cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Saudi Arabia and the Path to Political Change: National Dialogue and Civil Society by Mark C. Thompson

Long known for censorship, the Gulf monarchies started sponsoring major public debates on sensitive topics in the early 2000s. Beginning in 2004, the Doha Debates, financed by the Qatar Foundation ...
AAV2/5 vector expressing galactocerebrosidase ameliorates CNS disease in the murine model of globoid-cell leukodystrophy more efficiently than AAV2

Globoid-cell leukodystrophy (GLD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the galactosylceramidase (GALC) gene. Infantile GLD has a lethal course with severe cerebral demyelination that progresses to death by 2 years of age. In the current study twitcher mice, an authentic murine model of infantile GLD, were given intracranial injections of either recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 2 encoding the murine Galc cDNA (AAV2-GALC) or the same genome pseudotyped with AAV5 capsid proteins (AAV2/5-GALC) on day 3 of age. The group injected intracranially with AAV2/5-GALC had approximately 25-fold greater than normal Galc levels in the brain, while AAV2-GALC-injected animals had 28% normal levels. The average life expectancy of twitcher mice ( approximately 38 days) was significantly (P < 0.0001) increased to 48 and 52 days for the AAV2-GALC- and AAV2/5-GALC-treated groups, respectively. The AAV2/5-GALC group performed significantly better in a battery of behavioral tests compared to untreated, AAV2-GFP-treated, or AAV2-treated twitcher animals. This longitudinal study demonstrated that AAV2/5-GALC-mediated gene therapy resulted in higher levels of Galc expression and slowed the neurologic deterioration more completely than AAV2-GALC in the murine model of globoid-cell leukodystrophy. However, the clinical improvements, as assessed by behavioral tests and life span, were only modest.
Near-threshold operation for power-efficient computing?: it depends...

While it has long been argued that near-threshold (∼0.5V) operation of CMOS technologies can dramatically improve power efficiency, widespread application of such low voltage operation to VLSI systems has yet to materialize. This is due in part to practical system workload demands, in which single-thread performance needs can limit strategies to improve parallelizeable throughput performance, but also due to barriers in the ability of supporting hardware to counter variability and reliability concerns while maintaining power efficiency throughout the system. This paper describes the issues on which the realization of near-threshold computing depends to explain why this strategy is not yet pervasive today. However, recent advancements across the spectrum of system design — including heterogeneous architectures, transistor and memory technologies, power delivery, packaging, and I/O — suggest that as the market for throughput performance grows, hardware technologies may soon become available to practically harness the promise of near-threshold operation.
Rx for a Party: A Qualitative Analysis of Recreational Pharmaceutical Use in a Collegiate Setting

Objective: Using a qualitative methodology, the author examined the sociorecreational use of pharmaceuticals in a collegiate setting. Participants: In all, 91 college students from a public, 4-year institution for higher learning in the Southwest participated in this study. Methods: The author conducted semistructured interviews between May 2004 and December 2005; they then audio recorded, transcribed, and examined the interviews for themes related to the sociorecreational use of prescription drugs. Results: A variety of prescription drugs are used for a number of purposes, including to experience pleasure, manage the duration or intensity of another drug's effects, party or socialize with friends and peers in leisure settings, facilitate sociorecreational activities, and help structure free time. Conclusions: Pharmaceuticals appear to be well integrated into the recreational drug use practices of college students, and prescription drug misuse presents a significant prevention challenge.
Circular Validations and Modes of Understanding from Socialism to Wall Street

Did you know that the revolutions of 1989, at least the one in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), were bloodless because the ruling party was clueless? That is what Andreas Glaeser's former Stasi interlocutors proposed as an account for socialism's peaceful end. Perhaps I should not give away one of the conclusion's punchlines, but pleasure is not only to be found in the end. This charming, broadly informed and substantial volume is ambitious, promising a hermeneutic insti tutionalism that explains the reproduction and transformation of social relations, and of actually existing socialism in particular. The author offers original accounts of the GDR's trajectories, grounded largely in biog raphies of Stasi officers, informants, and opposition figures along with supporting documents. He also lays out a substantial theoretical apparatus for a sociology of understanding useful for analyzing other political affairs. Glaeser is already known for his conse quent processualism and rich ethnography. For those who enjoy some theoretical mix of Latour, Giddens, Sewell, Mannheim, Mead, Wittgenstein and Marx, this new vol ume will be intoxicating. Those working on revolutions, movements, institutions, lan guage and culture will find it intriguing. Finally, this volume will challenge compara tive and historical sociologists concerned for socialism's dynamics. This last offering is especially important to consider more than two decades after the system's European end and the wave of accounts offered in
The phenobarbital response enhancer module in the human bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyltransferase UGT1A1 gene and regulation by the nuclear receptor CAR.

The UDP-glucuronosyltransferase, UGT1A1, is the critical enzyme responsible for detoxification of the potentially neurotoxic bilirubin by conjugating it with glucuronic acid. For decades, phenobarbital (PB) treatment for hyperbilirubinemia has been known to increase expression of the UGT1A1 gene in liver. We have now delineated the PB response activity to a 290-bp distal enhancer sequence (−3483/−3194) of the UGT1A1 gene. The enhancer contains 3 putative nuclear receptor motifs, and it was activated by the nuclear orphan receptor, human constitutive active receptor (hCAR), in cotransfected HepG2 cells. Bacterially expressed hCAR, acting as a heterodimer with in vitro–translated retinoid X receptor (RXRα), only bound to 1 of the 3 NR motifs, named gtNR1 in a gel-shift assay. Consistently, mutations of the gtNR1 site significantly decreased the activation by hCAR of the 290-bp DNA in transfection assays. Moreover, the 290-bp DNA was effectively activated in mouse primary hepatocytes in response to PB, offering an excellent clinical test for the examination of the responsiveness of the UGT1A1 to PB in the human population, particularly individuals with hyperbilirubinemia. (HEPATOLOGY 2001;33:1232-1238.)
The use of Raman spectroscopy for in situ monitoring of lysozyme concentration during crystallization in a hanging drop

Fiber optic Raman spectroscopy combined with a partial least-squares regression model was investigated as a means to monitor lysozyme concentration during crystallization in a hanging drop experiment in real time. Raman spectral features of the buffer and protein were employed to build the regression model. This model was used to calculate the compositional changes within the hanging drop. The use of fibre optic technology coupled with Raman spectroscopy, which is ideal for use with aqueous media, results in a powerful noninvasive probe of the changing environment within the solution. These preliminary findings indicate that solubility as well as supersaturation measurements can be made.
Anthurium whitefly aleurotulus anthuricola nakahara biology and control in hawaii

Abstract The anthurium whitefly, Aleurotulus anthuricola Nakahara, completed its life cycle within the inner surface of anthurium sheaths. The entire life cycle from egg to adult was 35.5 ± 1.2 days. Tests indicated that systemic insecticides were more effective than contact insecticides. Under greenhouse conditions the systemic insecticides, methomyl 1.8 L and dimethoate 4.0 EC, significantly reduced eggs, nymphs, pupae, and adult whiteflies. The contact synthetic pyrethroid, fenpropathrin, 2.4 EC, also reduced all stages of the whitefly but was not as effective as the systemic insecticides. The contact insecticides, malathion, 5.0 EC was only effective against adult and pupal stages and bifenthrin 10 WP was effective only against the adult stage of the whitefly. In field trials, methomyl 1.8 L and acephate 75 SP, both systemic insecticides, significantly reduced nymphs and pupal stages of the whitefly. Eggs were also significantly reduced in acephate 75 SP‐treated plots.
Anticoagulation with heparin during cardiac catheterization and its reversal by protamine.

The duration of effective anticoagulation with heparin during cardiac catheterization and angiography was determined in 201 patients. Effective anticoagulation was defined as prolongation of the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) by 2 or more times the upper limit of normal. When the procedure was completed within 40 min of heparin administration, all patients were anticoagulated adequately. The incidence of inadequate anticoagulation ranged from 9% to 25% as the time from heparin administration increased to 89 min. Procedures completed more than 90 min after heparin administration had a 58% incidence of inadequate anticoagulation. A protocol to estimate the appropriate protamine dose was developed based on experience accumulated in the first 78 patients and tested subsequently in 101 consecutive patients. Clotting studies returned to the normal range in 92% of the patients. The mean APTT decreased from 84.1 +/- 19.4 to 27.4 +/- 2.5 sec (p less than .001) after protamine. Patients who did not correct to normal after protamine remained only 2.8 +/- 1.4 sec (range 0.7-5.5 sec) above normal. These data provide an estimate of the duration of anticoagulation during cardiac catheterization and angiography and demonstrate the feasibility of a simple and reliable method to reverse the effects of heparin.
Intelligent Integrated Diagnostics: Development of the Diagnostics System for Online Quality Control of Powder Injection Molding

Abstract In this research the authors propose an integrated intelligent diagnostics scheme for the on-line quality control of the Powder Injection Molding (PIM) process. In specific, this paper concentrates on the computational methodologies related to the process diagnostics. A causality network model and its underlying mathematics to represent the domain and case specific diagnostic knowledge of PIM process are discussed. Alternatives of hypothetical explanations to the product defects are generated by network conversion techniques and abductive reasoning. Diagnostic solutions are generated by applying verification criteria for the hypotheses. The effectiveness of the proposed methodologies are verified by testing real-life problems.
Optical observation of quantum-dot formation in sub-critical CdSe layers grown on ZnSe

The evolution of CdSe quantum dot (QD) formation on ZnSe was investigated on a series of samples grown by MBE, with nominal CdSe coverages ranging from 1.1 to 2.6 monolayers (ML). Micro-PL data suggest strongly confined zero-dimensional excitons even for coverages as low as 1.1 ML. PL and micro-PL data show emission from the QDs as well as from an accompanying 2 D layer; the temperature dependence of these emissions is notably different. Strong red-shifts of both emissions as the CdSe coverage increases are observed.
Proposed Nomenclature for Linear Viscoelastic Behavior

There is proposed a brief systematic nomenclature for linear viscoelastic behavior; this nomenclature is based upon earlier reports of the American Society of Rheology and the Netherlands Society of Rheology.
Nurse retention and satisfaction in Ecuador: implications for nursing administration.

(2012) Journal of Nursing ManagementNurse retention and satisfaction in Ecuador: implications for nursingadministrationAim This study explores the characteristics of professional nursing workenvironments that may affect nursing turnover and satisfaction within a largeEcuadorian hospital.Background Nursing turnover is a challenge and may compromise patient care.Work dissatisfaction contributes to high turnover. Improving nurse satisfactioncan contribute to better patient outcomes.Method Eighty-eight nurses participated in a quantitative and qualitative surveyfocusing on nursing satisfaction, turnover and selected organisationcharacteristics.Results Issues that may affect nurse satisfaction and turnover were identiﬁedusing questions from the Nursing Work Index: pay, insufﬁcient number of nurses,undervaluing of nurses by public and the medical team, limited advancementopportunities, lack of autonomy and inﬂexibility in schedule. Other themesidentiﬁed from qualitative data are reported.Conclusions The top factor of decreased satisfaction was low pay as indicated bythe Nursing Work Index. The qualitative results showed that low pay was thefactor for nurse turnover. Additional factors related to nursing satisfaction can beaddressed to improve nurse retention.Implications for nursing management Along with increasing nursing pay,strategies to consider in decreasing turnover and increasing satisfaction included:providing opportunities for nursing advancement, promoting the value of nursing,creating clinical protocols and enhancing autonomy. This study adds toknowledge about nursing needs and satisfaction in South America.Keywords:
The Mask of Beauty: Masquerade Theory and Disney's Beauty and the Beast

There is evidence of patriarchal codes as well as opposing feminist characteristics within Disney animated feature narratives (see Mulvey, Doane, Downey). Starting with the sassy Ariel of The Littl...
Neuroimaging for the Anesthesiologist

This article provides an overview of neuroimaging modalities of particular interest to the anesthesiologist caring for neurosurgical patients. Imaging characteristics of neuropathologies and considerations for anesthetic management of diagnostic procedures are discussed.
Culture under construction

Abstract This article suggests an interpretive futures approach to the future of culture and society from the interpretation of qualitative and culture-centric data. This approach is illustrated through the exploration of the formation, expression and possible future for native cultural identity on the small Caribbean island of Aruba. There are several factors and actors that are likely to play a role in the continued shaping of native culture—different culturally influential ethnic island groups, an increasing global orientation of the economy, and a self-protecting countertrend based on a reevaluation of the ‘traditional’ which is attempting to define and build a distinct indigenous culture with its own language and selectively defined cultural origins. Thus a common question today ‘ ken ta Arubiano ’—or who is a real Arubian, 1 is likely to be answered differently in the next millennium as outsider styles, values and behaviour are rejected or absorbed into expressions of ‘nativeness’.
A study of epoxyolefin cyclizations catalyzed by bismuth trifluoromethanesulfonate and other metal triflates

Abstract Epoxyolefin cyclizations have attracted considerable interest due to their importance in biosynthetic pathways. Bismuth trifluoromethanesulfonate as well as several other metal triflates are shown to be highly effective (0.1 mol %) catalysts for the cyclization of geraniolene oxide. The product composition is found to be more dependent on solvent and substrate concentration than on the nature of the metal triflate. Cyclization products are favored in CH2Cl2 and under high dilution conditions. Ether solvents favored acyclic products.
Dynamic motion characteristics of the lower lumbar spine: implication to lumbar pathology and surgical treatment.

Many studies have reported on the segmental motion range of the lumbar spine using various in vitro and in vivo experimental designs. However, the in vivo weightbearing dynamic motion characteristics of the L4–5 and L5–S1 motion segments are still not clearly described in literature. This study investigated in vivo motion of the lumbar spine during a weight-lifting activity. Ten asymptomatic subjects (M/F: 5/5; age: 40–60 years) were recruited. The lumbar segment of each subject was MRI-scanned to construct 3D models of the L2–S1 vertebrae. The lumbar spine was then imaged using a dual fluoroscopic imaging system as the subject performed a weight-lifting activity from a lumbar flexion position (45°) to maximal extension position. The 3D vertebral models and the fluoroscopic images were used to reproduce the in vivo vertebral positions along the motion path. The relative translations and rotations of each motion segment were analyzed. All vertebral motion segments, L2–3, L3–4, L4–5 and L5–S1, rotated similarly during the lifting motion. L4–5 showed the largest anterior-posterior (AP) translation with 2.9 ± 1.5 mm and was significantly larger than L5–S1 (p < 0.05). L5–S1 showed the largest proximal–distal (PD) translation with 2.8 ± 0.9 mm and was significantly larger than all other motion segments (p < 0.05). The lower lumbar motion segments L4–5 and L5–S1 showed larger AP and PD translations, respectively, than the higher vertebral motion segments during the weight-lifting motion. The data provide insight into the physiological motion characteristics of the lumbar spine and potential mechanical mechanisms of lumbar disease development.
Orally Active, Water-Soluble Antimalarial 3-Aryltrioxanes: Short Synthesis and Preclinical Efficacy Testing in Rodents

Short chemical syntheses of four new antimalarial trioxanes are presented, starting with inexpensive and commercially available cyclohexanone. Almost exclusive formation of the trioxane 12α-stereoisomers simplifies product purification. Carboxyphenyltrioxanes 3 and 5 are thermally stable in air even at 60 °C for 24 h. When administered orally, these new carboxyphenyltrioxanes are highly efficacious in curing malaria-infected mice. Important for their practical in vivo administration, these new synthetic antimalarial trioxanes 3 and 5 are 14−20 times more soluble in water at pH 7.4 than is artelinic acid (1), a leading semisynthetic, herb-derived antimalarial trioxane drug candidate.
Exertional Rhabdomyolysis and Acute Renal Failure in Marathon Runners

Strenuous exercise, including marathon running, can result in damage to skeletal muscle cells, a process known as exertional rhabdomyolysis. In most cases, this damage is resolved without consequence. However, when the damage is profound, there is a release of muscle proteins into the blood; one of these proteins, myoglobin, in high concentrations and under certain conditions (such as dehydration and heat stress) can precipitate in the kidneys, thereby resulting in acute renal failure. Although the marathon is a gruelling physiological challenge, with races sometimes run in hot and humid weather, acute renal failure is relatively infrequent. From case reports, a high proportion of marathon runners who developed acute renal failure had taken analgesics, had a viral or bacterial infection, or a pre-existing condition. The rare cases of acute renal failure in marathon runners may be a situation of the 'perfect storm' where there are several factors (heat stress, dehydration, latent myopathy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory or other drug/analgesic use, and viral/bacterial infection) that, in some combination, come together to result in acute renal failure.
INAA determination of selenium via77mSe in plasma, semen and hair samples from beef and dairy bulls

Interest in the element selenium with respect to its biological significance has been steadily increasing for the last ten years. Neutron activation analysis has long been used for the accurate determination of selenium in biological samples usually via75Se. More recently activation analysts having access to high flux reactors with rapid delivery pneumatic tube facilities; have successfully employed77mSe. This approach, which is much faster, is particularly well suited to the Missouri University Research Reactor (MURR). The specific interest concerning bulls has to do with the involvement of selenium in the reproductive system. Selenium analysis methodology and data on plasma, semen and 22 tissues from both beef and dairy bulls are presented.
Estimation in a discrete reliability growth model under an inverse sampling scheme

This paper develops a discrete reliability growth (RG) model for an inverse sampling scheme, e.g., for destructive tests of expensive single-shot operations systems where design changes are made only and immediately after the occurrence of failures. For qi, the probability of failure at the i-th stage, a specific parametric form is chosen which conforms to the concept of the Duane (1964, IEEE Trans. Aerospace Electron. Systems, 2, 563-566) learning curve in the continuous-time RG setting. A generalized linear model approach is pursued which efficiently handles a certain non-standard situation arising in the study of large-sample properties of the maximum likelihood estimators (MLEs) of the parameters. Alternative closed-form estimators of the model parameters are proposed and compared with the MLEs through asymptotic efficiency as well as small and moderate sample size simulation studies.
CHEMICAL CHANGES IN THE BLOOD OF THE DOG IN EXPERIMENTAL PERITONITIS.

1. Changes in the chemistry of the blood of dogs with experimental bile peritonitis are here reported. 2. In all animals that died, a bile ascites was found. 3. Dogs dying of bile peritonitis showed a constant increase in the blood non-protein and urea nitrogen, and a fall in the chlorides.
Histochemistry of bone formation in normal and tetracycline-treated chick embryos. I. Lipids.

Abstract The localization of lipid components in the developing femurs of normal and tetracycline-treated chick embryos has been described. A lipid component readily extractable with ethanol, possibly neutral fat, was found in the cytoplasm of osteoblasts and osteocytes, in bone matrix, and to a much lesser extent in osteoid. Phospholipids were found in the cytoplasm of the chondrocytes. A sudanophilic bound lipid, which is unmasked by ethanol but removed by pyridine extraction, was found in the calcified bone of both normal and experimental animals, and in the calcified cartilage matrix of the experimental femurs. A sudanophilic bound lipid, which is resistant to pyridine extraction with the techniques used, was found in the rapidly calcifying bone and cartilage matrix. It was reduced in amount in the older, less rapidly calcifying bone. A similar pyridine-resistant, sudanophilic, bound lipid was found in cytoplasmic granules of the chondrocytes, and those osteocytes situated in a calcified matrix. There appears to be a direct relationship between the size and possibly the number of these granules and the degree and rate of calcification of the surrounding matrix.
(Fluoroalkyl)phosphine Coordination Chemistry: Synthesis and Structure of {[m,eta(1),eta(6)-(C(6)H(5))P(C(2)F(5))(2)]Cr(CO)(2)}(2).

The synthesis of new acceptor phosphine ligands (C2F5)2P(R) (R = Ph, Me, t-Bu, NEt2, C2F5) and pentacarbonyl derivatives (L)Mo(CO)5 (L = (C2F5)2P(Me), (C2F5)2P(Ph), (C2F5)2P(NEt2)) is reported. Treatment of Cr(CO)6 with (C2F5)2P(Ph) afforded [(C2F5)2P(Ph)]Cr(CO)5 as well as an unusual arylphosphine-bridged dimer, {[μ,η1,η6-(C6H5)P(C2F5)2]Cr(CO)2}2, which was crystallographically characterized.
The Homeodomain Protein Arix Promotes Protein Kinase A-dependent Activation of the Dopamine β-Hydroxylase Promoter through Multiple Elements and Interaction with the Coactivator cAMP-response Element-binding Protein-binding Protein

The differentiation and maintenance of a neurotransmitter phenotype is guided by the interaction of exogenous cues with intrinsic genetic machinery. For the noradrenergic phenotype, these influences combine to activate the expression of the catecholaminergic biosynthetic enzymes tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH). In this study, we evaluate the molecular mechanisms by which the transcription factor Arix/Phox2a contributes to DBH gene transcription. We have evaluated the contribution of individual homeodomain binding sites in the rat DBH promoter region and find that all are essential for both basal and cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA)-stimulated transcription. Using mammalian one-hybrid and two-hybrid systems, we demonstrate that recruitment of Arix to the positions of homeodomain core recognition sites 1 and 2 at -153 to -166 of the DBH gene restores complete responsiveness of the promoter to PKA in SHSY-5Y neuroblastoma and HepG2 hepatoma cells. Intracellular Arix-Arix interactions are evident and may contribute to the interdependence of homeodomain binding sites. Analysis of functional domains of Arix reveals an N-terminal activation domain and a C-terminal repression domain. The N terminus of Arix contains an amino acid motif similar to a region in Brachyury and Pax9 transcription factors. The N-terminal activation domain of Arix interacts with the transcriptional co-activator, cAMP-response element-binding protein-binding protein, which potentiates transcription from the DBH promoter in a PKA-dependent manner. The present study supports the hypothesis that the paired-like homeodomain protein, Arix, acts as a critical phenotype-specific regulator of the DBH promoter by serving as an integrator of signal-dependent transcription activators within the network of the general transcription machinery.
Ultrafast Electron Diffraction: Structural Dynamics of the Elimination Reaction of Acetylacetone

Ultrafast electron diffraction is reported for the elimination reaction of acetylacetone. For this multipath reaction, upon 266 nm excitation, it is revealed that the major reaction channel is fragmentation from the β carbon, producing OH and 3-penten-2-on-4-yl radicals, with a time constant of 247 ± 34 ps. We determine the structures involved and the changes in bond lengths. These structure-dynamics correlations in different states provide a mechanistic description of the complex reaction landscape.
Crystal and molecular structure of 9,9-dimethyl-9-azonia-bicyclo [6.1.0] nonane iodide

Abstract The molecular and crystal structure of 9,9-Dimethyl-9-azoniabicyclo [6.1.0] nonane iodide has been elucidated. The aziridine ring is bridged cis to the cyclo-octane ring. The cyclo-octane ring has been shown to have a skewed conformation. Transannular hydrogen distances as short as 1·98 A have been postulated. The crystal is disordered with two formula weights in a unit cell of dimensions a = 7· 5 8 , b = 9·02, c = 8·98 A, and the space group is Pmn21. The final value of R = Σ|Fo|−|Fc| - / Σ|Fo| is 0·13 for the 554 observed reflections.
17β-Estradiol (E2) modulates cytokine and chemokine expression in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells

The effects of estrogen on the immune system are still largely unknown. We have investigated the effect of 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) on human monocyte-derived immature dendritic cells (iDCs). Short-term culture in E(2) had no effect on iDC survival or the expression of cell surface markers. However, E(2) treatment significantly increased the secretion of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in iDCs and also increased secretion of osteoprotegerin (OPG) by DCs. Furthermore, E(2) significantly increased secretion of the inflammatory chemokines IL-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) by iDCs, but not the production of the constitutive chemokines thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC). However, after E(2) pretreatment the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of MCP-1, TARC, and MDC by DCs was clearly enhanced. Moreover, mature DCs pretreated with E(2) stimulated T cells better than control cells. Finally, we found that E(2) provides an essential signal for migration of mature DCs toward CCL19/macrophage inflammatory protein 3beta (MIP3beta). In summary, E(2) may affect DC regulation of T-cell and B-cell responses, as well as help to sustain inflammatory responses. This may explain, in part, the reason serum levels of estrogen correlate with the severity of certain autoimmune diseases.
Congenital cataract surgery during the early enlightenment period and the Stepkins oculists

From antiquity through the Renaissance, congenital blindness was generally regarded as incurable, as noted in both medical and lay publications. The earliest reference to congenital cataract surgery that we identified, reported in 1663, referred to an 18-year-old female treated by English oculist John Stepkins (d. 1652). An examination of the literature related to the Stepkins family reveals the presence of male and female oculists during that period, including his daughter, Lady Theodosia Ivy. Eye waters attributed to Stepkins contained tutty (an oxide of zinc), roses, sugar candy, and other ingredients. Interestingly, John Thomas Woolhouse, the author of the next identified report of congenital cataract surgery in 1706, stated that he was related to Stepkins. Woolhouse reported by 1721 that he had performed 36 congenital cataract surgeries, with the youngest patient being 18 months of age.
A novel germanium implanted salicide technology for CMOS VLSI

A novel salicided twin-tub CMOS process using germanium implantation has been developed and characterized. Implantation of n/sup +/ and p/sup +/ dopants after titanium salicidation is used to fabricate devices with low junction leakage and good short-channel effects. The technology is based on a conventional twin-tub CMOS process that uses LTO sidewall spacers for both the LDD (lightly doped drain) and salicide formation. The high-dose phosphorus and boron implants that are performed through the silicide layer to form the n/sup +/ and p/sup +/ regions result in an enhanced diffusivity in the n/sup -/ and p/sup -/ regions, causing anomalously deep source-drain junctions with degraded device punchthrough leakage. This is confirmed by electrical measurements. Since the projected implantation range for phosphorus is greater than arsenic, thicker titanium silicide layers with lower sheet resistance are possible. Spreading resistance and electrical device measurements indicate that the lateral diffusion of the n/sup -/ and p/sup -/ regions is reduced by as much as 0.15 mu m when germanium implantation is performed prior to titanium deposition. Diode leakage was less than 10 nA/cm/sup 2/ for a 5 V bias at room temperature for both cases. >
Translocations in Prader‐WiIIi syndrome

The Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) has frequently been associated with chromosomal anomalies involving the region 15q11-q12. The first case of this syndrome associated with a de novo translocation involving chromosomes 11 and 15 is reported. The breakpoints were identified as 11q25 and 15q11 or q12[45, XX,t(11;15)(q25;q11-12)], resulting in the deletion of 15pter leads to 15q11-q12. Previously reported cases of PWS associated with translocations are reviewed in relation to the "deletion hypothesis."
Patterns of Change Following Parent Death in Midlife Adults.

Forty midlife adults, twenty-two women and eighteen men, who had experienced the loss of a parent were interviewed in order to study the long-term impact of parent death. The sample included thirty-six father deaths and eleven mother deaths. Findings suggest that the quality of the early parent-child bond was related to later grief reactions. Gender differences were found in degree of response to death of the father-women demonstrated greater affect than men-while both men and women demonstrated strong affect following the death of the mother. Parent death preceded a time of upheaval and transition for most of the sample, and this upheaval was related to themes of personal mortality and to changes in interpersonal relationships. The event of parent death was an important symbolic event for midlife adults and merits further study.
Arguing Americanism: Franco Lobbyists, Roosevelt's Foreign Policy and the Spanish Civil War

Michael E. Chapman. Arguing Americanism: Franco Lobbyists, Roosevelt's Foreign Policy and the Spanish Civil War. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 2011. Pp. xxii. 315. US$60On 29 November 1939...
Isolation and structural characterization of tetra- and pentaheterometallic neodymium 4-methylphenoxide complexes

Abstract The compatibility of the special bridging abilities of the 4-methylphenoxide ligand, OC 6 H 4 Me-4, and alkylaluminum reagents have been examined. NdCl 3 reacts with KOC 6 H 4 Me-4 in THF to form K 3 Nd 2 (μ-OC 6 H 4 Me-4) 6 ( μ 4 -OC 6 H 4 Me-4) 3 (THF) 7 , 1 , which has a trigonal bipyramidal arrangement of metal atoms with neodymium in the apical sites. Six doubly-bridging aryloxide ligands connect each apical metal to an equatorial metal and three quadruply-bridging aryloxide ligands connect the apical metals with two equatorial sites. Two potassium atoms have two terminal THF ligands and the other metals each have one terminal THF. A suspension of 1 in hexanes reacts with Al 2 Me 6 to produce colorless crystals of [Me 2 Al(OC 6 H 4 Me-4)] n and blue crystals which have been crystallographically characterized as Nd[μ-OC 6 H 4 Me-4) 2 AlMe 2 ] 3 , 2 . The neodymium atom in 2 is surrounded by an octahedron of bridging aryloxide ligands and each aluminum is tetrahedral.
Determinants of general dentists' decisions to accept capitation payment: a conceptual model and empirical estimates.

– Background: Shifts in payment options for dental care over several decades have resulted in more dental expenditures being paid through health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and capitation arrangements. Patients’ and employers’ choices to participate in these arrangements is determined in part by dentists’ willingness to participate in plans, and plan choices may be influenced by patient satisfaction, self-reported oral health, and/or quality or cost of care. Objectives: This study examined determinants of dentists’ decisions to accept capitation payment for services. Research Design: Cross-sectional mail survey in December 2006. Subjects: 1605 general dentists in Oregon. Measures: Questions addressed dentists’ perceptions of the importance of control over various practice parameters, willingness to accept capitation payment, employment or ownership status within the practice, and practice characteristics. Results: Capitation was accepted by 22.6% of the respondent dentists (n = 729). Reported average fees (2007 dollars) ranged from $60 (initial oral examination) to approximately $800 (porcelain crowns). The likelihood of accepting capitation payment was related to the number of dentists in the practice, but surprisingly owner-dentists were no less likely than employee-dentists (associates) to accept capitation. As expected, dentists’ usual and customary fees were negatively associated with accepting capitation. In contrast, measures of dentists’ importance of control were not related to decisions about capitation. Longer average appointment delays were related to acceptance of capitation, but the effects were small. Conclusions: Dentists’ behavior regarding payment acceptance is generally consistent with microeconomic theory of provider behavior. Study findings should inform practitioners, plan managers, and researchers in examining dentist payment decisions.
Detection of the electrocardiogram P-wave using wavelet analysis

Since wavelet analysis is an effective tool for analyzing transient signals, we studied its feature extraction and representation properties for events in electrocardiogram (EKG) data. Significant features of the EKG include the P-wave, the QRS complex, and the T-wave. For this paper the feature that we chose to focus on was the P-wave. Wavelet analysis was used as a pre-processor for a backpropagation neural network with conjugate gradient learning. The inputs to the neural network were the wavelet transforms of EKGs at a particular scale. The desired output was the location of the P-wave. The results were compared to results obtained without using the wavelet transform as a pre-processor.
FOREST STRUCTURE AND LIGHT REGIMES FOLLOWING MODERATE WIND STORMS: IMPLICATIONS FOR MULTI-COHORT MANAGEMENT

Moderate-severity disturbances appear to be common throughout much of North America, but they have received relatively little detailed study compared to catastrophic disturbances and small gap dynamics. In this study, we examined the immediate impact of moderate-intensity wind storms on stand structure, opening sizes, and light regimes in three hemlock-hardwood forests of northeastern Wisconsin. These were compared to three stands managed by single-tree and group selection, the predominant forest management system for northern hardwoods in the region. Wind storms removed an average of 41% of the stand basal area, compared to 27% removed by uneven-aged harvests, but both disturbances removed trees from a wide range of size classes. The removal of nearly half of the large trees by wind in two old-growth stands caused partial retrogression to mature forest structure, which has been hypothesized to be a major disturbance pathway in the region. Wind storms resulted in residual stand conditions that were much more heterogeneous than in managed stands. Gap sizes ranged from less than 10 m2 up to 5000 m2 in wind-disturbed stands, whereas the largest opening observed in managed stands was only 200 m2. Wind-disturbed stands had, on average, double the available solar radiation at the forest floor compared to managed stands. Solar radiation levels were also more heterogeneous in wind-disturbed stands, with six times more variability at small scales (0.1225 ha) and 15 times more variability at the whole-stand level. Modification of uneven-aged management regimes to include occasional harvests of variable intensity and spatial pattern may help avoid the decline in species diversity that tends to occur after many decades of conventional uneven-aged management. At the same time, a multi-cohort system with these properties would retain a high degree of average crown cover, promote structural heterogeneity typical of old-growth forests, and maintain dominance by late-successional species.
Intracellular Organic Osmolytes: Function and Regulation

Cells of almost all organisms accumulate organic osmolytes when exposed to hyperosmolality, most often in the form of high salt or urea. In this review, we discuss 1) how the organic osmolytes protect; 2) the identity of osmolytes in Archaea, bacteria, yeast, plants, marine animals, and mammals; 3) the mechanisms by which they are accumulated; 4) sensors of osmolality; 5) the signaling pathways involved; and 6) mutual counteraction by urea and methylamines.
Performance of Thermally Radiating Fractal Extended Surfaces of Varying Cross-Section

The thermal performance of fractal fins with varying cross-sectional profiles thermally radiating to free space was computationally examined. The Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern was used to increase the surface area and decrease the system mass of extended surfaces used in waste heat rejection systems. Fin effectiveness per unit was used to quantify the thermal performance of the Sierpinski carpet extended surfaces of varying cross-sectional profile. The use of non-uniform cross-sectional profiles was found to increase the effectiveness per unit mass of Sierpinski carpet extended surfaces thermally radiating to free space. At higher order fractal iterations the use of non-uniform cross-sectional profiles also resulted in an increase in fin efficiency. The utilization of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern in combination with a non-uniform cross-sectional profile results in a significant increase in fin effectiveness per unit mass when compared with traditionally employed longitudinal fins of rectangular profile.
Perturbations of systems with periodic asymptotically stable orbits

On an Tz-manifold X, let n be a dynamical system that has an asymptotically stable periodic orbit I: (In our usage, i‘ is asymptotically stable iff inside any neighborhood FV of r, there is an open invariant set V containing r such that, for any other neighborhood Z of r, there is a time T < GO with the property that ?T( b’ x [T, CO)) C Z.) Our principal result is that if U is any neighborhood of r in X, and m& is any dynamical system on X resulting from a. “sufficiently small” perturbation of n, then rLd has a periodic orbit contained in zi. This is a partial extension to dynamical systems of a classical result concerning autonomous differential equations of the form k = f(~, .u) whose first variation satisfies certain conditions [2, p. 3521. In the classical case, the periodic solution of the perturbed system is also asymptotically orbitally stable. We include an example of a dynamical system on E3 with a single asymptotically stable (in the sense of the definirion above) orbit. Small perturbations of this system are constructed whose resulting periodic orbit is not even stable, much less asymptotically stable. A dynamical system on a topological space X is a continuous mapping ‘ir: X x R -+ X (R = real number line) such that z(“Y, 0) = x k’,z E X and “(S, t1 + tz) = T+T(x, t& t3) vx E x and t1 , tz E R. In this paper we will write ~(x, t) as ZH, and use ArrB to denote n(a y\ B), ip C X, B CR. We will use without reference certain elementary properties of dynamical systems. The reader will find in either [I, 4, or 61 a good introduction to dynamical systems. The set of all dynamical systems on X with the compactopen topology, we term D(X).
Sequence-Specific Alkylation and Cleavage of DNA Mediated by Purine Motif Triple Helix Formation

An N-bromoacetyl electrophile attached to the 5'-phosphate group of a purine-rich oligonucleotide affords sequence-specific alkylation of duplex DNA (at 37 degrees C, pH 7.4) through the formation of a specific purine.purine.pyrimidine triple-helical complex. In a 645 bp restriction fragment containing three consecutive guanine bases adjacent to the 3'-end of an oligonucleotide binding site, the yield of single-strand cleavage after piperidine treatment is 80% at the guanine base directly adjacent to the binding site and 88% overall. In an 837 bp restriction fragment containing two adjacent inverted repeats of the third strand binding site and a single 3'-guanine base, yields of single-strand cleavage are 87% on each strand at the 3'-guanine base. Double-strand cleavage was obtained in 61% yield at a single site in a 6.6 kbp plasmid containing the 837 bp fragment. Extension of triple helix mediated DNA alkylation from the pyrimidine to purine motif formally extends the number of sites in duplex DNA that can be cleaved in a sequence-specific and nucleotide-specific manner in good yields.
Need for speed: better movement quality during faster task performance after stroke.

Background—Although slow and insufficient muscle activation is a hallmark of hemiparesis post-stroke, movement speed is rarely emphasized during upper extremity rehabilitation. Moving faster may increase intensity of task-specific training, but positive and/or negative effects on paretic-limb movement quality are unknown. Objective—To determine whether moving quickly instead of at a preferred speed either enhances or impairs paretic limb task performance after stroke. Methods—Sixteen people with post-stroke hemiparesis and 11 healthy controls performed reachgrasp-lift movements at their preferred speed and as fast as possible, using palmar and 3-finger grip types. We measured durations of the reach and grasp phases, straightness of the reach path, thumb-index finger separation (aperture), efficiency of finger movement, and grip force. Results—As expected, reach and grasp phase durations decreased in the fast condition in both groups, showing that participants were able to move more quickly when asked. When moving fast, the hemiparetic group had reach durations equal to those of healthy controls moving at their preferred speed. Movement quality also improved. Reach paths were straighter and peak apertures were greater in both groups in the fast condition. The group with hemiparesis also showed improved efficiency of finger movement. Differences in peak grip force across speed conditions did not reach significance. Conclusions—People with hemiparesis are able to move faster than they choose to, and when they do, movement quality is improved. Simple instructions to move faster could be a cost-free and effective means of increasing rehabilitation intensity after stroke.
A Climate Science Day Participant Describes the Experience

As a paleoclimate scientist, I was thrilled to take part in the third annual Climate Science Day on Capitol Hill. The associated training was substantive and engaging and focused on helping us be heard through the din on the Hill. While my prior experiences with Hill visits have tempered my hopes for effecting lasting change, I believe that such conversations help put a face on climate science.
Bandwidth scalable speech coding and rate switching

Bit rate scalability in speech coders can be used to achieve SNR scalable speech coding or bandwidth scalable coding of speech and audio. While SNR scalability has been studied theoretically and practically, the fundamental limits of bandwidth scalability have received substantially less attention. We utilize classical rate distortion theory subject to a weighted squared error fidelity criterion to analyze the performance of subband structured bandwidth scalable coders. We propose the application of bandwidth scalable speech coding for rate switching in wireless environments and develop a bandwidth scalable coder that builds upon narrowband adaptive multirate speech coders. The bandwidth scalable coders exhibit performance competitive with wideband speech coders at the same rates.
The demand for housing services

Abstract Despite the voluminous literature devoted to it, the concept of housing demand is ambiguous. Reconciling this ambiguity is important since the approach to estimating housing demand and the policy questions that can be addressed depends crucially on what interpretation is used. In this paper, housing demand is modeled as a continuous quantity that represents the flow of housing services. Confusion can arise over whether these services include not only those that arise from the housing structure but also from the neighborhood in which the house is located. The demand for housing services is derived from standard utility maximization and it is decomposed into structure and neighborhood demand equations. Another key issue that is addressed in this paper is the construction of the price of housing. Allowing for a single price of housing or multiple prices in a given housing market results in different indices for housing services that can produce very different estimates of the price and income elasticities for housing. This latter point is borne out in an empirical example using data from National version of the American Housing Survey for 1993 and 2001.
Spectra and energy levels of Sm XXXIV, Eu XXXV, Gd XXXVI, and Yb XXXXII

We present wavelengths and energy levels based on extreme-ultraviolet and x-ray transitions in the ions Sm+33, Eu+34, Gd+35, and Yb+41 of the cu i isoelectronic sequence. The sources of the spectra were laser-produced plasmas generated by the OMEGA laser facility at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics. The photographic spectra were recoreder by a 3-m grazing-incidence spectograph. The spectra lines fall between about 10 and 115 A and we compare our results with previous measurements where available.