cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrolyte balance in hypophysectomized goldfish, Carassius auratus L.

Abstract Hypophysectomized goldfish ( Carassius auratus L.) kept for 3 weeks in fresh water show a sharp decrease (35% or more) in plasma Na and Cl concentrations. Due to expansion of the apparent Na space, however, total exchangeable Na drops only about 20%. Flux analyses, using 22 Na, show that hypophysectomized fish are in strongly negative Na balance. Urinary Na concentration rises but urine flow decreases to about 55% of normal. The rate of urinary Na loss is not significantly greater than that of intact or sham-operated fish. Negative Na balance is thus due to increased extrarenal Na loss. Repeated injections of sheep prolactin partially prevent the decline in plasma electrolyte concentrations. ACTH injections are ineffective in this respect. Survival of hypophysectomized goldfish in fresh water for long periods appears to be due largely to their ability to withstand dilution of the internal medium.
A VLBI study of GHz-Peaked-Spectrum radio sources - II. Additional VLBI images at 6 cm

We present VLBI observations at 5 GHz of 11 GHz Peaked Spectrum (GPS) or candidate GPS sources. Two of them belong to the complete sample defined by Stanghellini et al. (1998) (the GPS 1 Jy sample), while the others are selected from a heterogeneous list compiled by O'Dea et al. (1991). Morphologies of the sources presented here are similar to those found in Stanghellini et al. (1997) and in the small Compact Steep Spectrum (CSS) sources studied by Dallacasa et al. (1995). Our results strengthen the evidence that GPS quasars tend to have core-jet or complex morphology and GPS galaxies tend to be compact symmetric objects (CSO).
Undercover operations: Some moral questions about S.804

(1986). Undercover operations: Some moral questions about S.804. Criminal Justice Ethics: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 16-22.
Resilience and prevention of demoralization

The objective of this article is to describe a framework for the understanding of how the exchange of ideas and values between members of two different and conflicting cultures may lead to the prevention of demoralization and formation of a hybrid culture, and how this exchange may persist despite systematic opposition. Available evidence suggests that sociocultural resilience and individual resilience are pre-requisites of each other. Individual resilience appears to be the polar opposite of subjective incompetence, the clinical hallmark of demoralization. The testing of these hypotheses requires a longitudinal study of acculturation over a period of decades or centuries. This could be accomplished by interpreting social and cultural phenomena identified by historical research in terms of current evidence-based and integrated knowledge in psychiatry, psychology, epidemiology, sociology, and anthropology.
Rating Reading Passages According to the ACTFL Reading Proficiency Standard: Can It Be Learned?1

ABSTRACT This paper describes a short study investigating how fully potential users of the ACTFL (1, 2) and ILR Proficiency Scales (8) acquire the standard and thus accurately grade reading passages according to the scales. Because the study's participants came from three different languages, French German, and Spanish, English passages served for the training. The passages had been previously rated by the ILR Testing Committee and were subsequently rated blind by the participants in the study. The extent to which the standard was correctly applied was checked by two tasks, ranking passages for difficulty and rating them according to the scales. We hypothesized that if potential users of the scale could accomplish these tasks with suitable accuracy, then a major criticism of the reading proficiency scales and a significant impediment to their use could be overcome. In the present study, twenty-five participants in a five-day workshop designed items for testing proficiency in listening, reading, writing and speaking at the University of Minnesota. On the first and final days of the workshop participants attempted the ranking and rating tasks for reading texts. The success achieved on the two tasks suggests strongly that the reading proficiency standard can indeed be learned and passages ranked and rated accordingly.
Serpins: the uncut version

The structure of active antithrombin, the first active serpin to be solved, sheds new light on the conformational forms of this important class of inhibitor.
CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSES OF COLLECTIVE EFFICACY AND POLICE SATISFACTION

ABSTRACT Two important contributions to social disorganization theory are Sampson, Raudenbush, and Earls’ (1997) addition of the collective efficacy concept and Silver and Miller's (2004) incorporation of police satisfaction as mechanisms that mediate the criminogenic effects of neighborhood structural characteristics on crime. We seek to contribute to systemic social disorganization theory by first assessing the dimensionality of these two important concepts with a confirmatory factor analysis, and then assessing how they are differentially impacted by neighborhood composition and structural conditions. We argue that the concept of collective efficacy conflates two distinct systemic elements-social cohesion and informal control-and that police satisfaction contains two distinct dimensions-formal control (maintaining order and preventing crime) and police-citizen relations (how well the police respond to problems that are important to people in the neighborhood, victims in the neighborhood, and local issu...
Exploiting Characteristics of Slow Fading Channels in OFDMA Scheduling

The resource allocation problem has been a very hot topic since the migration from CDMA to OFDMA modulation schemes has taken place for the wireless communication systems. The scheduling problem has transformed into a rather more complex one due to the increased number of resource elements at hand. There have been numerous proposed scheduling algorithms with various analytical approaches to enhance the efficiency, QoS, fairness, or throughput of the systems that employ OFDMA. We propose an original multi-user downlink scheduling scheme for LTE where the problem is formulated as an optimization problem with minimum throughput limitations for the users. We introduce a time-window parameter to exploit the slow varying channel conditions if there are any. Specifically, this is accomplished by means of defining the minimum throughput limitation over a larger period of time than the scheduling time for users with relative slow varying channel conditions. The suggested algorithm is called the Two-Stage Time windowed Scheduling (TSTwS) and it achieves up to 30% higher average total downlink throughput than the equivalent model without the time-window approach. Index Terms—Base station, communication systems, AMC, OFDMA, QoS, scheduling schemes, optimal resource allocation, LTE, slow fading channels, binary integer programming. into a number of low-rate streams resulting in longer symbol duration addressing this issue. Consequently, the complexity of the decision making process increases since a higher number of Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC) and power allocation computations would be done for optimum results. There has been an ongoing effort in academia and industry proposing various ideas that could be implemented in current LTE systems. The main focus of these approaches is to maximize the efficiency of the resource allocation process whilst maintaining a satisfactory fairness and QoS level. In this paper, we propose a scheduling algorithm that tackles the problem from a completely different angle than the work in the papers discussed below. We focus on the time-varying profile of the wireless channels and exploit how the coherence time of the wireless channel can be utilized to increase the efficiency of the resource allocation. In an optimal resource allocation scheme where there are minimum throughput con- straints, slow fading users' constraints can be imposed within a larger window of time rather than at every decision cycle since the channel conditions will not change over several decision cycles. This way, users might need less number of resources to meet their requirement, ultimately increasing the feasible solution space of the problem, providing higher levels of user diversity. The suggested algorithm is suitable for LTE networks and achieves up to 30% higher average total down-
Zipzap/p200 is a novel zinc finger protein contributing to cardiac gene regulation

Serum response factor (SRF) plays an important role in the regulation of immediate-early genes and muscle-specific genes, while SRF cofactors may contribute significantly to assist in tissue-specific, development-stage related regulation of SRF-target genes. We recently cloned a novel SRF cofactor, termed zipzap/p200, which is a zinc finger protein yet to be characterized. We determined that zipzap/p200 is a 200-kDa protein with two classic C2H2 zinc fingers at the carboxyl terminus where the nucleotide sequence was highly conserved among human, mouse, and rat. The zipzap gene was expressed in multiple tissues and at multiple ages, including the fetal and adult heart. The zipzap protein interacted with SRF in vivo and was found in protein complexes containing SRF and other SRF cofactors, including p49/strap and Nkx2.5. Zipzap/p200 activated the promoter of cardiac genes and potentiated the effect of myocardin on ANF promoter activity. Therefore, zipzap may serve as a transcription co-activator for the regulation of cardiac gene expression. Our data support the notion that a number of SRF cofactors may participate in gene regulation and thereby contribute to the delicate control of gene expression in complex biological processes.
Nano-fillers to tune Young’s modulus of silicone matrix

In this study, we investigated nanoparticles, nanofibers, and nanoclays for their filler effects on tuning the Young’s modulus of silicone matrix, a material with broad in vivo applications. Nano-fillers with different shapes, sizes, and surface properties were added into silicone matrix, and then their filler effects were evaluated through experimental studies. It was found that spherical nanoparticles could clearly improve Young’s modulus of the silicone matrix, while nanoclays and carbon nanofibers had limited effects. Smaller spherical nanoparticles were better in performance compared to larger nanoparticles. In addition, enhanced distribution of the nanoparticles in the matrix has been observed to improve the filler effect. In order to minimize toxicity of the nanoparticles for in vivo applications, spherical nanoparticles coated with amine, acid, or hydroxide groups were also investigated, but they were found only to diminish the filler effect of nanoparticles. This study demonstrated that spherical nanoparticles could serve as fillers to tune Young’s modulus of silicone matrix for potential applications in medicine.
Note on Frustration Theory and the Partial Reinforcement Effect following a Few Acquisition Trials

Summary.-Frustration theory (Amsel, 1958) is unable to explain partial reinforcement effects following limited acquisition training. It is suggested that attempts to explain these findings may have implications for conditioning theories in general, and that more atrention should be given to the early acquisition process. Until recently, Amsel's ( 1958) frustration theory had successfully explained why partially reinforced Ss demonstrate greater resistance to extinction than continuously rewarded Ss. The success of the frustration hypothesis in accounting for the partial reinforcement effect (PRE) attested to its utility. However, investigations of the PRE have begun to appear which question [he adequacy of frustration theory. These studies (e.g., McCain, 1966) have shown that the PRE can be obtained with partially reinforced Ss given as few as 2 to 6 acquisition trials. According to Amsel's ( 1958) frustration hypothesis, the greater resistance to extinction of partially reinforced Ss occurs following the conditioning of reward expectancy (r,) and the councer-conditioning of r,-sf on nonrewarded trials. Presumably such conditioning necessitates an extended number of trials. The exact number of required trials for such conditioning is not clear, but more than the 2 to 6 trials commonly used in the limited acquisicion experiments is implied. To reconcile frustration explanation with the increasing number of studies demonstrating the PRE following limited acquisicion training (e.g., Capaldi, Lanier, & Godbout, 1968; Padilla, 1967), extensions have been made to the theory to accommodate it to the data (Amsel, Hug, & Surridge, 1968). Such extensions have been shown, however, to be incompatible with the findings of Capaldi and Waters ( 1970), McCain ( 1968), and Padilla and Spanier ( 1970). Thus a theory long held to be appropriate to understanding of the PRE can not account for these more recent PRE findings. The question of relevance here is not so much whether satisfactory extensions can be made in the theory to explain these data, but what implications such extensions will have for condicioning models in general. Conditioning theories, like Amsel's, assume that learning is a relatively slow, continuous process. The actual small-trial PRE results and the failure to predict these findings with conditioning principles (Arnsel, et al., 1968) sug'Preparation of this note was financed by the State Universiry of New York Research Foundation, Grant 70-7117-A.
Sense of Community Responsibility in Community Collaboratives: Advancing a Theory of Community as Resource and Responsibility

This paper contributes to the growing body of scholarship aimed at advancing our understanding of the experience of community by empirically investigating sense of community responsibility (SOC-R) in relation to traditional measures of sense of community (SOC) and indices of satisfaction, engagement, and leadership in interorganizational collaborative settings. Findings support the proposition that, although both are related to the experience of community, SOC and SOC-R emphasize different aspects of that experience and operate under different theoretical mechanisms of influence. SOC emphasizes community as a resource which was found to be a more salient aspect in differentiating those who will be more or less satisfied with their experience. In addition, SOC was found to predict general participation in a community collaborative. SOC-R emphasizes the experience of community as a responsibility which appears to be a stronger predictor in explaining higher order engagement requiring greater investment of time and resources. Even more importantly, this study indicates that SOC-R is uniquely equipped to help us advance models of community leadership. As such, it represents an important contribution to expanding our understanding of the factors that drive members’ willingness to give of themselves toward collective aims.
Penetration of Photosynthetically Active and Ultraviolet Radiation into Alfalfa and Tall Fescue Canopies

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280-320 nm) reaching the earth's surface has deleterious effects on plants. The degree of susceptibility to UV-B is dependent on the amount of energy present in longer wavelengths of ultraviolet-A radiation (UV-A, 320-400 nm) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400-700 nm). This study was conducted to quantify the UV and PAR light environment and describe the UV-B/UV-A and UV-B/PAR ratios above and below developing vegetative canopies. Transmitted irradiant flux densities of UV-B, UV-A, and PAR in a developing alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) canopy and a tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) canopy were measured at varying solar zenith angles under clear and overcast sky conditions. Extinction coefficients for average transmittance differed for alfalfa and tall fescue; a single equation for each waveband and canopy/ sky condition sufficed to describe the average transmittance. Canopy structure, LAI, and, to a lesser degree, the extent of direct and diffuse radiant energy were found to influence penetration more than sun angle. An envelope of transmittances defined by equations representing the maximum and minimum light transmittance illustrates the variability in transmittances and was broadest under clear skies and narrowed with decreasing wavelength. Leaf area altered the average ratios of above-canopy UV-B/UV-A and UV-BIPAR ratios. The average ratios of above-canopy UV-B/UV-A and UV-B/PAR ratios varied slightly with year and sky condition. Differences between the two canopies indicate the need to consider canopy architecture in determining the amount of light penetrating a canopy in the UV-B, UV-A, and PAR.
Space Station-based deep-space optical communication experiments

A series of three experiments proposed for advanced optical deep-space communications is described. These proposed experiments would be carried out aboard the Space Station to test and evaluate the capability of optical instruments to conduct data communication and spacecraft navigation for deep-space missions. Techniques for effective data communication, precision spacecraft ranging, and accurate angular measurements will be developed and evaluated in a spaceborne environment.
A first principles study of the adsorption and dissociation of CO2 on the δ-Pu (111) surface

A complete understanding of the nature of the 5f electrons has been and continues to be a major scientific problem in condensed matter physics. Bulk and surface electronic structure studies of the actinides as also atomic and molecular adsorptions on the actinide surfaces provide a path towards this understanding. In this work, ab initio calculations within the framework of density functional theory have been used to study the adsorption of molecular CO2 and the corresponding partially dissociated (CO + O) and completely dissociated (C + O + O) products on the δ-Pu (111) surface. The completely dissociated C + O + O configurations exhibit the strongest binding with the surface (7.92 eV), followed by partially dissociated products CO + O (5.08 eV), with molecular CO2 adsorption having the lowest binding energies (2.35 eV). For all initial vertically upright orientations, the CO2 molecule physisorbs or do not bind to the surface and the geometry and orientation do not change. For all initial flat lying orientations chemisorption occurs, with the final state corresponding to a bent CO2 molecule with bond angles of 117°–130° and the elongation of the CO bond. For CO + O co-adsorption, the stable configurations corresponded to CO dipole moment orientations of 100°–172° with respect to the surface normal and the elongation of the CO bond. The most stable chemisorption cases correspond to anomalously large rumpling of the top Pu layer. The interactions of the CO2 and CO with the Pu surface have been analyzed using the energy density of states and difference charge density distributions. The nature and the behavior of the 5f electrons have also been discussed in detail in the context of this study.
Amplifier Test Standard: Detector and Multichannel Analyzer or Staircase Generator and Oscilloscope?

Pulse-amplifier count-rate tests described in IEEE Std 301-1976 give ambiguous results. Data is given to show that at low count-rates, modern amplifiers of different manufacture perform nearly alike if the shaping constants are normalized to pulse-width-at-half-height (T0.5). At high rates performance depends upon T0.001 and baseline-restorer action. It is proposed that the standard test be based on the use of an 8-step staircase generator (StCG) in conjunction with anoscilloscope. An example is given in which the StCG was used to uncover a defect in a preamplifier feedback resistor that would have been over-looked in tests with a random-signal source.
Social anxiety and selective memory for affective information about the self

High and low socially anxious women were given identical feedback about their personality traits after a brief social interaction with a male confederate. The male confederate was trained to respond positively (success) to half of the subjects in each group during the interaction and negatively (failure) to the other half. Results of a subsequent recognition memory test for the feedback supported one of the main hypotheses and indicated that high socially anxious subjects had more accurate memory for negative information about themselves than did low socially anxious subjects. Success and failure experiences had no effects on memory. The possible contribution of such selective memory to the mediation and maintenance of social anxiety is discussed.
Captive balloon measurements of radon 222 and its daughter ions

An instrument for use with a captive balloon has been developed for the investigation of the vertical distribution of222Rn and its daughter ions of high mobility. The system consists of a light weight ion collector of the Gerdien type and an automatic air sampler. Simultaneous collections of222Rn and its daughter ions having mobilities of known limits makes it possible to determine the concentration of the radioactive ions relative to the ambient concentration of222Rn in different atmospheric conditions in the air layer adjacent to the ground where aircraft and tower measurements are not practicable. Vertical profiles taken over a mountain ridge in a well-mixed atmosphere show almost constant concentrations of222Rn and its daughter ions with altitude. In some cases a slight increase in the concentrations of222Rn and its daughter ions with altitude has been observed. The radioactive ion concentration relative to the ambient concentration of222Rn in the boundary layer is of the order of 3%.
In vivo selection of long terminal repeat alterations in feline leukemia virus-induced thymic lymphomas

To determine what genetic changes are selected in the enhancer sequences of the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) long terminal repeat in cats that develop T cell tumors, we cloned proviral U3 sequences in cats that died with thymic lymphoma following infection with molecularly cloned FeLV. Analysis of the U3 enhancer region revealed single base changes, including point mutations in the core and FLV-1 sequences. Additionally, in clones from two of four cat tumors, portions of the enhancer including Lvb and core were duplicated with respect to the single enhancer unit of the inoculating virus. In contrast, a PCR survey of necropsy DNA samples derived from five cats that did not develop tumors revealed that all retained the single enhancer unit of the infecting virus. These results demonstrate that viruses with duplicated enhancers can be generated and selected after only a single passage in cats, and furthermore, that such viruses may be particularly selected in tumors.
Nuclear Fragmentation and Epithelioid Change of Germinal Centers in the Lymphoid Tissue of Child Deaths

Two hundred postmortems were studied retrospectively to assess the frequency of nuclear fragmentation (NF) and epithelioid change (EC) in the germinal centers of lymphoid tissues in children. Sections of spleen, mesenteric lymph node, tonsils, and appendix were included in the survey, Thirty-seven of 200 cases (18.5%) showed NF or EC or a combination, These morphological changes were considered to represent different stases of a common pathological reaction for which a classification is proposed. The type of lymphoid change correlated approximately with the duration of the preceding illness. Although more common between the ages of 1 and 3 years, they were found to extend throughout the age range studied. There was a negative correlation between the presence of NF and EC and the cause of death, but a significant association with clinical documentation of shock was present, supporting previous evidence that shock is the significant factor in pathogenesis.
Preconception Zinc Deficiency Disrupts Postimplantation Fetal and Placental Development in Mice

Zinc is an essential nutrient for optimal fertility, but the effects of preconception zinc deficiency on postimplantation development are not known. Female mice were fed a control or a zinc-deficient diet (ZDD) for 4–5 days before ovulation (preconception). Embryonic and/or placental development were evaluated on Days 3.5, 6.5, 10.5, 12.5, and 16.5 of pregnancy. The findings show a decrease in embryo length (31%, Day 10.5; 13%, Day 12.5; 10%, Day 16.5) and weight (23%, Day 16.5) in embryos from mothers fed a ZDD preconception. Zinc deficiency also caused a high incidence of pregnancy loss (46%, Day 10.5; 34%, Day 12.5; 51%, Day 16.5) compared to control (2%, Day 10.5; 7%, Day 12.5; 9%, Day 16.5). ZDD embryos transferred to normal recipients were 38% smaller and implantation rate was only 10% compared to 40% for controls. Trophoblast cell differentiation and implantation on Day 6.5 of pregnancy were compromised by preconception zinc deficiency. On Day 12.5 of pregnancy, placenta weight and area of fetal placenta were decreased 37% and 31%, respectively, by preconception zinc deficiency. Consistent with a smaller fetal placenta, expression of key placental transcripts, including Ar, Esx1, Syna, Tfeb, Dlx3, and Gcm1 mRNA, but not Ctsq mRNA, were decreased 30%–70% in the ZDD group. Preconception zinc deficiency caused 41%–57% of embryos to exhibit delayed or aberrant neural tube development, as examined by light microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging. Collectively, the findings provide evidence for the importance of preconception zinc in promoting optimal fertility and oocyte developmental potential.
Molecular characterization of TGFβ-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in normal finite lifespan human mammary epithelial cells

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a morphogenetic program essential for embryonic development and wound healing, but can adversely cause fibrosis and metastatic cancer progression when deregulated. Here, we established a model of efficient EMT induction in normal finite lifespan human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) using transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta). We demonstrate that EMT in HMEC occurs in three distinctive phases that are governed by a hierarchy of EMT-activating transcription factors (TFs). Loss of epithelial cell polarity (ZO-1), and acquisition of mesenchymal marker (Vimentin, Fibronectin) expression are immediate-early events, whereas switching from E-cadherin to N-cadherin protein expression occurs only after EMT-like morphological changes become apparent. The kinetics of TF induction suggests that ZEB1 and SNAIL mediate early EMT induction reinforced by ZEB2, while GOOSECOID and FOXC2 may play a role in EMT maintenance. TWIST and SLUG were not significantly induced in this system. Furthermore, we show for the first time that normal HMEC acquire a CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) stem cell phenotype during a third phase of EMT that is characterized by maximum TF expression levels. Our results may have important implications for understanding potential changes that might occur in normal breast epithelium under pathological conditions triggering elevated TGFbeta levels.
A kinetic model of the cyclin E/Cdk2 developmental timer in Xenopus laevis embryos

Early cell cycles of Xenopus laevis embryos are characterized by rapid oscillations in the activity of two cyclin-dependent kinases. Cdk1 activity peaks at mitosis, driven by periodic degradation of cyclins A and B. In contrast, Cdk2 activity oscillates twice per cell cycle, despite a constant level of its partner, cyclin E. Cyclin E degrades at a fixed time after fertilization, normally corresponding to the midblastula transition. Based on published data and new experiments, we constructed a mathematical model in which: (1) oscillations in Cdk2 activity depend upon changes in phosphorylation, (2) Cdk2 participates in a negative feedback loop with the inhibitory kinase Wee1; (3) cyclin E is cooperatively removed from the oscillatory system; and (4) removed cyclin E is degraded by a pathway activated by cyclin E/Cdk2 itself. The model's predictions about embryos injected with Xic1, a stoichiometric inhibitor of cyclin E/Cdk2, were experimentally validated.
Short-run adjustments in the family's investment portfolio

American families have been changing the way they allocate their investment resources. These changes have raised questions concerning the types of investment decisions families make. The objective of this research was to gain a better understanding of the types of investment trade-offs households made between financial, physical, and human capital assets. This was done by estimating a short-run stock-adjustment model of family investments using panel data from the early 1970's. From examining the empirical results, it appeared that during this historical period, choices about a husband's human capital investment were generally related to a household's physical and financial asset acquisition. In contrast, choices regarding the wife's human capital investment appeared not to be related to any of the more traditional household investment options. The implications of this study for increasing understanding of current household investment patterns are discussed in the concluding section of the paper.
Longitudinal Monitoring of 4T1-Tumor Physiology in vivo with Doxorubicin Treatment via Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy

A diffuse optical spectrometer was used to monitor 4T1 breast carcinoma tumors implanted in mice. Animals treated with doxorubicin showed relative increased oxygen saturation and decreased blood volume vs. controls, over a 10 day period.
Three-dimensional object recognition using similar triangles and decision trees

A system, TRIDEC, that is capable of distinguishing between a set of objects despite changes in the objects' positions in the input field, their size, or their rotational orientation in 3D space is described. TRIDEC combines very simple yet effective features with the classification capabilities of inductive decision tree methods. The feature vector is a list of all similar triangles defined by connecting all combinations of three pixels in a coarse coded 127 x 127 pixel input field. The classification is accomplished by building a decision tree using the information provided from a limited number of translated, scaled, and rotated samples. Simulation results are presented which show that TRIDEC achieves 94 percent recognition accuracy in the 2D invariant object recognition domain and 98 percent recognition accuracy in the 3D invariant object recognition domain after training on only a small sample of transformed views of the objects.
PACU pain management: how well are we meeting our patients' needs?

When I first became a PACU nurse in the 1970s, our unit’s practice was to give intramuscular (IM) injections of opioids to our patients. For acute pain, our practice was to give one small dose of morphine intravenously (IV) and simultaneously give a larger dose of IM morphine. At the time, I remember thinking that this was the best of both worlds. A small IV dose up front for prompt effect, followed by an IM dose that would provide gradual relief. We never questioned the unpredictable absorption of the IM injection. We followed the surgeon’s orders for pain medicine and only consulted with the anesthesiologist when we felt strongly that an IV dose was indicated. Over time, our practice evolved and we shifted to a much more controlled concept of administering only IV opioids to our patients, resulting in more timely relief of pain, more autonomy in our role as we titrated doses to achieve a desired effect, and increased safety for our patients because any adverse effects were likely to be observed while the patient remained under our care. We developed standing orders for nurses to administer pain medicine quickly, efficiently, and safely.
On the stability and magnitude of electronic charges. Part II, scalar wave functions

The question of how electronic particles can exist in space and time under the laws of relativity and quantum theory splits up in two separate problems. First, if the particle is supposed to be characterized by a fundamental momentum (mc) and a fundamental length a reciprocal to m, then how large is the product amc (which is independent of m)? The answer has been found 1 in Part I.
Cloned DNA of defective avian sarcoma virus mutant LA46 encodes the cis-acting temperature-sensitive defect in replication

Avian defective sarcoma virus mutant LA46 carries a temperature-sensitive defect in replication and transformation. To elucidate this defect, we cloned the integrated provirus of LA46. By DNA-mediated transfection, the cloned DNA induced fusiform-transformed foci in chick embryo fibroblasts without helper virus. LA46-encoded transformation-specific protein p105 was expressed in these transformants in the absence of helper virus-encoded proteins. Superinfection of the transformed cells with different helper viruses resulted in the rescue of pseudotypes. All the rescued pseudotypes retained the temperature-sensitive phenotype in virus replication and transformation, suggesting that the defect was due to a cis-acting lesion in the LA46 genome. Restriction enzyme comparison between LA46 and wild-type virus revealed sequence differences near the 5' and 3' termini of the LA46 genome, including the long terminal repeat regions.
The crystallization and melting of copolymers II—Variation in unit-cell dimensions in polymethylene copolymers

Lattice spacings have been determined for polymethylene copolymers containing either methyl or n -propyl side groups in random sequence distribution. Unique to this study are the varied and controlled crystallization conditions, based on independent crystallization kinetic measurements, and the subsequent determination and comparison of the Bragg spacings both at room temperature and at the crystallization temperature. For a given methyl copolymer the lattice spacings are essentially independent of crystallization conditions and the basal plane of the orthorhombic unit cell expands as the side group concentration increases. These observations are in accord with the thermodynamic analysis of the melting temperatures for this system wherein it was concluded that solid-solution formation occurs. In contrast, the spacings observed for the n -propyl copolymers depend markedly on the crystallization conditions. Under conditions conductive to the formation of the most stable crystallites, lattice spacings approaching those of the pure homopolymer are observed for copolymers containing small concentrations of side groups. For higher concentrations of both types of side groups, strong evidence exists for the crystallization of a lower melting polymorph in relatively high proportion. The Bragg spacings attributed to this structure obscure the analysis of the dimensions of the orthorhombic unit cell.
Human spongiform encephalopathy: the National Institutes of Health series of 300 cases of experimentally transmitted disease

We present a synthesis of clinical, neuropathological, and biological details of the National Institutes of Health series of 300 experimentally transmitted cases of spongiform encephalopathy from among more than 1,000 cases of various neurological disorders inoculated into nonhuman primates during the past 30 years. The series comprises 278 subjects with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, of whom 234 had sporadic, 36 familial, and 8 iatrogenic disease; 18 patients with kuru; and 4 patients with Gerstmann-Strussler-Scheinker syndrome. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, numerically by far the most important representative, showed an average age at onset of 60 years, with the frequent early appearance of cerebellar and visual/oculomotor signs, and a broad spectrum of clinical features during the subsequent course of illness, which was usually fatal in less than 6 months. Characteristic spongiform neuropathology was present in all but 2 subjects. Microscopically visible kuru-type amyloid plaques were found in 5% of patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, 75% of those with kuru, and 100% of those with Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome; brain biopsy was diagnostic in 95% of cases later confirmed at autopsy, and proteinase-resistant amyloid protein was identified in Western blots of brain extracts from 88% of tested subjects. Experimental transmission rates were highest for iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (100%), kuru (95%), and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (90%), and considerably lower for most familial forms of disease (68%). Incubation periods as well as the durations and character of illness showed great variability, even in animals receiving the same inoculum, mirroring the spectrum of clinical profiles seen in human disease. Infectivity reached average levels of nearly 10(5) median lethal doses/gm of brain tissue, but was only irregularly present (and at much lower levels) in tissues outside the brain, and, except for cerebrospinal fluid, was never detected in bodily secretions or excretions.
The effects of nonhydrostatic compression and applied electric field on the electromechanical behavior of poled lead zirconate titanate 95/5–2Nb ceramic during the ferroelectric to antiferroelectric polymorphic transformation

We conducted hydrostatic compression and constant-stress-difference experiments, with and without an applied electric field, on poled, niobium-doped lead zirconate titanate ceramic. The objective was to quantify the effects of nonhydrostatic stress and electric field bias on electromechanical behavior of the ceramic during the ferroelectric, rhombohedral → antiferroelectric, orthorhombic phase transformation. Increasing stress difference (shear stress) decreases the mean stress at which the transformation occurs. Increasing shear stress also retards the rate of transformation, causing reductions in both the rate of charge release and peak voltage attained during depoling. Application of the electric field bias slightly increases the transformation pressure for poled ceramic. Previously, we showed that under nonhydrostatic stress, the transformation took place in unpoled ceramic when the maximum compressive stress equalled the hydrostatic pressure at which the transformation would otherwise occur. This simple stress criterion does not apply to poled ceramic. However, poled material has a preferred crystallographic orientation and mechanical anisotropy, whereas unpoled ceramic is isotropic. We present a qualitative model for the transformation under nonhydrostatic stress-related to that anisotropy, which resolves these seemingly disparate observations.
Management of hearing loss in Apert syndrome.

Background: Apert syndrome is one of the craniosynostosis syndromes, with abirth prevalence estimated to be between 9.9 and 15.5/million, and accounts for 4.5 per cent ofcraniosynostoses. Although conductive hearing loss is common in Apert syndrome there are contradicting reports regarding the cause of this hearing loss. There is also no detailed informationavailable on the management of hearing loss in Apert syndrome.Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of case notes of Apert syndrome patients seen between 1970 and 2003 at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, London, was undertaken.Results: Seventy case notes were obtained. The incidence of congenital hearing impairment was between 3 and 6 per cent. Almost all patients had otitis media with effusion (glue ear), which tended to persist into adult life. More than 56 per cent of cases developed permanent conductive hearing loss by 10–20 years. Repeated grommet insertion was common; even though 35 per cent had trouble with ear discharge and persistent conductive hearing loss. Statistically, grommets made no difference to the risk of developing permanent hearing loss.Conclusion:This study, of the largest number of Apert syndrome cases assembled to date, showed that early optimization of hearing with possible hearing aids needs to be considered. Repeated grommet insertion does not help in optimizing hearing, especially if ear discharge complicates the picture.
Distributed fuzzy agents: a framework for intelligent network monitoring

We present a distributed fuzzy agent architecture with applications to network management and control. Each agent is designed to mimic human problem solving abilities in a network environment with monitoring and control objectives. In this fuzzy agent framework, each agent is equipped with a fuzzy micro-expert system, consisting of a fuzzy knowledge-base and an inference engine. The knowledge-base is a collection of fuzzy rules derived from an expert and represented as fuzzy conditional statements. Each agent is configured to react to precepts from its local environment and also to commands decoded in messages received from other fuzzy agents. The agents' actions have local or external behaviors. Local behaviors are mainly due to environmental sensors while external behaviors consist of collaborative control messages forwarded to other fuzzy agents.
Preconception Health Indicators: A Comparison Between Non-Appalachian and Appalachian Women

To compare preconception health indicators (PCHIs) among non-pregnant women aged 18–44 years residing in Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties in 13 U.S. states. Data from the 1997–2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used to estimate the prevalence of PCHIs among women in states with ≥1 Appalachian county. Counties were classified as Appalachian (n = 36,496 women) or non-Appalachian (n = 88,312 women) and Appalachian counties were categorized according to economic status. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models examined differences in PCHIs among women by (1) Appalachian residence, and (2) economic classification. Appalachian women were younger, lower income, and more often white and married compared to women in non-Appalachia. Appalachian women had significantly higher odds of reporting <high school education (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.19, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.10–1.29), fair/poor health (AOR 1.14, 95 % CI 1.06–1.22), no health insurance (AOR 1.12, 95 % CI 1.05–1.19), no annual checkup (AOR 1.12, 95 % CI 1.04–1.20), no recent Pap test (AOR 1.20, 95 % CI 1.08–1.33), smoking (AOR 1.08, 95 % CI 1.03–1.14), <5 daily fruits/vegetables (AOR 1.11, 95 % CI 1.02–1.21), and overweight/obesity (AOR 1.05, 95 % CI 1.01–1.09). Appalachian women in counties with weaker economies had significantly higher odds of reporting less education, no health insurance, <5 daily fruits/vegetables, overweight/obesity, and poor mental health compared to Appalachian women in counties with the strongest economies. For many PCHIs, Appalachian women did not fare as well as non-Appalachians. Interventions sensitive to Appalachian culture to improve preconception health may be warranted for this population.
Electronic Markets for Private Information: Economic and Security Considerations

Technological advances in the collection, storage and analysis of data have increased the ease with which businesses can make profitable use of information about individuals. Some of this information is private and individuals are simultaneously becoming more aware of its value and concerned about losing control of it. As a partial solution to these concerns a model is presented that serves two purposes. The first is to enable the use of private data in the answering of queries while simultaneously protecting the owners of the data from loss of privacy. The second is to develop a compensation model for the use of the data that allows individuals to dynamically redefine their security requirements. This compensation model is built on a model for information security and forms the foundation of a market for private information. Several information security techniques and their suitability for inclusion in the compensation model are discussed. Compensation models like the one presented here could be used in a self-regulating market for private information. Finally, the compensation component of an intermediated market for private information is developed and extensively analyzed. We provide insights and draw several important conclusions on markets for private information.
Peak detection of the plasma cortisol time series by syntactic pattern recognition

A syntactic peak recognition algorithm was applied to identify the significant peaks in the sampled profiles of cortisol concentration for 29 normal subjects and 49 patients with Cushing's syndrome. To estimate the parameters of the criterion for a significant peak, the random measurement error in the laboratory assay must first be established, and the first derivative of the cortisol time series must be calculated. This process is described. The syntatic peak recognition algorithm was applied to the time series to identify significant secretory peaks. The mean of the number of peaks in the normal group proved to be significantly different from the respective means of the number of peaks in the individual patient subgroups. This result may be useful in the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome. >
Counterpoint and quotation in Ussachevsky's Wireless Fantasy

Wireless Fantasy, Vladimir Ussachevsky's 4½-minute tribute to the birth of wireless radio, utilises a rich collection of sound materials, from antique spark generators and shortwave radio sounds to a recorded segment of Wagner's Parsifal. Wireless Fantasy is here examined not as much for the cultural meaning of its sources but for insight into Ussachevsky's dramatic counterpointing of those sources in real time. The analytical methodology focuses on pitch, rhythm, and timbre equally, using both standard music notation and spectral analysis to examine the contrapuntal elements in this classic electroacoustic composition. Special attention is paid to the coincidence of accent between the source materials that generates the work's climax and to the involvement of all the sources in articulating its final cadence. The larger issue of quotation within electroacoustic composition is discussed with regard to an abstract reference in the work's coda.
Structure of News Coverage of a Peace Process A Test of the Indexing and Zero-Sum Hypotheses

Newspaper coverage of a peace process is crucial to the success of a peace process. Given the critical role that newspapers play defining “others” in peace processes, it is surprising that little r...
Temperature dependence of SiC thin film metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors on alumina over a temperature range from 25 to 500ºC

In this paper, we present the design, fabrication and characterization of thin film, silicon carbide (SiC) metal-insulator-metal capacitors over a temperature range of 25 to 500oC. The 600 nm thick silicon carbide insulating film was grown with a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition unit at 300 and 450oC. Two bottom electrode metal alloys were investigated to determine their effects at higher temperatures on the capacitor reliability. Five capacitor geometries with areas of 0.029, 0.144, 0.292, 0.436 and 0.593 mm2 were measured on a high temperature probe station over a frequency range from 10 MHz to 10 GHz. The S-parameters were measured on a vector network analyzer and the lumped circuit model was extracted using Agilent's Advanced Design System™ software suite. The dielectric constant was extracted from the measured capacitance values. A C-V meter was also used to determine the capacitance and conductance.
Influence of colearner agent gehavior on learner performance and attitudes

This study examines the effect of colearner agent performance and social behavior on learner performance and subjective satisfaction in an interactive learning environment. In this 2 (high- or low-performing colearner) by 2 (socially supportive or competitive colearner) experiment (N=44), participants learned Morse Code alongside an agent colearner. Participants with high-scoring colearner agents performed significantly better than participants with low-scoring colearners. Participants liked and felt liked by socially supportive agents more than they did socially competitive agent participants. Implications for developing educational software are discussed.