right axis asymmetry and have been implicated in sensing signalling molecules including Shh and PDGF. The primary cilium grows from the centrosome, which is the microtubule organizing centre in most mammalian cell types and contains two centrioles, a mother centriole and a daughter centriole, surrounded by pericentriolar material. These centrioles each nucleate the growth of a new daughter centriole during S phase such that during G2, each cell has two centrosomes, one containing the original mother centriole and one containing a new mother centriole. Between S phase and mitosis, the new mother centriole undergoes a maturation process during which it gains a set of mother centriole-specific proteins and appendages. Because centrosomes are segregated at the spindle poles during mitosis, every cell division is asymmetric with respect to mother centriole age: one sister cell receives the centrosome with the older mother centriole, while the other receives the centrosome with the new mother centriole.
The Efficacy of Transurethral Resection of the Prostate in Men with Moderate Symptoms of Prostatism

AbstractTransurethral resection of the prostate represents the operation most commonly performed by urologists in the United States. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of transurethral prostatectomy in men with moderate symptoms of prostatism. The efficacy parameters evaluated included peak urinary flow rate, obstructive and irritative symptom scores, and the global assessment by the patient of the voiding symptomatology. The mean peak urinary flow rate improved 108% after transurethral prostatectomy, and the mean obstructive and irritative symptom scores decreased 88 and 65%, respectively. The observed changes in urinary flow rates and symptom scores were statistically and clinically significant. Over-all, 84% of the patients indicated that the voiding symptoms were markedly improved after prostatic resection. Baseline urodynamic parameters were of no value for prediction of postoperative outcome. Several investigators recently reported their clinical experience with various pharma...
Mission Accomplished: The Coup of 23 August 1944

The most extraordinary event to occur in Romania during the Second World War was the coup orchestrated by the young (22-year-old) King Michael on 23 August 1944, and the events leading up to it. The coup overthrew the wartime leader, Marshal Ion Antonescu, who had taken Romania into the war as an ally of Germany and stubbornly remained loyal to Hitler even as the tide of war was turning against them. Antonescu, aware of the fragility of Romania’s territorial integrity in the face of the Soviet advance in summer 1944, continued to hold out for armistice terms with the Allies which would guarantee Romania’s independence of Soviet authority.
Gas Phase Reactions of Ions Derived from Anionic Uranyl Formate and Uranyl Acetate Complexes

The speciation and reactivity of uranium are topics of sustained interest because of their importance to the development of nuclear fuel processing methods, and a more complete understanding of the factors that govern the mobility and fate of the element in the environment. Tandem mass spectrometry can be used to examine the intrinsic reactivity (i.e., free from influence of solvent and other condensed phase effects) of a wide range of metal ion complexes in a species-specific fashion. Here, electrospray ionization, collision-induced dissociation, and gas-phase ion-molecule reactions were used to create and characterize ions derived from precursors composed of uranyl cation (UVIO22+) coordinated by formate or acetate ligands. Anionic complexes containing UVIO22+ and formate ligands fragment by decarboxylation and elimination of CH2=O, ultimately to produce an oxo-hydride species [UVIO2(O)(H)]-. Cationic species ultimately dissociate to make [UVIO2(OH)]+. Anionic complexes containing acetate ligands exhibit an initial loss of acetyloxyl radical, CH3CO2•, with associated reduction of uranyl to UVO2+. Subsequent CID steps cause elimination of CO2 and CH4, ultimately to produce [UVO2(O)]-. Loss of CH4 occurs by an intra-complex H+ transfer process that leaves UVO2+ coordinated by acetate and acetate enolate ligands. A subsequent dissociation step causes elimination of CH2=C=O to leave [UVO2(O)]-. Elimination of CH4 is also observed as a result of hydrolysis caused by ion-molecule reaction with H2O. The reactions of other anionic species with gas-phase H2O create hydroxyl products, presumably through the elimination of H2. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.