cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monotonic models for asymmetric proximities

Abstract A series of models is proposed that each represent an asymmetric square data matrix as a monotonic combination of a symmetric function and a bias function. These models generalize several previous models for proximity and dominance data. A computer program is described that estimates from data the ordinal functions in the models. Previously published data on journal citations and acoustic confusions fit the strongest models in the series as well as the weaker ones.
The role of spinal cord facilitation in neurogenic bladder function.

Facilitation is defined as the biasing of the cord by the passage of a train of afferent impulses so that the reflex effect of a simultaneously or consecutively applied stimulus is enhanced. The tendency to facilitation is increased as a result of cord transection. The urinary bladder is unique in that during filling, afferent impulses produced by stretching of the detrusor constantly increase in frequency. As a result, accommodation, as to a steady stimulus, does not occur. The effects are widespread in the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. Voiding may be prevented by excessive sphincter contraction and excessive autonomic phenomena may occur. Facilitation thus leads to the obliteration of reciprocal action between bladder and sphincter upon which voiding depends. Artificial stimulation of the filled bladder further enhances facilitation and this may explain the shortcomings of such procedures. The most logical approach to neurogenic bladder management is to suppress the tendency of the spinal cord to facilitate, by pharmacological means, if possible.
Better funding for government IT: views from the front line

When asked to identify the barriers preventing public agencies from more effectively using information technologies, government officials have consistently pointed to two as post important. One is a lack of long-term leadership, including problems involved in getting political and civil service leaders and overseers to commit projects with benefits that are either uncertain, controversal, or long-term. Other, and related, problem is obtaining funding through a budgeting process that is perennially tight and often biased against many of the most valuable governmental IT opportunities. This study focuses on the funding problem, and particularly on ways to improve governement IT budgeting. We find that, while those directly involved in government IT projects, thay have also developed a number of approaches that hold significant promise for the future
Forecasting irregularly spaced data: an extension of double exponential smoothing

Abstract Automated forecasts are often required, in practice, using data series from which certain points are missing and from data occurring at completely irregular time intervals. For instance, in computerised inventory control, fast methods of dealing with such data are required. There is an almost complete absence in the literature of computationally efficient methods for such a situation. This paper gives an extension of single and double exponential smoothing adapted to data occurring at irregular time intervals. These extensions are shown to have modest computational requirements and little sensitivity to initial conditions. Results of tests on sample data series are given showing only a minor decrease in accuracy with missing data, and indicating the appropriate method of choosing the smoothing parameter. Application of this method to published government time series is illustrated by two examples, firstly, to river water quality data originating from samples taken at irregular time intervals and, secondly, to divorce rate statistics from which certain points are missing due to summarizing the data. Successive summarizing of these series is found to have a negligible effect on forecast accuracy implying attractive cost saving possibilities in data collection and publication.
Distinguishing between Positive and Negative Approaches to Peace

The distinction between positive and negative goals is important in the psychology of peace because it affects the way people respond to the threat of nuclear war. An orientation toward the negative goal of avoiding war has been a priority because of the great danger of the nuclear threat and also because negative means and goals, being primarily reactive, more concrete, and more oriented to short-term objectives than positive goals, are more conducive to action. However, there are unfortunate consequences of too exclusive a concentration on avoiding war: inadequate conceptualization of a positive, more easily maintained goal of peace, and increased anxiety resulting in poor-quality thinking about ways to achieve peace. Choosing positive means of working toward peace is consonant with peace as a positive goal, and it compensates for some of the disadvantages of an exclusive focus on avoiding a nuclear confrontation.
IS CYSTINE ESSENTIAL FOR PREMATURE INFANTS

Growth in premature infants (weight 1000-2000 gms, 26-32 wks gestation) fed a commercially available low cystine formula was not significantly different from those fed a formulation containing twice the dietary cystine. The formulas were identical with the exception of protein quality; the low cystine formula contained 13mg/100ml and the high cystine formula 24mg/100ml. There was no significant difference in growth rate of infants, in the serum concentration or the tissue levels (glutathione) of cystine in the two groups. Cystathionase activity in the liver has been reported to be absent in premature infants. These results indicate that the low cystine formula contains adequate cystine for normal growth of premature infants & provides normal serum & tissue levels of this amino acid.
The role of knowledge management in the space industry: important or superfluous?

Purpose – This article aims to describe the importance of knowledge management (KM) to the space industry.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing from a range of literature published in the academic and industry arenas, also including articles published in this special issue. The authors also apply their personal experience and practical knowledge.Findings – Implementations in KM within aerospace organizations and space industry have grown beyond mere technology thrusts, and now include aspects of culture, people, and process. These more sophisticated KM tasks build on technology and information to help guide organizations through the intricacies of working with international teams and making ever‐more‐complex decisions.Practical implications – All organizations make mistakes; an important factor for recovering from these errors and avoiding the repetition of these problems is the implementation of a knowledge management system (KMS).Originality/value – Most general KM articles discuss KM from the technolog...
Ill-Advised: Presidential Health and Public Trust

In "Ill Advised - Presidential Health and Public Trust" the historian Robert H. Ferrell presents powerful evidence of frightening medical cover-ups in the White House. Ferwell traces often shocking incidents - from Grover Cleveland's secret surgery for cancer to the questionable reporting of details on the health of both Ronald Reagan and George Bush. Malpractice, missing public records and politically motivated cover-ups have hidden sometimes severe presidential illnesses from the American people for more than a century. A massive stroke in 1919 crippled Woodrow Wilson both mentally and physically. But it was the ensuing cover-up that paralysed both foreign and domestic affairs, as the incompetent leader continued to serve. Certain that an ailing Franklin D. Roosevelt would never survive a fourth term, White House insiders worked frantically behind Roosevelt's back to orchestrate the nomination of their own choice for the vice-presidential candidate. Roosevelt's health never became a public issue, and Harry S. Truman became the 33rd president of the United States just two months after the election, having been handpicked by a handful of politically motivated White House insiders. At the heart of "Ill Advised" is important new documentation of the serious physical conditional of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using previously untapped evidence, including exclusive interviews with Eisenhower's cardiologist, Brigadier General Thomas W. Mattingly, Ferrell uncovers convincing evidence of Eisenhower's ill health, which probably should have kept him from ever running for the presidency. Ferrell discusses possible cover-ups in the presidencies of John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, and leaves readers to draw their own conclusions about George Bush's arrhythmic heart and the possibility of Dan Quayle as a sudden, accidental president of the United States. As the 1992 election campaign heats up, some commentators are already watching for Bush's health to become a political issue. "In a time of great crisis," writes Ferrwell, "a president hid his illness from the American people." For every citizen concerned with the accountability of government, "Ill Advised: Presidential Health and Public Trust" offers a crucial look at a frightening phenomenon that threatens to repeat itself.
Negative recency in delayed recognition

There is some controversy as to whether negative recency is found on a delayed final recognition test following immediate free recall. The present experiment demonstrated how presentation rate of input and the method of analysis of the data interact to yield the differential results.
Benign Transient Hyperphosphatasia and HIV Infection

The disorder, benign transient hyperphosphatasia, has been defined previously as a condition occurring in a normal child with spontaneous, transient elevation of alkaline phosphatase.We report three cases of hyperphosphatasia in patients with congenital HIV infection and underlying liver disease which appear to satisfy the criteria for benign transient hyperphosphatasia despite the presence of chronic disease. These three children, when compared with three normal children with transient hyperphosphatasia exhibited similar patterns of change in serum alkaline phosphatase.Extreme elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase in HIV infected patients does not of itself suggest alterations in clinical status nor indicate the need for extensive evaluation.
Endothelial Atheroprotective and Anti-inflammatory Mechanisms

Atherosclerosis preferentially occurs in areas of turbulent flow and low fluid shear stress, whereas laminar flow and high shear stress are atheroprotective. Inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), have been shown to stimulate expression of endothelial cell (EC) genes that may promote atherosclerosis. Recent data suggest that steady laminar flow decreases EC apoptosis and blocks TNF-mediated EC activation. EC apoptosis is likely important in the process termed "plaque erosion" that leads to platelet aggregation. Steady laminar flow inhibits EC apoptosis by preventing cell cycle entry, by increasing antioxidant mechanisms (e.g., superoxide dismutase), and by stimulating nitric oxide-dependent protective pathways that involve enzymes PI3-kinase and Akt. Conversely, our laboratory has identified nitric oxide-independent mechanisms that limit TNF signal transduction. TNF regulates gene expression in EC, in part, by stimulating mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) which phosphorylate transcription factors. We hypothesized that fluid shear stress modulates TNF effects on EC by inhibiting TNF-mediated activation of MAP kinases. To test this hypothesis, we determined the effects of steady laminar flow (shear stress = 12 dynes/cm2) on TNF-stimulated activity of two MAP kinases: extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Flow alone stimulated ERK1/2 activity, but decreased JNK activity compared to static controls. TNF (10 ng/ml) alone activated both ERK1/2 and JNK maximally at 15 minutes in human umbilical vein EC (HUVEC). Pre-exposing HUVEC for 10 minutes to flow inhibited TNF activation of JNK by 46%, but it had no significant effect on ERK1/2 activation. Incubation of EC with PD98059, a specific mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor, blocked the flow-mediated inhibition of TNF activation of JNK. Flow-mediated inhibition of JNK was unaffected by 0.1 mM L-nitroarginine, 100 pM 8-bromo-cyclic GMP, or 100 microM 8-bromo-cyclic AMP. Transfection studies with dominant negative constructs of the protein kinase MEK1 and MEK5 suggested an important role for BMK1 in flow-mediated regulation of TNF signals. In summary, the atheroprotective effects of steady laminar flow on the endothelium involve multiple synergistic mechanisms.
A case study of the synoptic patterns influencing midwinter snowmelt across the northern Great Plains

Snow cover is found across extensive areas of the northern hemisphere during the winter and early spring seasons. Meltwater provided by this snow cover can be an important source of freshwater for agriculture. domestic uses and hydroelectric power. Rapid ablation of the snowpack, however, can also pose environmental hazards such as flooding. The ability to forecast meltwater quantities is dependent upon a knowledge of the factors influencing the snowmelt process. This paper employs a hybrid modelling and synoptic climatological approach to investigate the relationships between synoptic weather patterns, surface energy fluxes and midwinter snowmelt in the northern Great Plains. The first objective of this study is to identify distinct synoptic patterns that are associated with days where significant snow cover ablation occurred. The second objective is to evaluate the relationships between synoptic-scale weather patterns, snow surface energy transfers and snowmelt. A case study of 21 February 1975 is used to illustrate these relationships. Unlike the other synoptic-type studies, which rely on empirically derived energy flux data from single index sites, this study employs a physically based snowpack model to generate estimates of energy fluxes. The use of modelled fluxes instead of measured values allows for a more spatially extensive analysis as surface fluxes over the entire study region can be analysed in conjunction with the prevailing synoptic-scale weather patterns. Three major synoptic types, characterized by the presence of a midlatitude cyclone, are associated with large midwinter snowmelt episodes in the northern Great Plains. The case study illustrates how variations in temperature, humidity, cloud cover and wind speeds associated with such cyclonic storms can play a major role in affecting snow surface-atmosphere energy exchanges. As expected, elevated wind speeds and stronger temperature and humidity gradients significantly increased the transfers of sensible and latent heat between the snow surface and the atmosphere. Increased cloud cover near the low pressure centre reduced incoming solar radiation but through counter radiation also reduced the loss of long-wave radiation.
C. Walton Lillehei and total correction of tetralogy of Fallot

In March 1954, an operating team headed by C. Walton Lillehei introduced the technique of cross circulation for the first-ever total corrections of ventricular septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot, and atrioventricular canal. Ten of 45 patients operated on with this technique of cardiopulmonary bypass had correction of tetralogy of Fallot, and the results with these 10 patients were reported in a landmark article. The operative results achieved in 1954 and 1955 by Lillehei and his team using cross circulation were truly remarkable. In addition, the University of Minnesota team concomitantly developed a host of new techniques and biomedical devices that made subsequent cardiac operative procedures safer and simpler to perform. These techniques and devices included the first ventricular septal defect prosthetic patch, the first right ventricular outflow patch, the first clinically applicable bubble oxygenator, and the first intramyocardial electrode used in combination with an external pacemaker for a patient with complete heart block.
Quantitative Dosimetry for Yttrium-90 Radionuclide Therapy: Tumor Dose Predicts Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Response in Hepatic Metastatic Melanoma

Abstract Purpose To assess a new method for generating patient-specific volumetric dose calculations and analyze the relationship between tumor dose and positron emission tomography (PET) response after radioembolization of hepatic melanoma metastases. Methods and Materials Yttrium-90 ( 90 Y) bremsstrahlung single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) acquired after 90 Y radioembolization was convolved with published 90 Y Monte Carlo estimated dose deposition kernels to create a three-dimensional dose distribution. Dose-volume histograms were calculated for tumor volumes manually defined from magnetic resonance imaging or PET/CT imaging. Tumor response was assessed by absolute reduction in maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max ) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). Results Seven patients with 30 tumors treated with 90 Y for hepatic metastatic melanoma with available 90 Y SPECT/CT and PET/CT before and after treatment were identified for analysis. The median (range) for minimum, mean, and maximum dose per tumor volume was 16.9 Gy (5.7–43.5 Gy), 28.6 Gy (13.8–65.6 Gy) and 36.6 Gy (20–124 Gy), respectively. Response was assessed by fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT at a median time after treatment of 2.8 months (range, 1.2–7.9 months). Mean tumor dose ( P = .03) and the percentage of tumor volume receiving ≥ 50 Gy ( P max , whereas maximum tumor dose predicted for decrease in tumor TLG ( P Conclusions Volumetric dose calculations showed a statistically significant association with metabolic tumor response. The significant dose-response relationship points to the clinical utility of patient-specific absorbed dose calculations for radionuclide therapy.
The Use of Small Telescopes for Spectral Imaging of Low-light-level Extended Atmospheres in the Solar System

A 10-cm aperture telescope equipped with coronagraphic capabilities, using occulting masks of various size and material, has been developed to obtain low-light-level, wide-angle (~7o FOV), narrow-band filtered images of sodium exospheres at Io, the Moon and Mercury. Here we describe new instrument capabilities and recent findings about the extraordinarily long tails of sodium gas discovered in the lunar and hermean exospheres. Spatial and temporal variability patterns captured in such images can be used to study changes in surface sputtering processes and radiation pressure acceleration effects in the inner solar system.
Optimizing dilute acid hydrolysis of hemicellulose in a nitrogen-rich cellulosic material––dairy manure

Abstract Effective dilute acid hydrolysis of dairy manure which contains roughly 12% hemicellulose on a dry matter basis can produce a variety of mono-sugars such as arabinose, xylose and galactose, as well as to further benefit utilization of cellulose in the manure. To enhance the effectiveness of this dilute acid hydrolysis, the effect of manure nitrogen content was studied because some reactions such as the browning reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars and acid–base reactions involving ammonia and acid interfere with the hydrolysis. Two dairy manure samples were used to study this nitrogen effect; the original manure and the pretreated manure derived from a solid/liquid separation pretreatment. The pretreated manure had a total nitrogen content of 1.3% dry matter (DM) while the original dairy manure had twice that amount with a total nitrogen content of 2.6% DM. Results found that the optimal conditions for hydrolysis of manure hemicellulose were 2 h reaction time, 1% sulfuric acid concentration, 135 °C, and 10% sample concentration using the pretreated dairy manure as raw material. Under these conditions the corresponding sugar yield from hemicellulose was 111% and sugar concentration in the solution reached 16.5 g/l. At the same time, the hydrolyzed solid had 43% DM of cellulose, which was much higher than both the original manure containing 22% and the pretreated manure with 32%.
THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE ANALYSIS OF HOMEOBOX GENE EVOLUTION

The homeobox gene system presents a unique model for experimental and theoretical analyses of gene evolution. Homeobox genes play a role in patterning the embryonic development of diverse organisms and as such are likely to have been fundamental to the evolution of the specialized body plans of many animal species. The organization of Hox-genes in chromosomal, clusters in many species implicates gene duplication as a prominent mechanism in the evolution of this multigene family. I review here various theoretical analyses that have contributed to our understanding of the molecular evolution of this class of developmental control genes. This article also illustrates relationships between theoretical predictions and experimental studies and outlines future avenues for the evolutionary analysis of developmental systems.
Time to stabilization of anterior cruciate ligament-reconstructed versus healthy knees in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I female athletes.

Abstract Context: Jump landing is a common activity in collegiate activities, such as women's basketball, volleyball, and soccer, and is a common mechanism for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) inju...
Human Rights and Human Subjects: Ethics and Strategies in Social Science Research*

New guidelines implemented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services exempt broad categories of social science research from regulation by university review boards. The analysis examines how exemption from regulation will change the way researchers manage ethical matters in the future. Social scientists will wish to protect the rights of research subjects and, at the same time, study sensitive social issues by scientific designs. As in the past, these goals will be incompatible in various ways. The analysis examines the parameters within which researchers will deal with several ethical and methodological dilemmas.
Endoscopic laser scalpel for head and neck cancer surgery

Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques, such as laparoscopic surgery and endoscopy, provide reliable disease control with reduced impact on the function of the diseased organ. Surgical lasers can ablate, cut and excise tissue while sealing small blood vessels minimizing bleeding and risk of lymphatic metastases from tumors. Lasers with wavelengths in the IR are readily absorbed by water causing minimal thermal damage to adjacent tissue, ideal for surgery near critical anatomical structures. MIS techniques have largely been unable to adopt the use of lasers partly due to the difficulty in bringing the laser into the endoscopic cavity. Hollow waveguide fibers have been adapted to bring surgical lasers to endoscopy. However, they deliver a beam that diverges rapidly and requires careful manipulation of the fiber tip relative to the target. Thus, the principal obstacle for surgical lasers in MIS procedures has been a lack of effective control instruments to manipulate the laser in the body cavity and accurately deliver it to the targeted tissue. To overcome this limitation, we have designed and built an endoscopic laser system that incorporates a miniature dual wedge beam steering device, a video camera, and the control system for remote and /or robotic operation. The dual wedge Risley device offers the smallest profile possible for endoscopic use. Clinical specifications and design considerations will be presented together with descriptions of the device and the development of its control system.
Regulation of connexin degradation as a mechanism to increase gap junction assembly and function

Connexins, the integral membrane protein constituents of gap junctions, are degraded at a rate (t(12) = 1.5-5 h) much faster than most other cell surface proteins. Although the turnover of connexins has been shown to be sensitive to inhibitors of either the lysosome or of the proteasome, how connexins are targeted for degradation and whether this process can be regulated to affect intercellular communication is unknown. We show here that reducing connexin degradation with inhibitors of the proteasome (but not with lysosomal blockers) is associated with a striking increase in gap junction assembly and intercellular dye transfer in cells inefficient in both processes under basal conditions. The effect of proteasome inhibitors on wild-type connexin stability, assembly, and function was mimicked by treatment of assembly-inefficient cells with inhibitors of protein synthesis such as cycloheximide. Sensitivity of connexin degradation to cycloheximide, but not to proteasome inhibitors, was abolished when connexins were rendered structurally abnormal by perturbation of essential disulfide bonds or by mutation. Our findings provide the first evidence that intercellular communication can be up-regulated at the level of connexin turnover and that a short-lived protein may be required for conformationally mature connexins to become substrates of proteasomal degradation.
Molecular and cell biology ofthe growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor

Summary The GHRH receptor is a seven transmembrane G-protein-linkedreceptor found predominantly in the pituitary gland. It is essential for normal somatotroph proliferation and for the synthesis and secretion of GH. Significant amounts of GHRH receptor are also found in the hypothalamus, kidney and placenta. Transcription of the GHRH receptor gene promoter is enhanced by Pit-1 and by glucocorticoids but is inhibited by oestrogen. Recently, mutations involving severe GHRH receptor truncations have been associated with human type 1 GHD. Studies of chimeric receptors and of GHRH receptor cross-linking sites have shown that the N-terminal extracellular domain of the GHRH receptor is required for hormone binding, but that key sites for ligand specificity and signalling are associated with the transmembrane helices and intervening loops. Evidence from the ovine GHRH receptor suggests that the C-terminus has an inhibitory function and may be involved in down-regulation via internalization and phosphorylation. A better understanding of the GHRH receptor may lead to new therapies for the treatment of GH disorders.
OPTICAL CANDIDATE FOR PULSAR PSR 0833-45.

Two of the most singular characteristics of the pulsar NP 0532 are its short period (33 ms) and its association with a supernova remnant. This suggests that the next most promising candidate for detection of optical radiation from a pulsar is PSR 0833–45 (ref. 1), associated with the supernova remnant in Vela, which has a period of 89 ms.
A threat to medical innovation.

These are difficult times for the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its 2011 budget is 1% less than in 2010, and it is increasingly common for NIH to administratively decrease the size of awards across the board, before money goes out the door. The federal stimulus package buffered the impact of NIH budget issues. For example, approximately 36% of NIH grant awards derived from the stimulus in FY 2009 were individual research awards (R01s).* But the prospects moving forward are bleak, given the absence of stimulus funds and the building momentum for cutting federal discretionary spending. There have been 5 years of no real growth in the NIH budget, explaining in part why the number of grants awarded for research ideas originated by individual scientists (untargeted R01s) has been stagnant.† It also explains why paylines (the percent of applications funded) are at or near record lows. NIH Director Francis Collins recently testified before a Senate subcommittee that in FY 2011 only 17 to 18% of grant applications would be funded, the lowest level on record. Because collective funding efforts, such as program project and center grants, as well as targeted R01s (responses to specific program announcements from individual NIH institutes), also compete with the bottom-up R01 program for funding, innovative investigator-initiated research is in dire straits. This critical part of the NIH research effort forms the basis for future medical progress and must be returned to good health.
Dynamic polarizability of the sine-Gordon soliton☆

Abstract We employ a recently-developed perturbation theory to examine the response of a sine-Gordon soliton to an oscillating driving force in the presence of damping. The real and imaginary parts of the “polarizability” are plotted and we conclude that the soliton behaves very much like a classical deformable particle.
Physical and chemical evolution of PMDA‐ODA during thermal imidization

The processing of poly(imide) films from poly(amic acid) solutions involves the simultaneous loss of solvent and chemical conversion, and may involve structural reorganization such as orientation or crystallization. Here, we describe weight loss, solvent sorption. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and wide-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS) studies during thermal imidization of the commercially important poly(imide) PMDA-ODA. The results indicate that imidization of the commercially important poly(imide) PMDA-ODA. The results indicate that imidization proceeds nearly to completion before significant crystallization occurs. The experimental data are interpreted in terms of a triangular phase diagram that makes it possible to plot the processing pathway during the conversion from poly(amic acid) solution to solid poly(imide). In constructing this triangular phase diagram the extent of imidization (i.e., the composition of the poly(amic acid-co-imide) copolymers during conversion) is treated as an independent thermodynamic variable. The form of the triangular phase diagram can be predicted from the Flory-Huggins lattice theory of mixing. There is inevitably a two-phase region present due to the relatively poor solubility of the poly(imide) in the poly(amic acid) solvent (NMP). The specific processing pathway taken depends on the relative amount of solvent loss and imidization during conversion. Further details about the triangular phase diagrams of poly(imides) will require such studies as solvent swelling at intermediate stages of conversion
Assessment of Posterior Cruciate Ligament Graft Performance Using Robotic Technology

We used the information on in situ forces provided by robotics to compare two methods of posterior cruciate ligament graft fixation. Twenty porcine knees were studied using robotic technology to determine and repeat intact, deficient, and reconstructed knee motion under 110 N of posterior tibial loading at 30 degrees, 60 degrees, and 90 degrees of knee flexion. Reconstruction was performed using a bone-patellar tendon-bone graft with the distal end of the graft placed in the posterolateral aspect of the posterior cruciate ligament tibial insertion. Specimens were separated into two groups based on the femoral fixation site: the proximal or anterior aspect of the femoral insertion. Repetition of knee motion allowed measurement of the force in the intact posterior cruciate ligament and graft using the principle of superposition. The forces in the graft and the intact ligament provided additional information to evaluate graft performance. Force in the intact posterior cruciate ligament was significantly greater at 90 degrees than at 30 degrees and 60 degrees of knee flexion. The forces in both graft types were significantly lower than those of the posterior cruciate ligament, but the force in the anteriorly placed graft was significantly greater at 90 degrees than at 30 degrees and 60 degrees of knee flexion, similar to the intact posterior cruciate ligament. Thus, the anteriorly placed graft had a more physiologic increase in tension with knee flexion, when the joint provided less restraint.
Isotropic and kinematic hardening in a dispersion-strengthened aluminum alloy

The room temperature mechanical behavior of a dispersion strengthened aluminum alloy was examined in tension, compression, and in fully reversed loading. The alloy, 8009, is characterized by a high volume fraction of 50–100 nm dispersoid (25%) and 0.5 mm grain size. In tension, 8009 exhibits low strain to UTS and large post uniform elongation; in compression, near steady state deformation is observed after 2–3% strain. The Bauschinger effect was quantified as a function of prestrain in the forward direction. The experimental reverse loading curves were compared to those expected for ideal isotropic hardening and ideal K1 type kinematic hardening. The alloy exhibits nearly pure kinematic hardening of the K1 type. Based on the microstructure and the fully reversed loading behavior, the monotonic deformation behavior is explained.
Measuring the Benefits of Homeowning: Effects on Children Redux

We find that children of homeowners have better outcomes than children of renters whether their parents make a large or small initial investment in their home, as long as they make a minimal down payment when they buy their homes. Children with parents who made no down payment have similar outcomes to children of renters. The effect of homeownership holds up under myriad specifications, measuring initial housing investment as either an LTV ratio or a down payment dollar amount, and controlling for parent and family characteristics and geographic and year fixed effects.
The fracture toughness testing of steelaluminum deformation welds

Abstract A study of the fracture toughness (in this case, GIc) of steelaluminum deformation weld using a specially developed double cantilever beam fracture toughness specimen is presented. Welds made at 350°C were heat treated at 360, 380, 400, 420 and 440°C. An intermetallic reaction product layer is formed at the steelaluminum interface with increasing heat treating temperature and time. A transition in toughness from a higher average GIc value (6097 N/m) to a very low average GIc value (525 N/m) is observed with increasing time and temperature. The techniques developed in this study are applicable to many dissimilar metal welded systems.
Serologic evidence of paratuberculosis in Louisiana beef cattle herds as detected by ELISA

Abstract A serological survey of 1581 Louisiana beef cattle in 152 herds was performed to determine the extent of Johne's disease in Louisiana. Serum samples were obtained from the bovine serum bank maintained by the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. All samples were tested with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using protoplasmic antigen. Seventy-one (4.4%) of the animals tested and 46 (30%) of the herds tested had detectable antibodies. Previous studies have indicated a possible relationship between certain soil types and the clinical manifestation of Johne's disease. The data generated by this study did not confirm this relationship.
Magnetic properties of manganese in the photosynthetic O2-evolving complex. 2. Evidence for a manganese tetramer

In this contribution, the authors provide a more complete interpretation of earlier EPR data and include new experimental data on the magnetic properties of the g = 4.1 S/sub 2/ state EPR signal and the S/sub 2/ state multiline EPR signal produced by 245 K illumination in active state samples. An interpretation of the temperature-dependence data of the S/sub 2/ state EPR signal from NH/sub 4/Cl-treated PSII membranes was presented. These data can be best explained by a model of the S/sub 2/ state which consists of a mixed-valence manganese tetramer.
Item Response Theory Analysis of DSM-IV Criteria for Inhalant-Use Disorders in Adolescents*

Objective:Inhalants are a serious public health concern and a dangerous form of substance use. An important unresolved issue in the inhalant literature concerns the validity of inhalant-use diagnoses and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, distinction between inhalant abuse and inhalant dependence. To address these limitations and provide the foundation for helping build stronger diagnostic and assessment tools related to inhalant problems, this study examined the dimensionality of the criteria set and the abuse—dependence distinction using item response theory (IRT) analysis. Method:This study used data from a survey of the population of Missouri Division of Youth Services' residents of the residential treatment system. The current study focused on adolescents and young adults who reported a lifetime history of inhalant use (N = 279). Results:The results from the IRT analysis showed no consistent hierarchical ordering of abuse and dependence criteria, providing stro...
Informational Asymmetries and Observational Learning in Search

As economics modeling moves from super rational decision makers to considering boundedly rational agents, some economic problems deserve a second look. This paper studies the effects of learning on the efficiency of search. Once learning is taken into account, the structure of information flow becomes important. In particular, I highlight the truncated information structure in the search problem. Agents stop searching once a sufficiently attractive price is found. Therefore, they observe the performance of shorter searches, but do not directly observe the performance of longer searches. I design and conduct an experiment to test the hypothesis that this asymmetric flow of information leads agents to search too little. I find strong evidence in its favor. This suggests that in the presence of learning, the provision of a more symmetric information structure will make search more efficient.
The Boundary Question in Household Production: A Systems Model Approach.

Increasing interest in productive activity outside of the market economy has lead to renewed interest in household production. In both theory and practice there are unanswered “boundary questions” about the difference between production and consumption in the home. An input-output system model is presented in this paper as a framework in which to address these complex boundary issues. The model provides a theoretical way to distinguish between household produc tion, consumption, and other types of activity that fall outside of the market economy. The model provides a basis to better understand nonmarket economic activity that is critical to the discipline of home economics.
Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Revictimization

Research identifying rates and effects of adult/adolescent sexual revictimization among child sexual abuse victims was reviewed. Approximately one-third of child sexual abuse victims report experiencing repeated victimization. Child sexual abuse victims have a 2 to 3 times greater risk of adult revictimization than women without a history of child sexual abuse. Physical contact in abuse and revictimization in adolescence were found to lead to the greatest risk of revictimization. Repeated victims had more symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and dissociation than women with a history of child sexual abuse alone. Theories of revictimization and mediating variables were also reviewed. Clearer definitions of repeated victimization are needed and future research should include studies that follow child sexual abuse victims prospectively.
Exploiting Slepian-Wolf codes in wireless user cooperation

A novel scheme, termed Slepian-Wolf cooperation, is proposed, which exploits distributed source coding technologies in wireless cooperative communication to improve the inter-user outage performance. After motivating the idea, we discuss in detail a simple estimation mechanism, a combined data-syndrome transmission strategy and an optimal joint decoding algorithm. Using low-density parity-check codes as an example, we show that encouraging gains of up to 13 dB for the outage performance and 3.8 dB for the overall performance can be achieved on block Rayleigh fading channels.
Labour: From national resistance to international politics

Beyond the built‐in agenda, issues which have been proposed by some countries include trade and labour standards (the most potentially controversial of all these subjects). Renato Ruggiero, Director‐General, World Trade Organization (WTO), 28 May 1996
Subjectivity and Subjugation: Fieldwork in the Stratified Community

Contemporary rural anthropology, both applied and ethnographic, often takes place in situations of extreme political and class conflict. Despite recent debates over reflexivity and ethics generally in such studies, the methodological problems of doing fieldwork under conditions of class conflict rarely figure into the debate; this is particularly true of southern Europe. These problems are at once personal, moral, epistemological, and methodological. This paper describes one fieldworker's efforts to maintain scholarly neutrality in an agro-town in Franco Spain where class conflict was severe. The implications of this experience for critical anthropology and for applied anthropology are discussed.
Prediction of longitudinal cognitive decline in normal elderly with subjective complaints using electrophysiological imaging

An extensive literature reports changes in quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) with aging and a relationship between magnitude of changes and degree of clinical deterioration in progressive dementia. Longitudinal studies have demonstrated QEEG differences between mild cognitively impaired (MCI) elderly who go on to decline and those who do not. This study focuses on normal elderly with subjective cognitive complaints to assess the utility of QEEG in predicting future decline within 7 years. Forty-four normal elderly received extensive clinical, neurocognitive and QEEG examinations at baseline. All study subjects ( N = 44) had only subjective complaints but no objective evidence of cognitive deficit (evaluated using the Global Deterioration Scale [GDS] score, GDS stage = 2) at baseline and were re-evaluated during 7–9 year follow-up. Baseline QEEGs of Decliners differed significantly (p < 0.0001, by MANOVA) from Non-Decliners, characterized by increases in theta power, slowing of mean frequency, and changes in covariance among regions, especially on the right hemisphere. Using logistic regression, an R 2 of 0.93 (p < 0.001) was obtained between baseline QEEG features and probability of future decline, with an overall predictive accuracy of 90%. These data indicate high sensitivity and specificity for baseline QEEG as a differential predictor of future cognitive state in normal, subjectively impaired elderly.
The evolution of El Nino, past and future

Abstract We review forecasts of the future of El Nino and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a coupled instability of the ocean–atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific with global impacts. ENSO in the modern world is briefly described, and the physics of the ENSO cycle is discussed. Particular attention is given to the Bjerknes feedback, the instability mechanism which figures prominently in ENSO past and future. Our knowledge of ENSO in the paleoclimate record has expanded rapidly within the last 5 yr. The ENSO cycle is present in all relevant records, going back 130 kyr. It was systematically weaker during the early and middle Holocene, and model studies indicate that this results from reduced amplification in the late summer and early fall, a consequence of the altered mean climate in response to boreal summer perihelion. Data from corals shows substantial decadal and longer variations in the strength of the ENSO cycle within the past 1000 yr; it is suggested that this may be due to solar and volcanic variations in solar insolation, amplified by the Bjerknes feedback. There is some evidence that this feedback has operated in the 20th century and some model results indicate that it will hold sway in the greenhouse future, but it is very far from conclusive. The comprehensive general circulation models used for future climate projections leave us with an indeterminate picture of ENSO's future. Some predict more ENSO activity, some less, with the highly uncertain consensus forecast indicating little change.
Isolation of non-sporing anaerobic rods from infections in children

From 1974 to 1994, 2033 microbiological specimens from children were submitted for cultures for anaerobic bacteria. Fifty-seven isolates of Bifidobacterium spp. were obtained from 55 (3%) children, 67 isolates of Eubacterium spp. from 65 (3%) children and 41 isolates of Lactobacillus spp. from 40 (2%) children. Most Bifidobacterium isolates were from chronic otitis media, abscesses, peritonitis, aspiration pneumonia and paronychia. Most Eubacterium isolates were from abscesses, peritonitis, decubitus ulcers and bites. Lactobacillus spp. were mainly isolated from abscesses, aspiration pneumonia, bacteraemia and conjunctivitis. Most (> 90%) infections from which these species were isolated were polymicrobial and yielded a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The organisms most commonly isolated with the non-sporing anaerobic gram-positive rods were Peptostreptococcus spp., Bacteroides spp., pigmented Prevotella and Porphyromonas spp., Fusobacterium spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Most Bacteroides spp. and E. coli were isolated from intra-abdominal infection and skin and soft tissue infection around the rectal area, whereas most Prevotella, Porphyromonas and Fusobacterium isolates were from oropharyngeal, pulmonary and head and neck sites. The predisposing conditions associated with the isolation of non-sporing anaerobic gram-positive rods were previous surgery, malignancy, steroid therapy and immunodeficiency. Antimicrobial therapy was given to 149 (83%) of the 160 patients, in conjunction with surgical drainage or correction of pathology in 89 (56%).
Indicators' Elicitation Process for Re-Engineering of Learning Scenario: Tracks Approach Based on Usage Tracking Language

Our objective is to describe learning scenarios' tracks with its derived data; and, basing indicators' elicitation methodology on these described data. From this viewpoint, our approach presents several interesting points. First, it allows tracks and its derived data description possible by the use of a usage tracking language. Then, it proposes a means of assistance to: (i) teachers in the learning session comprehension and learners' activities evaluation, (ii) pedagogical analysts in tracks' exploitation, and (iii) pedagogical designers in the tracking scenarios' specification by indicators' elicitation. Lastly, it will also allow the development of a tracks based system, which will support this elicitation methodology.
Oral or parenteral administration of curcumin does not prevent the growth of high-risk t(4;11) acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells engrafted into a NOD/SCID mouse model.

In this study, the efficacy of orally and parenterally administered curcumin was evaluated in non‑obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice (NOD.CB17-Prkdc(scid)/J mice) engrafted with the human t(4;11) acute lymphoblastic leukemia line, SEM. SEM cells were injected into the tail vein and engraftment was monitored by flow cytometry. Once engraftment was observed, the chemotherapeutic potential was examined by injecting mice intraperitoneally with curcumin (5 mg/kg body weight) dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) or DMSO alone (control) every other day, or vincristine (0.5 mg/kg body weight) 3 times per week for 4 weeks (n=16 per group). The intraperitoneal administration of curcumin did not inhibit the growth of the leukemia cells. To determine the efficacy of oral curcumin, mice were fed a control diet or a diet containing 0.5% w/w curcumin 3 weeks prior to the injection of the leukemia cells and throughout the experimental period (n=16 per group). To determine whether dietary curcumin can enhance the efficacy of a conventional chemotherapeutic agent, vincristine was injected intraperitoneally into leukemic mice fed the different diets. Dietary curcumin did not delay the engraftment or growth of leukemia cells, or sensitize the cells to vincristine. Liquid chromatography‑tandem mass spectrometry analyses of mouse sera showed that curcumin rapidly metabolized to glucuronidated and sulfated forms within 1 h post‑injection and these were the major curcumin metabolites found in the sera of the mice fed the curcumin diet. In contrast to the findings in previous in vitro models, the current data indicate that orally or parenterally administered curcumin is not a potent preventive agent against high‑risk t(4;11) acute lymphoblastic leukemia.