cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reply to comments by Almond and West on Na β-alumina immittance data analysis

Abstract We begin by summarizing the background of the present controversy. Because the Almond/West data on Na β-alumina are the only published small-signal ac results for the low temperature range from 83 K to 151 K, they are particularly important and deserve careful and full analysis. We first discuss the data themselves, pointing out certain deficiences in them, and then compare the somewhat subjective analysis methods employed by Almond and West with the more objective ones we have used. Next, we discuss appropriate fitting models and show that the model used by Almond and West is equivalent to one long used in the ionic conductor field. We then examine the analysis and interpretation of fitting results in some detail. The main original contribution of Almond and West in this area is their complete identification of a parameter ωp appearing in their fitting model with the average thermally activated hopping frequency, νH. Our detailed examination of this assumption indicates that there is, so far, no strong theoretical basis for it and no fully trustworthy experimental evidence for it either. We have re-analyzed the data for all nine temperatures between 83 K and 151 K by complex nonlinear least squares fitting and find that better fits than we earlier obtained for the three highest temperatures are possible, giving results in this range much closer to the earlier ones of Almond and West. Nevertheless, thermal activation plots still exhibit strong, well defined breaks and discontinuities between 102 K and 110 K, possible evidence for a glass-like transition in this material. Finally, for comparison with future measurements and results for Na β-alumina in the low temperature regime, we have tabulated all our fitting estimates.
Comparison of the ability of freeze etch and freeze substitution to preserve actin filament structure

In order to test the ability of freeze substitution to accurately preserve the ultra-structure of the actin component of the cytoskeleton, the structure of rotary shadowed actin filaments was compared following preparation by glutaraldehyde fixation and freeze etch or freeze substitution. Freeze substituted actin filaments were further processed by either etching away frozen organic solvent or critical-point-drying before rotary shadowing. Comparison of filament diameters showed no significant difference between actin filaments that were directly etched and those that were freeze substituted and then etched. However, freeze substituted and then critical-point-dried filaments were significantly larger in diameter than filaments that were directly etched in water. The long pitch (right-handed) two start helix was not affected by the different methods of preparation. However, the left-handed “genetic” helical repeat that was prominent in actin filaments prepared by freeze etch was more difficult to detect in freeze substituted specimen, especially following critical-point-drying. Although the organization and distribution of actin filaments in extracted cells was similar in both freeze substituted and freeze etched specimens, there were some detectable differences. In cells that were freeze substituted and then critical-point-dried, filaments appeared to intersect at greater angles and seemed more “taut.” These results suggest that freeze substitution can preserve the overall morphology of actin filaments, but some chemical or physical modification of macromolecular surface structure may occur during the substitution process and these changes may be further exaggerated by subsequent processing steps. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Cantar de mio Cid: Poetic Creation in its Economic and Social Contexts

In this study, Joseph Duggan interprets the Cantar de mio Cid as a work that transmutes moral values first into the economic values of a gift economy, then into genealogical values. Considering the poem's distortions of history more significant than its retention of historical features, Duggan ascribes its depiction of the penurious hero who acquires wealth, power, and kinship alliances to the Castilian monarchy's preoccupations with furthering the victory of Las Navas de Tolosa. He maintains that the Cantar de mio Cid was composed around the year 1200 in substantially the form in which we have it now, in the course of a singer's performance. Arguing against a number of tendencies in Cid scholarship, Professor Duggan denies the necessity of assuming that the poet was a man of learning, that he was directly influenced by French literature, or that he was familiar with written law.
Characterization of the hyperlipidemia in mice bearing the Ehrlich ascites tumor.

Abstract CBA mice bearing the Ehrlich ascites carcinoma developed hyperlipidemia within 5 days after inoculation of the tumor. The hyperlipidemia was maximal between days 6 and 10 of tumor growth. It was characterized as a hypertriglyceridemia resulting from an increase in plasma very low density lipoproteins. This was accompanied by a 50% decrease in the triglyceride and cholesterol content of the plasma high density lipoprotein fraction. Large amounts of cholesterol and triglycerides also were present in the tumor ascites fluid, mostly in the form of very low density lipoproteins. The concentrations of lipids in the blood plasma, however, always were greater than those in the ascites fluid. Fasting for 16 hr did not reduce the lipid content of either the ascites plasma or blood plasma of the tumor-bearing mouse. Electrophoretic analysis on discontinuous gradient gels revealed a number of similarities between the ascites fluid and the blood plasma lipoproteins. These results are compatible with the view that the tumor plasma lipoproteins probably are derived from the blood plasma of the host and that they may be involved in transporting lipids to the tumor cells.
Spasmodic dysphonia symptoms as initial presentation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Summary A patient initially diagnosed with adductor-type spasmodic dysphonia was referred for botulinum toxin (Botox) injections, but found on subsequent evaluation to have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and therefore Botox was not administered. This unique case underscores the need to delay botulinum toxin treatments in any patient with recent onset symptoms, and to obtain thorough motor speech and voice, otolaryngologic, and neurologic evaluation in all patients prior to consideration for injection.
Dynamics of the Recursive Sequence

We investigate the global character of solutions of the equation in the title with positive parameters and non-negative initial conditions.
Excitability of nerve-free hydra

THE simplest nervous systems known are those of Coelenterate polyps, of which hydra is one. Nerve cells of the common freshwater hydra occur in a diffuse, two-dimensional nerve net dispersed among the epithelial cells of the outer, ectodermal layer1–4. There are also a few nerve cells in the inner, endodermal layer but these are scattered and do not seem to form a continuous net5. Nowhere in a hydra are there nerve cell concentrations or clusters of sufficient complexity to warrant being called ganglia. There have been many behavioural and electrophysiological investigations of hydra6–9, but the function of the nervous system in the control of behaviour is still unclear. In other coelenterates epithelial cells have been shown to be capable of propagating behavioural signals10,11. Several conducting systems coupled with spontaneously active pacemakers have been identified in hydra, but it is not known which of these conducting systems, if any, are neuronal and which result from activity in non-neuronal, epithelial cells. We have investigated the behaviour of Hydra attenuata in effectively nerve-free animals and show that such behaviour as remains, is controlled by non-neuronal cells.
BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF DEGRADATION PRODUCTS OF INDOLEPYRUVIC ACID.

Stowe and Thimann1 reported that they had isolated indolepyruvic acid from maize endosperm by paper chromatography. They used the methods of ammoniacal chromatography. However, Bently2 found that under these conditions synthetic indolepyruvic acid breaks down into a number of compounds. Moreover, in a recent paper by Kaper and Veldstra3, it was shown that both synthetic and isolated indolepyruvic acid break down when chromatographed in a basic solvent. Srivastava4 has also obtained results similar to that reported by Kaper and Veldstra.
‘All the Beautiful Things’: Trauma, Aesthetics and the Politics of Palestinian Childhood

This paper examines the ways in which Palestinian children variously perform and transform the discourse of trauma and the aesthetic of suffering that have come to dominate representations of Pales...
Predictors of frequent emergency department utilization in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Study objective. We sought to determine socioeconomic and demographic factors that predict frequent emergency department (ED) use among asthmatics in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Design. Retrospective cohort study using the 2004 Philadelphia Health Management Corporation's Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey. Setting and participants. Health behaviors were surveyed using telephone interviews (random-digit dialing) in Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, Philadelphia, and Chester counties. Response rate was 30%. Results. Of 13,342 respondents, 1,799 (13%) stated that they had asthma. The mean reported visits in 12 months were as follows: clinic—1.2 (SD 2.7); doctor's office—4.7 (SD 5.6); ED—0.8; (SD 1.8); overnight hospitalizations—0.4 (SD 0.9). Most (91%) reported that a primary care doctor was their principal source of care, whereas 2% reported the ED as their principal source of care. Frequent ED use (≥3 visits/12 months) was reported in 180 (10%). Frequent ED use was associated with race, education...
Enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-acetylaranotin, a dihydrooxepine epidithiodiketopiperazine.

The first total synthesis of the dihydrooxepine-containing epidithiodiketopiperazine (ETP) (−)-acetylaranotin (1) is reported. The key steps of the synthesis include an enantioselective azomethine ylide (1,3)-dipolar cycloaddition reaction to set the absolute and relative stereochemistry, a rhodium-catalyzed cycloisomerization/chloride elimination sequence to generate the dihydrooxepine moiety, and a stereoretentive diketopiperazine sulfenylation to install the epidisulfide. This synthesis provides access to (−)-1 in 18 steps from inexpensive, commercially available starting materials. We anticipate that the approach described herein will serve as a general strategy for the synthesis of additional members of the dihydrooxepine ETP family.
Indicators of fibrinolysis during cardiopulmonary bypass after exogenous antithrombin-III administration for acquired antithrombin III deficiency

elapsed time for the heparin boluses and ACT testing was 30 minutes. A presumptive diagnosis of AT-III deficiency was made, and 2,500 U of pooled AT III was administered. The dose was based on the assumption that the patient's circulating AT-III activity was decreased by approximately 50%, and that adding 2,500 U of AT llI to his circulating volume would bring AT-III activity back to 100%. The ACT rose to 635 seconds, and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was immediately initiated. CPB lasted 59 minutes, and no further heparin was required. After CPB, protamine sulfate, 200 rag, was administered IV, and the resulting ACT was 119 seconds. Postoperatively, the thromboelastogram was normal. The patient received 450 mL of autologous blood that had been withdrawn at the start of the case for the purpose of euvolemic hemodilution, and he received no other blood products. His postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged on the 5th postoperative day. When it was determined during the case that the patient was heparin resistant, blood samples were withdrawn from his autologous blood unit for baseline studies. This unit had been stored at 34°C for 30 minutes before sampling. Additional samples were drawn from the patient after the second and third boluses of heparin, after AT-Ill administration just before initiation of CPB, 30 minutes after initiation of CPB, and after administration of protamine at the end of CPB. The patient's temperature, as recorded by simultaneous esophageal/urinary temperature probes, was 35.5°/35.9°C, 35.1/35.7°C, 36.2/ 35.6°C, 36.1/37°C, and 36.1/36.8°C, respectively. Blood samples, including the sample withdrawn from the autologous unit, were placed on ice for transport to the clinical laboratory. Blood was anticoagulated by addition of 4.5 mL of whole blood to 0.5 mL of 130 mmol/L sodium citrate. All samples were centrifuged for 10 minutes at 2,500g at room temperature. Citrated plasma was frozen at -80°C. The patient's permission was obtained to run the blood samples for determination of F1 + 2, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), tissue plasminogen activator antigen (TPA Ag), and AT III activity levels. RESULTS
Growth Response in Prepubertal Children with Idiopathic Growth Hormone Deficiency During The First Two Years of Treatment with Growth Hormone

Four hundred and eighty-one prepubertal patients who had completed 2 years of growth hormone (GH) treatment were selected from the database by International Cooperative Growth Study in Japan.1. In 481 prepubertal GH deficient (GHD) patients treated with Genotropin, the first-year height velocity (HV) and HV standard devistion score (SDS) were 7.5 and 2.4 and the second-year HV and HV SDS were 6.1 and 0.6 on average. The decrement of HV in the second year was 16%.2. The patients of complete GHD type had slower growth rates, higher target height, more adiposity, lower height SDS before treatment and better growth responses during the two years of treatment than those of partial or“neuro secretory dysfunction (NSD) ”type. Therefore the definition of the complete type as showing maximal stimulated GH levels below 5ng/ml is valid, considering these growth responses in two years.3. No distinction is made between partial type and“NSD”type, using the variables in this study.4. The degree of adiposity was related to the first year growth response, and weakly to the second year response.5. Simple and multiple regression analysis showed that during the first year of treatment, there was more growth in younger patients with slower HV, poorer GH secretion, increased adiposity and a higher number of injections per week. During the second year, correlations with variables significant in the first year became weaker, and the first-year growth responses were the main contributing factors to the second-year growth responses. However, only one-fifth to one-half of the growth responses were explained by the variables in this study, and some other unknown factors may be involved in height increase during therapy.
Relationships among nekton assemblage structure and abiotic conditions in three Texas tidal streams

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of spatially and temporally varying abiotic conditions on the nekton residing in tidally influenced streams and determine the comparability of the assemblage response across the various gears needed to fully characterize the biota. Three tidal streams were sampled seasonally for 2 years for chemical (physiochemical profiles), physical (in-stream and riparian habitat classification), and biological (nekton sampled with bag seines, trawls, and gill nets) components of ecosystem integrity. Multiple sampling stations on each stream encompassed the transitional character of the tidally influenced ecosystem, from the freshwater of the river to the saltwater of the bay. Instead of characterizing the biota with traditional fish-based indexes of biotic integrity, analysis methodologies relying heavily on multivariate ordination techniques were used. This study showed that the temporal and spatial relationships among nekton assemblages and abiotic environmental conditions were quite gear dependent. The greatest degree of difference in indicators of ecosystem health all involved upstream-downstream gradients that appear to be driven by salinity structure. Based on the results of this study, dissolved oxygen concentration does not appear to be a major structuring factor in the physical, chemical, or biological component of ecosystem integrity.
On the habitability of Europa

It is pointed out that the Voyager flybys of Jupiter produced remarkable images of Europa, one of the four large Galilean satellites. Taking into account information provided by these Voyagers flybys and other data and investigations, a study is conducted regarding the suitability of Europa as a habitat for living organisms. The performed calculations indicate, that for a plausible physical model of Europa, the general conditions for the survival of biological organisms could exist, at least in some regions, highly restricted in both space and time.
Which Scoring Rule Maximizes Condorcet Efficiency Under Iac

Consider an election in which each of the n voters casts a vote consisting of a strict preference ranking of the three candidates A, B, and C. In the limit as n→∞, which scoring rule maximizes, under the assumption of Impartial Anonymous Culture (uniform probability distribution over profiles), the probability that the Condorcet candidate wins the election, given that a Condorcet candidate exists? We produce an analytic solution, which is not the Borda Count. Our result agrees with recent numerical results from two independent studies, and contradicts a published result of Van Newenhizen (Economic Theory 2, 69–83. (1992)).
SIMS investigations into the effect of growth conditions on residual impurity and silicon incorporation in GaN and Al x Ga 1−x N

We have investigated the effect of metal-organic chemical vapour deposition growth conditions on impurity incorporation in GaN and AlGaN. Secondary ion mass spectrometry depth profile analyses were performed on GaN and AlGaN wafers with multiple layers in which temperature, V/III ratio, growth rate, carrier gas, Al content, and Si doping were varied. Trends in oxygen, carbon, and silicon concentrations were studied. Similar trends were observed for both GaN and AlGaN. Growth temperature, composition and V/III ratio had the largest effect on impurity incorporation. Silicon and oxygen incorporation were less susceptible to growth conditions than that of carbon.
Case-Based Teaching: Four Experiences in Educational Software Design.

Abstract Good teaching is good story telling. Case‐based teaching exploits the basic capacity for students to learn from stories and the basic desire of teachers to tell stories that are indicative of their experiences. The premise of software that used case‐based teaching would be to place a student in a situation that the student found interesting and where the telling of a story would be appreciated. First, case‐based teachers teach the student what he or she needs to know at precisely the point of becoming interested in knowing the information. This information should be presented in the form of stories. Law schools and business schools have been teaching this way for years. They teach cases rather than rules because, by and large, they don't have rules to teach. The second critical part of learning in a case‐based environment is teaching a student to abstract from what the student has been told, and adapting it to situations for which the student was not specifically trained. At the Institute, we hav...
Signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio estimation for wireless communication systems: Methods and analysis

The Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) is an important metric of wire- less communication link quality. SINR estimates have several important applications. These include optimizing the transmit power level for a target quality of service, assisting with handoff decisions and dynamically adapting the data rate for wireless Internet applications. Accurate SINR estimation provides for both a more efficient system and a higher user-perceived quality of service. In this paper, we develop new SINR estimators and compare their mean squared error (MSE) performance. We show that our new estimators dominate estimators that have previously appeared in the literature with respect to MSE. The sequence of transmitted bits in wireless communication systems consists of both pilot bits (which are known both to the transmitter and receiver) and user bits (which are known only by the transmitter). The SINR estimators we consider alternatively depend exclusively on pilot bits, exclusively on user bits, or simulta- neously use both pilot and user bits. In addition, we consider estimators that utilize smoothing and feedback mechanisms. Smoothed estimators are motivated by the fact that the interference component of the SINR changes relatively slowly with time, typically with the addition or departure of a user to the system. Feedback estimators are motivated by the fact that receivers typically decode bits correctly with a very high probability, and therefore user bits can be thought of as quasipilot bits. For each estimator discussed, we derive an exact or approximate formula for its MSE. Satterthwaite approximations, noncentral F distributions (singly and doubly) and distribution theory of quadratic forms are the key statistical tools used in developing the MSE formulas. In the case of approximate MSE formulas, we validate their accuracy using simulation techniques. The approximate MSE formulas, of interest in their own right for comparing the quality of the estimators, are also used for optimally combining estimators. In particular, we derive optimal weights for linearly combining an estimator based on pilot bits with an estimator based on user bits. The optimal weights depend on the MSE of the two estimators being combined, and thus the accurate approximate MSE formulas can conveniently be used. The optimal weights also depend on the unknown SINR, and therefore need to be estimated in order to construct a useable combined estimator. The impact on the MSE of the combined estimator due to estimating the weights is examined. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 51: 720 -740, 2004.
On the origins of the contemporary notion of propositional content: anti-psychologism in nineteenth-century psychology and G.E. Moore’s early theory of judgment

Abstract I argue that the familiar picture of the rise of analytic philosophy through the early work of G. E. Moore and Bertrand Russell is incomplete and to some degree erroneous. Archival evidence suggests that a considerable influence on Moore, especially evident in his 1899 paper ‘The nature of judgment,’ comes from the literature in nineteenth-century empirical psychology rather than nineteenth-century neo-Hegelianism, as is widely believed. I argue that the conceptual influences of Moore’s paper (conventionally thought to have introduced what is now known as analytic philosophy) are more likely to have had their source in the work of two of Moore’s teachers, G. F. Stout and James Ward. What may be called an anti-psychologism about psychology characterizes the work of these and other psychologists of the period. I argue that the anti-psychologism that is the main aim of Moore’s early theory of judgment is an adaptation of this notion, which is significantly dissimilar from the notion defended by Bradley, traditionally thought to have been a key influence on Moore.
Spectral reflectance of particulate materials: a Monte Carlo model including asperity scattering.

A six-flux Monte Carlo approach to modeling of the reflectance of particulate surfaces is presented that includes the scattering as well as absorption of asperities of the constituents. For spherical particles ≳λ, the forward, backward, and transverse scattering is calculated. Then using a radiative transfer model, the reflection of a particulate surface may be determined. An application of the theory is made to four particle size ranges of a nonhomogeneous, multiconstituent sample—the Bruderheim meteorite—of olivine–hypersthene chondritic composition. The theoretical values of reflectance, using the experimentally determined optical complex indices of refraction, compare well with the experimental reflectance observations.
Bursting properties of units in cat globus pallidus and entopeduncular nucleus: the effect of excitotoxic striatal lesions

The bursting properties of units recorded in globus pallidus and entopeduncular nucleus were studied in awake cats sitting quietly before and after ipsilateral excitotoxic striatal lesions. A computerized statistical procedure was used to identify and evaluate bursts in the recorded spike trains. Bursts were assigned a quantitative statistical measure of burst 'strength' (or improbability) - the surprise value. Before the lesion, 34% of units in the globus pallidus and 60% of units in the entopeduncular nucleus exhibited bursts. Burst units had a significantly slower discharge rate and a significantly greater variability of discharge than non-burst units. The mean length of the interspike intervals immediately preceding the bursts was significantly longer than the overall median intervals in burst units. After the lesion, 21% of units in the globus pallidus and 11% of the units in the entopeduncular nucleus exhibited bursts. Burst units had significantly higher discharge rates and lower discharge variability after the lesion. In contrast, the lesion had no significant effect on the rate or variability of non-burst units. The differences between bursting and non-bursting units in discharge rate and variability disappeared after the lesion. In globus pallidus, the lesion resulted in a significant reduction in the mean number of bursts per unit, surprise value per burst, mean length of bursts, and number of spikes per burst, and a significant increase in the mean discharge rate of burst units. In entopeduncular nucleus, the small number of bursts recorded after the lesion precluded a useful statistical comparison of the effect of striatal lesions on the properties of the bursts. This study demonstrates that removing striatal projections to globus pallidus and entopeduncular nucleus decreases bursting in these nuclei, indicating that intact striatal projections are necessary for the normal production of bursts in these regions.
Vector Fresnel equations and Airy formula for one-dimensional multilayer and surface-relief gratings: reply to comment

In a recent paper [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A14, 596 (1997)], S. Kaushik describes a modal theory of diffraction in which a number of features from scalar optics are generalized. The paper describes an S-matrix propagation algorithm that is characterized as being new and an improvement over earlier work. In a response to this paper, L. Li [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A.15, 1006 (1998)] disputes this claim and claims that the algorithm is well known and presents no significant improvement over earlier work. These criticisms are addressed in this reply. Specifically, it is shown that unlike earlier work cited by Li, the method described by Kaushik is a genuine S-matrix method since energy balance is automatically guaranteed for dielectric gratings, irrespective of truncation order. Further, it is shown that the algorithm is easier to relate to scalar optics and is computationally more efficient than the specific algorithms cited by Li.
Have screening harms become newsworthy? News coverage of prostate and colorectal cancer screening since the 2008 USPSTF recommendation changes

In 2008, the US Preventive Services Task Force updated its recommendations to discourage screening for prostate cancer in men over 75 and for colorectal cancer in adults over 85. We aimed to determine whether newspapers portrayed these screenings differently after these recommendation changes. A quantitative content analysis included articles on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing or colonoscopy in US newspapers from 2005 to 2012. Outcomes included the number of benefits and harms mentioned and the gist expert and lay readers might get from articles. Benefits in PSA articles (n = 222) and harms and benefits in colonoscopy articles (n = 65) did not change over time. Mentions of PSA harms increased after 2008 (p < .01). Expected expert gist of PSA articles became more negative after 2008 (p < .01). Expected lay gist was positive and did not change. News coverage of PSA testing harms increased without a decrease in the discussion of benefits. Consumers, especially lay consumers, are receiving unbalanced information on cancer screening.
Androgen binding in peripheral tissues of fetal rhesus macaques: Effects of androgen metabolism in liver☆

In rhesus monkeys sexual differentiation of the brain and reproductive tract (RT) is androgen-dependent. Presumably these effects are mediated through the androgen receptor (AR). The AR has not been characterized in fetal tissues such as liver, kidney, heart, spinal cord and RT in this species. We characterized AR binding using [3H]R1881 as the ligand in cytosols from tissues obtained on days 100–138 of gestation. Scatchard analyses revealed a single, saturable, high affinity AR in liver, kidney, heart, spinal cord and RT. The apparent dissociation constant (Kd) ranged from 0.52 to 0.85 nM with no significant tissue differences. The number of AR (Bmax; fmol/mg protein) differed significantly (P RT ⪢ kidney ⩾ heart ⩾ spinal cord). Radioinert testosterone (T) and 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) but not androstenedione, progesterone, estradiol-17β-, estrone or cortisol in a 50-fold molar excess inhibited [3H]R1881 binding to the AR in spinal cord, heart, kidney and RT. However, in liver only DHT competed significantly (P < 0.01) for binding. This difference in binding of DHT vs T in the liver was further investigated by incubating liver and kidney cytosols with [3H]DHT and [3H]T at 4°C. We identified the metabolic products by mobility on Sephadex LH-20 columns and reverse isotope dilution. Liver cytosols metabolized [3H]DHT to 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol (5α-diol) and [3H]T to 5β-androstane-3α,17β-diol (5β-diol) at 4°C. In contrast, kidney cytosols metabolized [3H]DHT while [3H]T remained unchanged. Further studies indicated that a 50-fold molar excess of 5α-diol inhibited the binding of [3H]R1881 in liver cytosols by about 50% whereas the same molar concentration of 5β-diol had no effect. These data demonstrate the presence of AR in peripheral tissues of fetal rhesus monkeys and suggest that androgens through their receptors may affect development of these tissues. Liver cytosols are capable of metabolizing T and DHT at 4°C at conditions similar to those used for measuring cytosolic AR. However, T and DHT are metabolized differently, generating different isomers which have different affinities for hepatic AR.
Load Monitoring System for Partial Weight Bearing Therapy for rehabilitation of lower extremity fractures

Partial Weight Bearing Therapy (PWB) is used during in rehabilitation of lower-extremity fractures, but optimal outcomes are limited by the paucity of data supporting the current standard of care, the inability of clinicians to assess patients' compliance to the prescribed therapy, and by the patient's inability to apply clinical loading guidelines. To address these needs a Load Monitoring System (LMS) was developed using a novel long-term load measuring technology coupled with consumer electronics for storing and reporting of patient limb loading data. The project was planned as a staged effort and the results of the first stage development are presented here. During the first stage of this project, the LMS insole load sensor was developed for 6-week standalone operation. The LMS was subjected to bench-testing, demonstrating low static and dynamic drift.
Unionism and employment conflict resolution: Rethinking collective voice and its consequences

IX. Conclusions and Overall Assessment The central proposition advanced by FM today, less than one in eight private sector workers belongs to a union. But while F&M and, later, Freeman and Rogers (1999), attributed the decline in unionization to employer/management opposition and weak labor law, some of this decline can be attributed to worker resistance. Such resistance may stem, in turn and following F&M, from recognition of the net negative consequences of unionism's monopoly face, but also, and contrary to F&M, from recognition of the net negative consequences of unionism's collective voice/response face. If workers judged unions' voice response face, in particular, grievance procedures, to be effective in redressing worker grievances, more union workers would likely remain union members and more unorganized workers would join unions — even in the “face” of employer opposition. While there is little question that there are widely varying types of real-world employment relationships or that unions are best suited to protecting worker interests in certain of these (usually highly adversarial) relationships, the fact that workers as a whole decreasingly choose to become union members suggests that they do not perceive union voice to be effective in redressing deteriorated employment relationships or to be more effective in this respect than nonunion voice options. Such reasoning is consistent with the picture sketched in this paper — a different picture from that forwarded by F&M — of unionism and grievance procedures as largely reactive, adversarial-oriented mechanisms for dealing with workplace conflict resolution, especially in a pluralist, mixed-motive type of employment relationship.
Impacts of Geriatric Evaluation and Management Programs on Defined Outcomes: Overview of the Evidence

Comprehensive geriatric assessment is a technique for multidimensional diagnosis of frail elderly people with the purpose of planning and/or delivering medical, psychosocial, and rehabilitative care. When comprehensive geriatric assessment is coupled with some therapy, then the term geriatric evaluation and management (GEM) will be used. Following a brief history of comprehensive geriatric assessment, we describe the varied patterns of GEM program organization and review the literature of studies examining GEM effectiveness. Program diversity complicates drawing firm conclusions about GEM effects; however, the vast majority of studies report positive, if not uniformly significant, results. Our analysis suggests that much of the variability in findings is due to sample size limitations. In order to reach conclusions of program effects across studies and to avoid problems of small sample sizes, we undertook a formal meta-analysis. In this initial meta-analysis, we sought to evaluate the effect of GEM programs on a single outcome: mortality. We pooled all published GEM controlled trials into four major groups: inpatient consultation services, inpatient GEM units, home assessment services, and outpatient GEM programs. Meta-analysis of 6-month mortality demonstrates a 39% reduction of mortality for inpatient consultation services (odds ratio 0.61, 95% confidence interval 0.46-0.81, P = 0.0008) and a 37% reduction of mortality for inpatient GEM units (odds ratio 0.63, 95% CI 0.42-0.93, P = 0.02). Home assessment services reduced mortality by 29% (odds ratio 0.71, 95% CI 0.55-0.90, P = 0.005). On the other hand, no significant survival effect was found for outpatient GEM programs (odds ratio 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.61-1.49).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
How to minimize the attack rate during multiple influenza outbreaks in a heterogeneous population.

Background If repeated interventions against multiple outbreaks are not feasible, there is an optimal level of control during the first outbreak. Any control measures above that optimal level will lead to an outcome that may be as sub-optimal as that achieved by an intervention that is too weak. We studied this scenario in more detail. Method An age-stratified ordinary-differential-equation model was constructed to study infectious disease outbreaks and control in a population made up of two groups, adults and children. The model was parameterized using influenza as an example. This model was used to simulate two consecutive outbreaks of the same infectious disease, with an intervention applied only during the first outbreak, and to study how cumulative attack rates were influenced by population composition, strength of inter-group transmission, and different ways of triggering and implementing the interventions. We assumed that recovered individuals are fully immune and the intervention does not confer immunity. Results/Conclusion The optimal intervention depended on coupling between the two population sub-groups, the length, strength and timing of the intervention, and the population composition. Population heterogeneity affected intervention strategies only for very low cross-transmission between groups. At more realistic values, coupling between the groups led to synchronization of outbreaks and therefore intervention strategies that were optimal in reducing the attack rates for each subgroup and the population overall coincided. For a sustained intervention of low efficacy, early intervention was found to be best, while at high efficacies, a delayed start was better. For short interventions, a delayed start was always advantageous, independent of the intervention efficacy. For most scenarios, starting the intervention after a certain cumulative proportion of children were infected seemed more robust in achieving close to optimal outcomes compared to a strategy that used a specified duration after an outbreak’s beginning as the trigger.
Why New Sire Summaries are Needed

Abstract Assumptions underlying the herdmate comparison now used in the United States and evidence on their validity under current conditions were reviewed. The main conclusion was that changes to account more adequately for genetic variation in herdmates of different progeny groups would do most to improve accuracy of the herdmate comparison method of evaluating sires. Changes in procedures so that comparisons are based more on cows of similar ages when possible would reduce dependence on assumptions concerning adjustment factors for age. Including information on bulls’ parentage also might be useful when limited progeny data are available. Herd-mate comparisons as now used in the United States are useful indicators of genetic merit, but they should be made more accurate by refinements listed above. When more sophisticated sire evaluation methods replace herdmate comparisons, they should be designed to have minimum dependence on adjustment factors for age and underlying assumptions.
Clavicular Bone Tunnel Malposition Leads to Early Failures in Coracoclavicular Ligament Reconstructions

Background:Modern techniques for the treatment of acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocations have largely centered on free tendon graft reconstructions. Recent biomechanical studies have demonstrated that an anatomic reconstruction with 2 clavicular bone tunnels more closely matches the properties of native coracoclavicular (CC) ligaments than more traditional techniques. No study has analyzed tunnel position in regard to risk of early failure.Purpose:To evaluate the effect of clavicular tunnel position in CC ligament reconstruction as a risk of early failure.Study Design:Case series; Level of evidence, 4.Methods:A retrospective review was performed of a consecutive series of CC ligament reconstructions performed with 2 clavicular bone tunnels and a free tendon graft. The population was largely a young, active-duty military group of patients. Radiographs were analyzed for the maintenance of reduction and location of clavicular bone tunnels using a picture archiving and communication system. The distance fr...
Explaining Subnational Infant Mortality and Poverty Rates: What Can We Learn from Night-Time Lights?

Given very little standard statistical data available on infant mortality and poverty rates for subnational areas in many developing countries, demographic studies for these areas have been limited. This paper tests the possibility of using variables produced by measures of global nighttime light radiance, so as to predict infant mortality rates for subnational areas and Small Area Estimates of poverty rates for developing countries. Both OLS regression and spatial models are used to predict the two rates. The results suggest that lights data can provide useful information for estimating both rates, but the model fit varies largely across countries with different levels of energy consumption and economic development. Analysis yields to the conclusion that (1) nighttime lights data provide more information for poor countries, and (2) the model fit is also country-specific. Thus, the current study demonstrates that unconventional data can be used for certain areas where conventional surveys or standard statistics are unreliable or unavailable.
HISTOLOGIC AND MICROCIRCULATORY CHANGES IN ALCOHOL-INDUCED GASTRIC LESIONS IN THE RAT: EFFECT OF PROSTAGLANDIN CYTOPROTECTION

The effect of 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 (dmPGE2) on histologic and microcirculatory changes in alcohol-induced gastric mucosal injury was studied. A histologic study confirmed that dmPGE2 does not protect the surface mucous cells against ethanol injury but does protect against the deeper necrotic lesion. Both the gross injury and the necrotic lesion were as severe after 1 min of ethanol exposure as after 60 min. A study of benzidine-stained sections and hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections revealed marked engorgement of microvessels and hemorrhage in the superficial mucosa after ethanol injury. Pretreatment with dmPGE2 prevented these. An in vivo fluorescent microscopy study revealed that there was total stasis of blood flow in the injured area. After the intravascular injection of a fluorescein-albumin conjugate, the conjugate filled microvessels in grossly normal areas of mucosa but not in grossly injured areas. Pretreatment with dmPGE2 prevented this microcirculatory change. This alcohol-induced stasis of flow in injured areas may be of pathogenetic significance and prostaglandin protection might involve prevention of this microcirculatory change.
Tibolone: A Unique Version of Hormone Replacement Therapy

OBJECTIVETo review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of tibolone in the treatment of menopausal symptoms and the prevention of osteoporosis.DATA SOURCESInformation was obtained from a MEDLINE search (1966–July 2003) and from Organon International. The bibliographies of reviewed literature were searched for additional studies.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTIONStudies and review articles evaluating tibolone were evaluated. Since tibolone has been available for many years in Europe and has an extensive literature base, this review emphasizes information from studies published after 1995.DATA SYNTHESISTibolone possesses estrogenic activity and is effective for treating the symptoms and osteoporosis associated with menopause. While the impact of tibolone on the risk of breast cancer or cardiovascular and thromboembolic events is not well defined, its unique pharmacologic profile may provide a safer alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapy. Although widely used for many yea...
Rhomboid intramembrane protease structures galore

The first structures of an intramembrane serine protease reveal a catalytic His-Ser dyad in a water-filled cavity surrounded by six transmembrane helices, but just how substrate helices gain access to the dyad is controversial.
Laves Phases, γ‐Brass, and 2×2×2 Superstructures: A New Class of Quasicrystal Approximants and the Suggestion of a New Quasicrystal

Of the most common cubic intermetallic structure types, several (MgCu(2), Cu(5)Zn(8), Ti(2)Ni, and alpha-Mn) have superstructures with unusual symmetry properties. These superstructures (Be(5)Au, Li(21)Si(5), Sm(11)Cd(45), and Mg(44)Ir(7)) have the unusual property of pairs of perpendicular pseudo fivefold axes, most apparent in their X-ray diffraction patterns. The current work shows that an 8D to 3D projection method cleanly describes most (and in one case, all) of the atomic positions in the four superstructures mentioned above. This type of projection, which maps the E(8) lattice (a mathematically simple 8D crystal) into 3D space, combines the desired higher dimensional point group's perpendicular fivefold rotations with 3D translational symmetry-exactly what we see in the experimental crystal structures. The projection method successfully accounts for all heavy atom positions in the four superstructures, and at least 60-70 % of the light atom positions. The results suggest that all of these structures, previously known to be connected only by qualitative similarities in their atomic "clusters", are approximants of a single, as-yet unknown, class of quasicrystal.
Systematic effects in thin film tunnel junctions of YBa2Cu3O7-δ

Abstract We report on junction fabrication, materials problems, and a more systematic study of tunneling characteristics for Pb-I-YBCO thin film sandwich-type junctions. Our results suggest that we have constructed proximity effect junctions and have observed directionally averaged superconducting and normal properties of an oxygen deficient phase of YBCO. Among the observed properties are a linear normal density of states, a cusp feature at zero bias, and a gap opening at 60 K. The data also suggest that the normal state properties are temperature and field independent below Tc but are temperature dependent above Tc.
Gay Men at Midlife A Grounded Theory of Social Identity Management Through Linguistic Labeling and Intra- and Intergenerational Talk

This study draws on interview data, a grounded theoretical methodology, and social identity theory concepts to explore how early midlife gay men manage their age identities through the use of linguistic labels, intragenerational talk among peers, and intergenerational talk with younger gay men. Face-to-face, semistructured interviews were conducted with 40 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse early midlife gay men (aged 40-53) in four U.S. cities. Men discussed conversations between themselves and gay men in their 20s, as well as the nature of their age identities. Open and axial coding of the men’s intra- and intergroup language use and other communicative behavior—with attention to accompanying motivations for engaging in such talk and nonverbal expression—revealed a new grounded theory of social identity management. Similarities and extensions to social identity theory were discussed, as were the theory’s implications for understanding gay midlife.
Deconstructing the complex perceptions of gender roles, gender identity, and sexual orientation among transgender individuals:

Conventional heteronormative beliefs about the nature of gender roles, gender identity, and sexual orientation are fundamentally challenged by the experiences of many transgender individuals. Eleven self-identified transgender individuals were interviewed about their definitions of, understanding of the relationships between, and perceptions of their own gender roles, gender identity, and sexual orientation. The questions focused on how transgender individuals define gender roles vs gender identity, how they defined themselves on these dimensions, and how they perceived the relationships among gender roles, gender identity, and sexual orientation. All of the participants understood gender roles to be social constructs and viewed gender identity as being more fluid, compared to essentialist, binary, heteronormative ideas about gender. Most viewed sexual orientation as being dynamically related to gender identity. These findings are discussed in terms of an emerging transgender theory of the nature of gende...