cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Trouble With Overconfidence

The authors present a reconciliation of 3 distinct ways in which the research literature has defined overconfidence: (a) overestimation of one's actual performance, (b) overplacement of one's performance relative to others, and (c) excessive precision in one's beliefs. Experimental evidence shows that reversals of the first 2 (apparent underconfidence), when they occur, tend to be on different types of tasks. On difficult tasks, people overestimate their actual performances but also mistakenly believe that they are worse than others; on easy tasks, people underestimate their actual performances but mistakenly believe they are better than others. The authors offer a straightforward theory that can explain these inconsistencies. Overprecision appears to be more persistent than either of the other 2 types of overconfidence, but its presence reduces the magnitude of both overestimation and overplacement.
Impact of mild to moderate hearing loss on mental status testing. Comparability of standard and written Mini-Mental State Examinations.

Mild to moderate hearing loss has been hypothesized to decrease performance on verbally-administered cognitive tests as an artifact of testing. To evaluate this hypothesis, we conducted a randomized trial of a written version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), a cognitive screening instrument which, in its standard form, is primarily verbally administered. After baseline standard MMSE testing, 71 outpatients with Alzheimer's type dementia, 39 of whom (55%) had mild to moderate hearing deficits, and 32 of whom (45%) had normal hearing, were randomly assigned to receive either a written or standard MMSE. Hearing-impaired patients exhibited lower standard MMSE scores than hearing-unimpaired patients at baseline (P = .005). Contrary to expectation, however, on experimental administration, written MMSE scores were somewhat lower than standard MMSE scores in hearing-impaired patients (P not significant). Furthermore, written MMSE scores were slightly higher than standard MMSE scores in hearing-unimpaired patients (P not significant). These results suggest that the diminished cognitive performance associated with mild to moderate hearing loss is not necessarily an artifact of cognitive testing. In addition, these results provide preliminary evidence that a written MMSE is comparable to the standard MMSE and, thus, deserves further consideration for cognitive screening of profoundly hearing-impaired individuals.
Rev. of Postcolonial Francophone Autobiographies: From Africa to the Antilles, by EDGARD SANKARA

The dynamics of cultural representation and readership are at the core of Edgard Sankara's Postcolonial Francophone Autobiographies: From Africa to the Antilles. Sankara attempts to deconstruct the...
Daytime urinary frequency.

In Reply.— We missed the paper by Leung and Robson, and appreciate the chance to learn of it. It should be included in the definitive bibliography for extraordinary frequency. Certainly, as they say, the problem is more prevalent than recognized generally. The enuresis and urgency would have disqualified 3 of their 10 patients from our series. The pH of 5 in half of their patients was of interest. We didn9t, off hand, know the normal pH range of children in a urology clinic.
Electrophysiological and neuromuscular relationships in extramural blood vessels

The sections in this article are: 1 Innervation of Mesenteric Circulation 1.1 Anatomy 2 Mesenteric Artery 2.1 Resting Membrane Potential 2.2 Cell Coupling 2.3 Active Membrane Properties 2.4 Responses to Addition of Autonomic Neurotransmitters 2.5 Responses to Nerve Stimulation 2.6 Pharmacology of Neuroeffector Transmission 2.7 Prejunctional Effects on Neuromuscular Transmission 3 Neuromuscular Relationships in Nonmammalian Artery 4 Mesenteric Vein 4.1 Resting Membrane Potential 4.2 Action Potentials 4.3 Passive Membrane Properties 4.4 Response to Autonomic Transmitter Substances 4.5 Response to Nerve Stimulation 4.6 Pharmacology of Neuroeffector Transmission 5 Portal Vein 5.1 Spontaneous Action Potentials 5.2 Cell Coupling 5.3 Response to Nerve Stimulation 5.4 Response to Neurotransmitters 6 Functional Implications of Neuromuscular Differences Between Artery and Vein 7 Conclusions
A blind spot in driving decisions: how neglecting costs puts us in overdrive

This article discusses how people often neglect the financial costs associated with driving. As a consequence they take trips that are contrary to their own self-interest and cause unnecessary harm to the environment through carbon emissions. Two empirical studies demonstrate that when people do explicitly consider financial costs they are inclined to drive less. The article concludes by offering several solutions to help people learn and account for their driving costs.
Epidermal growth factor enhances glomerular mesangial cell soluble phospholipase A2 activity

We have previously characterized a hormonally regulated soluble form of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in the cultured renal mesangial cell which is similar and possibly identical to the major form in rat kidney. In an attempt to further characterize the mechanisms of regulation of this enzyme we have used epidermal growth factor (EGF), which does not activate polyphosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C in these cells. EGF-enhanced PLA2 activity as assayed by the ability of the soluble extracts of cells to cleave arachidonic acid from the sn-2 position of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. This represents a direct demonstration of EGF-induced PLA2 activation which is preserved in a cell-free extract. Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), as well as 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol, also enhanced PLA2 activity. By contrast, the calcium ionophore A23187 had no effect on extract PLA2 activity. The EGF- and PMA-induced enhanced activity was recovered following fractionation by Mono-Q anion exchange chromatography. The peak of activity comigrated for both agonists, suggesting that both EGF and PMA stimulated the same form of the enzyme. Down-regulation of protein kinase C by pretreatment with PMA resulted in loss of the PMA-induced, but not the EGF-induced, enhancement in PLA2 activity. 8-Bromo-cAMP had no effect upon the PLA2 activity, and did not modulate the EGF effect. Pertussis toxin induced G protein ADP-ribosylation but had no effect upon PLA2 activity, and did not alter the EGF effect. In summary, EGF results in a stable modification of PLA2 activity in glomerular mesangial cells. This enhanced activity is independent of polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis, insensitive to protein kinase C down-regulation, and is not affected by cAMP or pertussis toxin pretreatment of the cells.
Estimating agricultural deep drainage lag times to groundwater: application to Antelope Valley, California, USA

Estimates of groundwater volumes available in semiarid regions that rely on water balance calculations require the determination of both surface to groundwater lag times and volumes from irrigation or rainfall initiated recharge. Subsurface geologic material hydraulic properties (e.g. hydraulic conductivities, water retention functions) necessary for unsaturated flow modelling are rarely available as are the instrumented field tests that might determine such lag times. Here we develop a simple two-parameter (specific yield, Sy, and pore-size distribution index, λ), one-dimensional unsaturated flow model from simplifications of the Richards equation (using the Brooks-Corey relationships) to determine lag times from agricultural deep drainage associated with the irrigation of alfalfa hay and various row crops in the Antelope Valley of California, USA. Model-predicted lag times to depths of 85 m bgs (below ground surface) were similar to that measured in a 2-year ponded recharge field trial, slightly overestimating that measured by approximately 15% (0.51 vs 0.44 years). Lag time estimates were most sensitive to estimated deep percolation rates and roughly equally sensitive to the model hydraulic parameters. Generally, as subsurface material textures coarsen towards larger Sy and λ values for all Sy >10%, lag times progressively increase; however, at Sy <10%, lag times decrease substantially suggesting that particular combinations of Sy and λ values that may be associated with similarly textured materials can result in the prediction of different lag times for Sy approximately 10%. Overall, lag times of 1–3 years to a depth of 69 m bgs were estimated from deep drainage of agricultural irrigation across a variety of irrigation schedules and subsurface materials. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Wideband variable gain amplifiers in GaAs MMIC

The design and performance of C, X, and K/sub u/-band GaAs MMIC variable-gain and variable-power amplifier circuits using an improved segmented dual-gate MESFET device with binary scaled gate width ratios are reported. The demonstrated 35-dB control range, flat octave-band gain response, and less than 10-degrees incidental phase variation as a function of gain/attenuation state over a 20-dB control range are significantly superior to conventional analog-controlled devices. >
Cellular mechanisms of bile formation

The mechanisms of bile formation at the level of the hepatocyte have been the subject of intensive research for several decades. These efforts have been hampered, however, by an inability to sample the primary secretion with micropuncture techniques because of the relatively small size (<l pm) of the bile canaliculus. Nevertheless, since the previous review of this field in GASTROENTEROLOGY more than 7 yr ago (l), much has been added to our understanding of the cell biology and physiology of the bile secretory process. Importantly, the results of recent studies have suggested that the basic mechanisms underlying hepatocyte bile secretion may be similar to those responsible for the elaboration of salt and water by many secretory epithelia. In this review, we have limited our discussion to focus on the cellular and tissue aspects of bile water and solute secretion and will not deal with bile ductular or gallbladder modifications or with biliary lipid excretion. Organic anion transport will be considered only as it pertains to the genesis of bile formation.
Labeling the Regions of the Type $C_n$ Shi Arrangement

The number of regions of the type $C_n$ Shi arrangement in $\mathbb{R}^n$ is $(2n+1)^n$. Strikingly, no bijective proof of this fact has been given thus far. The aim of this paper is to provide such a bijection and use it to prove more refined results. We construct a bijection between the regions of the type $C_n$ Shi arrangement in $\mathbb{R}^n$ and sequences $a_1a_2 \ldots a_n$, where $a_i \in \{-n, -n+1, \ldots, -1, 0, 1, \ldots, n-1, n\}$, $ i \in [n]$. Our bijection naturally restrict to bijections between special regions of the arrangement and sequences with a given number of distinct elements.
Absence of a generalization decrement in the poison-induced avoidance of interoceptive stimuli in the rat

Rats poisoned either immediately or 4 h after consuming one novel solution were subsequently tested with either a water vs. the conditioned novel solution choice or with a water vs. a second unconditioned novel solution choice. The results showed that: (1) there was a significant avoidance of both solutions by the immediately poisoned groups compared to their respective controls, and (2) there was a clear avoidance of the unconditioned novel solution and a marginal avoidance of the conditioned novel solution by the 4-h poisoned groups compared to their respective controls. The absence of a generalization decrement indicates that associative mechanisms such as stimulus generalization cannot adequately account for these results. An alternative explanation, based on the interaction of associative mechanisms with the habituation and sensitization of neophobia is proposed.
Cross-linking of tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoro (methylvinyl ether) elastomers with electron beam irradiation

Perfluoroelastomeric articles were cross-linked by electron beam irradiation. Irradiation experiments were carried out on the pure polymer free of fillers, processing aids, or curing chemicals. Doses of 10-15 Mrads are adequate to give gel content of > 95%. The compression set, tensile strength, and chemical resistance of O-rings thus cross-linked are very good and comparable to those of chemically cross-linked ones. There is little difference in terms of efficiency of cross-linking and properties among perfluoroelastomers containing various functionalities, such as nitrile, iodine, bromine, hydrogen, and perfluorbenzene. In addition to cross-linking, irradiation causes structural changes, such as formation of acid fluorides on the polymeric chain ends as a result of main-chain scissions and generation of small amounts of volatile products (CF4, COF2, CO2, CF3OCF3) attributed to side-chain scissions. The cross-links appear to be thermally and chemically stable carbon-carbon bonds. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Two-tone suppression by a saturating feedback model of the cochlear partition.

Abstract A model of a small strip of cochlear partition was computer simulated. The model is composed of two elements, approximations to the transfer functions of an inner hair cell (IHC) and an outer hair cell (OHC), respectively. The IHC element was insensitive to DC stimulation. Input was one or two sinusoids. One sinusoid, at the characteristic frequency (CF), was multiplied by the gain of the ‘cochlear amplifier’. A second sinusoid, representing a tone with much lower frequency, was not affected by the amplifier gain. This gain was determined by the OHC transfer function. In one form of the model (‘fixed-gain’), this gain was set at a fixed number determined from the furthest point reached on the OHC transfer function. This form of the model produced very realistic single-tone responses as well as showing ‘two-tone suppression’: that is, the IHC DC response produced by CF stimulation was reduced when the lower-frequency sinusoid, at suitable intensities, was added to the stimulus. When a DC component was added to the two-tone stimulus, the magnitude of this two-tone suppression was enhanced. In the second form of the model (‘variable-gain’), the cochlear-amplifier gain varied throughout the stimulus cycle. Its value was re-calculated at each instant, determined by the point on the OHC transfer function current at that particular instant. This form of the model showed two-tone suppression only when a DC component was added to the two-tone stimulus.
Estimate the electromechanical states using particle filtering and smoothing

Accurate knowledge of electromechanical states is critical for efficient and reliable control of a power system. This paper proposes a particle filtering approach to estimate the electromechanical states of power systems from Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) data. Without having to go through a laborious linearization procedure, the proposed particle filtering techniques can estimate states of a complex power system, which is often non-linear and has non-Gaussian noise. The proposed method is evaluated using a multi-machine system and its responses. Sensitivity studies of the dynamic state estimation performance are also presented to show the robustness of the proposed method. A promising path forward for the application of the proposed method is to reduce computational time through efficient parallel implementation owing to the inherent decoupling properties of particle filtering.
Nitrate Reduction by Zerovalent Iron: Effects of Formate, Oxalate, Citrate, Chloride, Sulfate, Borate, and Phosphate

Recent studies have shown that zerovalent iron (Fe0) may potentially be used as a chemical medium in permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) for groundwater nitrate remediation; however, the effects of commonly found organic and inorganic ligands in soil and sediments on nitrate reduction by Fe0 have not been well understood. A 25.0 mL nitrate solution of 20.0 mg of N L-1 (1.43 mM nitrate) was reacted with 1.00 g of Peerless Fe0 at 200 rpm on a rotational shaker at 23 °C for up to 120 h in the presence of each of the organic acids (3.0 mM formic, 1.5 mM oxalic, and 1.0 mM citric acids) and inorganic acids (3.0 mM HCl, 1.5 mM H2SO4, 3.0 mM H3BO3, and 1.5 mM H3PO4). These acids provided an initial dissociable H+ concentration of 3.0 mM available for nitrate reduction reactions under conditions of final pH < 9.3. Nitrate reduction rates (pseudo-first-order) increased in the order: H3PO4 < citric acid < H3BO3 < oxalic acid < H2SO4 < formic acid < HCl, ranging from 0.00278 to 0.0913 h-1, corresponding to surface a...
FAMILY THERAPY: The Making of a Mental Health Movement

Family therapy, unlike many fleeting therapeutic fads, has flourished in established mental health circles for the past 25 years. This paper examines the socio-historical sources of family therapy's popularity, and considers the growth and development of this contemporary American therapeutic phenomenon from a sociological perspective.
A Generic Model of Competitive Dynamics

Using catastrophe theory, this article presents a generic model of competitive dynamics that allows for the integration of structural (industry inertia) and process (relative competitive force) components of competitive dynamics found in the marketplace. More specifically, this article presents a cusp catastrophe model to account for the variety of ways changes in competitive position can occur among competing businesses in an industry, and it builds on the growing body of catastrophe applications to organizational and managerial contexts.
Atom optics: Marriage of atoms and plasmons

The interaction between atoms in a Bose–Einstein condensate and plasmon-enhanced fields is a step towards the goal of realizing hybrid atom–polariton systems for tasks in quantum information processing.
Modeling human cancer cachexia in colon 26 tumor-bearing adult mice.

Background Muscle wasting is a profound side effect of advanced cancer. Cancer-induced cachexia decreases patient quality of life and is associated with poor patient survival. Currently, no clinical therapies exist to treat cancer-induced muscle wasting. Although cancers commonly associated with cachexia occur in older individuals, the standard animal models used to elucidate the causes of cachexia rely on juvenile mice.
Salvation through separation: The image of the Negro in the American colonization society

(1971). Salvation through separation: The image of the Negro in the American colonization society. Quarterly Journal of Speech: Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 57-67.
Influence of excitation on physical features of a diode-pumped alkali laser

In recent years, a diode-pumped alkali laser (DPAL) has become one of the most hopeful candidates to achieve the high power performance. A series of models have been established to analyze the DPAL’s kinetic process and most of them were based on the algorithms in which only the ideal 3-level system was considered. In this paper, we developed a systematic model by taking into account the influence of excitation of neutral alkali atoms to higher levels on the physical features of a static DPAL. The procedures of heat transfer and laser kinetics were combined together in our theoretical model. By using such a theme, the continuous temperature distribution has been evaluated in the transverse section of a cesium vapor cell. The calculated results indicate that the excitation plays an important role during the lasing process, which might deepen the understanding of the kinetic mechanism of a DPAL.
That a Worker's Labour Cannot be a Commodity

There are, no doubt, a variety of reasons, good and bad, why anyone might want to treat a worker's labour, and most people, consciously or unconsciously do, as a commodity.
Stress and the acute gastric mucosal lesion.

Gastric erosions which occur in the clinical setting of physical or thermal trauma, shock, sepsis, or head injury have through common usage been called "stress ulcers" (1). While this terminology serves to dramatize the clinical environment in which such lesions occur, it has done little to identify factors which lead to their occurrence. Four important facts have emerged from a wealth of clinical and laboratory investigation of the problem: (1) Only a small number of patients at risk demonstrate clinical evidence of stress erosions, (2) hydrochloric acid is a critical requisite for their formation, (3) disruption of the mucosal barrier (as evidenced by increased back-diffusion of hydrogen ions) is not an essential component of the pathologic process, and (4) disturbance in gastric mucosal perfusion probably plays an important etiologic role. The numerous physiologic and biochemical events which accompany injury have obscured definition of the precise role of stress. It is clear, however, that the occurrence of gastric erosions under the conditions enumerated above is more than a chance association. The following remarks will attempt to sort out those factors which relate to the mechanism of erosion formation, with emphasis on variables which are unique to the stressed subject.
Photoreactivation and Photoreactivating Enzyme Activity in an Order of Mammals (Marsupialia)

DIRECT photoreactivation, defined as the repair of ultraviolet irradiated DNA (and hence of DNA-dependent functions) by a light dependent enzymatic reaction, has not previously been demonstrated in any mammal. Biological photoreactivation, or the amelioration of ultraviolet damage to a biological system by subsequent illumination with longer wavelengths, has been described in a few experiments with mammalian cells or whole animals1–3, but the mechanism has been obscure in each of these cases and the possibility of indirect photoreactivation4 has not been ruled out. Previous attempts to demonstrate photoreactivation of growth or of DNA synthesis in cultured mammalian cells have been unsuccessful (refs. 5–7 and unpublished work of J. D. R.), as have attempts to find photoreactivating enzyme activity in a number of mammalian tissues tested in a variety of conditions8.
Seasonality in suicide and economic growth

The seasonality of suicide in the USA was not correlated with the gross national product per capita from 1957–1986, unlike results reported from Japan.
THE CURRENT BURST IN ASTRONOMICAL PUBLICATIONS

The Astrophysical Journal grew in numbers of papers during 1972-1986 at about the same rate as the growth in members of the AAS. However since 1987 it has grown at twice that rate. By classifying papers we found that half the excess growth is due to a doubling of papers from spacecraft and the other half from theoretical papers, probably those that interpret these data. The number of papers based on ground-based data has stayed nearly constant. These changes did not occur in the Astronomical Journal, which has a different proportion in types of papers. Nor do Icarus, MNRAS, A&A, PASP show recent increases greater than the growth in numbers of astronomers.
Splicing of internal large exons is defined by novel cis-acting sequence elements

Human internal exons have an average size of 147 nt, and most are 1000 nt in the human genome; these were found in 5% of all protein-coding genes, and most were expressed and translated. Surprisingly, 40% of these were expressed at levels similar to the flanking exons, suggesting they were constitutively spliced. While all of the large exons had strong splice sites, the constitutively spliced large exons had a higher ratio of splicing enhancers/silencers and were more conserved across mammals than the alternatively spliced large exons. We asked if large exons contain specific sequences that promote splicing and identified 38 sequences enriched in the large exons relative to small exons. The consensus sequence is C-rich with a central invariant CA dinucleotide. Mutation of these sequences in a candidate large exon indicated that these are important for recognition of large exons by the splicing machinery. We propose that these sequences are large exon splicing enhancers (LESEs).
Early learners’ discrimination of second-language vowels

It is uncertain from previous research to what extent the perceptual system retains plasticity after attunement to the native language (L1) sound system. This study evaluated second-language (L2) vowel discrimination by individuals who began learning the L2 as children (“early learners”). Experiment 1 identified procedures that lowered discrimination scores for foreign vowel contrasts in an AXB test (with three physically different stimuli per trial, where “X” was drawn from the same vowel category as “A” or “B”). Experiment 2 examined the AXB discrimination of English vowels by native Spanish early learners and monolingual speakers of Spanish and English (20 per group) at interstimulus intervals (ISIs) of 1000 and 0ms. The Spanish monolinguals obtained near-chance scores for three difficult vowel contrasts, presumably because they did not perceive the vowels as distinct phonemes and because the experimental design hindered low-level encoding strategies. Like the English monolinguals, the early learners o...
Viewpoint: the decline and fall of Internet grocery retailers

Considers reasons for failure among pure play Internet grocery retailers. Notes that two factors seem to be significant. First, they did not achieve anything like a competitive advantage over the traditional “bricks and mortar” food retailers on those dimensions that drive the consumer store/channel choice process. Second, they did not develop a business model that reaches profitability, perhaps ever. They apparently did not foresee that total operating costs per customer were substantially higher for Internet grocery retailing than for “bricks and mortar” grocery stores, and that this new channel would have to charge consumers substantially more to reach breakeven operating levels. In fact, many pure play Internet grocers tried to price competitively against traditional food retailers and as a result, did not even cover variable costs. Hence, the more they sold, the more they lost. Eventually, they ran out of cash and were unable to raise additional monies in the market. Finally, there is some evidence that Internet grocers dramatically overestimated the size of the market for grocery shopping from the home. In the final analysis, pure play Internet grocer retailers appeared sexy and were hot for a short period of time because of the romance of the Internet. In fact, they were nothing more than fancy grocery delivery companies – which have never made money in the mass market and probably never will.
Galactic effects of the cosmic-ray gas

On an astronomical scale cosmic rays must be considered a tenuous and extremely hot (relativistic) gas. The pressure of the cosmic-ray gas is comparable to the other gas and field pressures in interstellar space, so that the cosmic-ray pressure must be taken into account in treating the dynamical properties of the gaseous disk of the galaxy. This review begins with a survey of present knowledge of the cosmic-ray gas. Then the kinetic properties of the gas are developed, followed by an exposition of the dynamical effects of the cosmic-ray gas on a large-scale magnetic field embedded in a thermal gas. The propagation of low-frequency hydromagnetic waves is worked out in the fluid approximation. The dynamical properties of the gaseous disk of the galaxy are next considered. The equations for the equilibrium distribution in the direction perpendicular to the disk are worked out. It is shown that a self-consistent equilibrium can be constructed within the range of the observational estimates of the gas density, scale height, turbulent velocity, field strength, cosmic-ray pressure, and galactic gravitational acceleration. Perturbation calculations then show that the equilibrium is unstable, on scales of a few hundred pc and in times of the order 2 × 107 years. The instability is driven about equally by the magnetic field and the cosmic-ray gas and dominates self-gravitation. Hence the instability dominates the dynamics of the interstellar gas and is the major effect in forming interstellar gas clouds. Star formation is the end result of condensation of the interstellar gas into clouds, indicating, then, that cosmic rays play a major role in initiating star formation in the galaxy. The cosmic rays are trapped in the unstable gaseous disk and escape from the disk only in so far as their pressure is able to inflate the magnetic field of the disk. The observed scale height of the galactic disk, the short life (106 years) of cosmic-ray particles in the disk of the galaxy, and their observed quiescent state in the disk, indicate that the galactic magnetic field acts as a safety valve on the cosmic ray pressure P so that P≅B 2/8π. We infer from the observed life and quiescence of the cosmic rays that the mean field strength in the disk of the galaxy is 3–5 × 10−6 gauss.
Contaminants in molting long-tailed ducks and nesting common eiders in the Beaufort Sea

In 2000, we collected blood from long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis) and blood and eggs from common eiders (Somateria mollissima) at near-shore islands in the vicinity of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and at a reference area east of Prudhoe Bay. Blood was analyzed for trace elements and egg contents were analyzed for trace elements, organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Except for Se (mean=36.1 μg/g dry weight (dw) in common eiders and 48.8 μg/g dw in long-tailed ducks), concentrations of trace elements in blood were low and, although several trace elements differed between areas, they were not consistently higher at one location. In long-tailed ducks, Se in blood was positively correlated with activities of two serum enzymes, suggestive of an adverse effect of increasing Se levels on the liver. Although common eiders had high Se concentrations in their blood, Se residues in eggs were low (mean=2.28 μg/g dw). Strontium and Ni were higher in eggs near Prudhoe Bay than at the reference area, but none of the other trace elements or organic contaminants in eggs differed between locations. Concentrations of Ca, Sr, Mg, and Ni differed among eggs having no visible development, early-stage embryos, or late-stage embryos. Residues of 4,4′-DDE, cis-nonachlor, dieldrin, hexachlorobenzene, oxychlordane, and trans-nonachlor were found in 100% of the common eider eggs, but at low concentrations (means of 2.35–7.45 μg/kg wet weight (ww)). The mean total PCB concentration in eggs was 15.12 μg/kg ww. Of PAHs tested for, residues of 1- and 2-methylnaphthalene and naphthalene were found in 100% of the eggs, at mean concentrations of 0.36–0.89 μg/kg ww.
Changing Arctic Ocean freshwater pathways

The Arctic Oscillation, rather than the Beaufort High, is the main factor affecting the freshening of the Arctic Ocean since the 1990s. Changes in Arctic Ocean freshwater distribution are a major influence on climate through their effect on global heat exchange. However, they have been difficult to measure and understand. Recent advances in satellite and in situ observations now make it possible to monitor changes in the freshwater content of the Arctic Ocean, and to analyse the underlying mechanisms controlling recent changes in salinity. Earlier work suggested that an acceleration of the Beaufort Gyre controlled the freshening. Now James Morison and colleagues present maps of freshwater changes across the Arctic Ocean, showing that the pathway of Russian runoff shifted in 2005–08. The Canadian Basin greatly freshened and the Eurasian Basin became saltier, with a net overall freshening equal to 40% of runoff. This was caused by cyclonic circulation in the Eurasian Basin forced by a strengthened Arctic Oscillation, which leads to a strengthening of Northern Hemisphere westerly winds. Freshening in the Canada basin of the Arctic Ocean began in the 1990s1,2 and continued3 to at least the end of 2008. By then, the Arctic Ocean might have gained four times as much fresh water as comprised the Great Salinity Anomaly4,5of the 1970s, raising the spectre of slowing global ocean circulation6. Freshening has been attributed to increased sea ice melting1 and contributions from runoff7, but a leading explanation has been a strengthening of the Beaufort High—a characteristic peak in sea level atmospheric pressure2,8—which tends to accelerate an anticyclonic (clockwise) wind pattern causing convergence of fresh surface water. Limited observations have made this explanation difficult to verify, and observations of increasing freshwater content under a weakened Beaufort High suggest that other factors2 must be affecting freshwater content. Here we use observations to show that during a time of record reductions in ice extent from 2005 to 2008, the dominant freshwater content changes were an increase in the Canada basin balanced by a decrease in the Eurasian basin. Observations are drawn from satellite data (sea surface height and ocean-bottom pressure) and in situ data. The freshwater changes were due to a cyclonic (anticlockwise) shift in the ocean pathway of Eurasian runoff forced by strengthening of the west-to-east Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation characterized by an increased Arctic Oscillation9 index. Our results confirm that runoff is an important influence on the Arctic Ocean and establish that the spatial and temporal manifestations of the runoff pathways are modulated by the Arctic Oscillation, rather than the strength of the wind-driven Beaufort Gyre circulation.
The present and future of comprehensive outcome measures for rheumatic diseases

In recent years, outcome, or health status, measurement has received wide attention in rheumatology. These measures are based on the concept of maintaining or improving health as the goal of medical care, the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health, and measurement of those factors that directly impact the patient rather than the traditional measures of disease process. Within this framework, outcomes important to the patient with rheumatic diseases have been identified. They have been conceptualized in general terms of physical, psychological and social functioning or specificallyy by dimensions of death, disability, discomfort, side effects and economic costs. Two widely used outcome measures, the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) and the arthritis impact measurement scales (AIMS), are described. Outcomes are measured by patient self-reported questionnaires which have been rigorously tested to establish the measurement properties of reliability and validity. Results show that patient self-report is valid, outcomes are accurately measured, correlate with traditional endpoints, and are sensitive to change over time. These measures are particularly suited for use in follow-up studies because of their simplicity, ease of administration, and cost. Future directions include additional study to define clinically meaningful change, extension of validations to many of the rheumatic diseases, the design of special purpose questionnaires and the development of the cumulative outcome concept.
Posterolateral intertransverse lumbar arthrodesis in the New Zealand White rabbit model:: II. Operative technique

Abstract Background context Although the New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit model has been increasingly used for spinal fusion research, reported complication rates have been as high as 23%. The substantial animal morbidity and mortality associated with the model makes experimentation inefficient and can lead to faulty data analysis. Operative complications are in part the result of suboptimal execution of the experimental protocol. Purpose To describe an experimental protocol for posterolateral intertransverse lumbar arthrodesis in the NZW rabbit and to analyze the effect of the protocol on the complication rate of this model. Study design/setting This is a descriptive analysis of the surgical technique (and related complications) used for posterolateral spinal arthrodesis in the NZW rabbit model. This study was performed at a university research facility. Methods The complications of posterolateral intertransverse lumbar arthrodesis in the NZW rabbit were analyzed before and after instituting a refined experimental protocol. Results A total of 77 NZW rabbits underwent a posterolateral lumbar arthrodesis. In the first 48 animals (Group A) complications occurred at a rate of 26% and included anesthetic demise, nerve palsies, wound infections or seromas and fusion of the wrong level. After the institution of a refined experimental protocol, there were no complications in a second group of 29 rabbits (Group B). Conclusions Adherence to a precise experimental protocol for posterolateral lumbar arthrodesis can minimize complications, thereby enhancing the NZW rabbit as a cost-effective and accurate animal model for spinal fusion research.
Phase Behavior and Modeling of CO2/Methanol/Tetramethylammonium Bicarbonate and CO2/Methanol/Tetramethylammonium Bicarbonate/Water Mixtures at High Pressures

High-pressure phase behavior has been measured for CO2/methanol/tetramethylammonium bicarbonate (TMAB) and CO2/methanol/TMAB/water systems at (25 and 70) °C and pressures up to 30 MPa. An increase in methanol concentration results in a decrease in the phase-transition pressure due to the higher miscibility of methanol and salt in CO2. At higher methanol concentrations, single phase mixtures could be achieved at moderate pressures with up to 70 mol % CO2. As expected, the addition of water sharply increases the phase transition pressure. The experimental results for the above systems were modeled using the Peng−Robinson equation of state; model predictions were found to be sensitive to adjustable parameters.
Influence of dietary fat on the enantioselective disposition of 2,2',3,3',6,6'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 136) in female mice.

Although ingestion is the major route of exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dietary factors altering their absorption and excretion are only poorly understood. In the present study, (±)-PCB 136 was administered orally to female C57BL/6 mice fed an unrefined (URD, 10% fat) or high fat (HFD, 40% fat) diet to investigate the effect of the dietary fat content on the disposition of PCBs. Three days after administration, PCB levels in the adipose tissue were significantly lower in HFD animals than URD animals, partly due to a higher excretion rate of PCB 136 in the HFD group. (+)-PCB 136 was enriched in all organs and in feces. In both groups, enantiomeric fractions in feces increased each day after administration. We hypothesize that low EF (enantiomeric fraction) values in feces excreted within 24 h of exposure are due to the presence of undigested, racemic PCB. Higher EF values in feces excreted after two and three days are due to excretion of previously absorbed PCBs. Overall, our study suggests that the EF value may be a good tool to investigate the absorption and excretion of PCBs in vivo.
Chromosomal alterations in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck: Window to the biology of disease

Background Cytogenetic alterations underlie the development of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN). Because many of the molecular genetic changes in SCCHN result from chromosomal alterations, a complete perspective on the genetic changes in tumors requires a basic introduction to cytogenetics. This review presents a brief description of the latest cytogenetic techniques and a description of chromosomal alterations in SCCHN, their molecular correlates, and clinical implications. Results The most frequent cytogenetic alterations in SCCHN are gains of 3q, 8q, 9q, 20q, 7p, 11q13, and 5p and losses of 3p, 9p, 21q, 5q, 13q, 18q, and 8p. The karyotypes often provide an explanation for the mechanism by which the molecular genetic alterations arose. For example, the coordinate gains and losses involving whole arms of chromosomes 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9 often result from isochromosome formation. In addition, apparent allelic imbalances may not represent loss of heterozygosity but gene amplification. These results suggest that cytogenetic analysis is valuable for placing the molecular genetic findings in perspective at the cellular level. Conclusions Cytogenetic endpoints may be useful tools for dissecting clinical differences in tumor behavior and response to therapy. Numerous studies are underway to examine the biology of and genetic alterations in SCCHN that will lead to additional markers for use as rapid, noninvasive screening methods for individuals at high risk for primary or recurrent SCCHN. Our goal is to minimize morbidity and mortality from SCCHN by identifying useful predictors of disease and recurrence risk and response to therapy to implement earlier detection and more effective prevention and/or treatment strategies. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Head Neck 23: 238–253, 2001.
Indoor Outdoor Aerosol Measurements for Two Residential Buildings in New Jersey

Indoor /outdoor aerosols were studied in two residential homes in New Jersey by making hourly measurements of the concentration and particle size for 2 week intervals in the wintertime. Indoor particle concentrations ranged from 104 to 107 cm−3 and were highly dependent on household activities, including cooking, cigarette smoking, and use of a fireplace and a kerosene space heater. Besides producing large amounts of particles, the kerosene space heater also produced concentrations of carbon dioxide, up to 3000 ppm, and carbon monoxide, up to 9 ppm. The ratio of indoor/outdoor aerosol concentrations varied from 0.2 to 41 (correlation coefficients < 0.3), consistent with the low air infiltration rate measured (0.3–0.5 air changes/h). The results indicate that indoor particles were mainly from indoor origins. In addition, radon progeny particle-size distributions were calculated by applying the attachment theory to the measured aerosol size distribution. This mode was found to range from 0.04 to 0.1 μm, a r...
Antidepressants: Pharmacology and Implications in the Perioperative Period

Antidepressant drugs can be classified into four groups: (1) tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), (2) monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), (3) selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and (4) miscellaneous agents. SSRIs and newer generation miscellaneous agents are first-line therapy for depression. TCAs and MAOIs, the oldest agents, are now considered secondor third-line agents because of their adverse effect profile and need for close monitoring.
A recrystallized grain size piezometer for experimentally deformed feldspar aggregates

A recrystallized grain size piezometer for low-temperature migration recrystallization in feldspar has been experimentally calibrated. Hot-pressed samples of fine-grained albitic feldspar (grain size 1–10 μm) and a natural albitic feldspar aggregate (∼150 μm) were deformed in simple shear and axial compression at a temperature of 900°C and a confining pressure of 1500 MPa. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) verified that deformation occurred by recrystallization-accommodated dislocation creep. Grain size distributions were measured from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) photographs of polished and etched samples. The results yield a recrystallized grain size piezometer relationship of d=55±5·σ−0.66±0.07 where d is the geometric mean grain size (μm) and σ the differential stress (MPa). The exponent is higher than that determined in previous studies of other materials for rotation recrystallization and high-temperature migration recrystallization, indicating that different recrystallization mechanisms have distinct recrystallized grain size piezometer relationships.
Radiographic and microscopic correlation of diffuse interstitial and bronchointerstitial pulmonary patterns in the caudodorsal lung of adult Thoroughbred horses in race training

Summary Complete thoracic radiographic examinations were performed on 7 horses ranging in age from 24 to 60 months, followed by in-situ lung fixation. Radiographs were examined by 3 radiologists for the presence, degree and distribution of generalised pulmonary patterns within a region of interest in the caudodorsal lung. Pulmonary tissue was obtained from 12 sites within a designated volume of interest in the caudodorsal lung, corresponding to the area of interest evaluated radiographically, and examined for the presence, character and severity of microscopic lesions. Radiographic findings within the volume of interest consisted of mild to moderate bronchial, bronchointerstitial, or interstitial pulmonary patterns. Interstitial and bronchointerstitial radiographic findings were related to severity of peribronchiolar mononuclear cell infiltrates, the degree of bronchiolar mucosal plication, and alveolar capillary and peribronchial blood vessel erythrocyte content. The severity of the interstitial radiographic pattern was inversely associated with the perceived diagnostic quality of the radiographic examinations. There was no evidence of spatial variation in the severity of the microscopic changes examined in this limited pulmonary region. Inter-rater reliability between radiologists was good in the assessment of diagnostic quality of the radiographic examinations but poor in assessing severity of the primary generalised pulmonary patterns within the radiographic region of interest.
The neuroanatomical and neurovascular organization of normal fetal hypothalamic explants in the third cerebral ventricle of Brattleboro rats with homozygous diabetes insipidus.

Abstract This investigation has combined microangiography, immunocytochemistry, coupled with transmission and scanning electron microscopy to discuss the neuroanatomical interactions that occur in the brains of Brattleboro rats with diabetes insipidus, following stereotaxic placement of normal fetal hypothalamic fragments into the third cerebral ventricle. Following surgical placement of 17 day post-coitus hypothalamic fragments, host rats with chronic autosomal homozygous diabetes insipidus were killed and their brains were prepared for analysis. A significant degree of explants (68%) flourished and grew in the lumen of the third cerebral ventricle of recipient hosts. Explants were rapidly invaded by host vessels from two routes. (1) Vessels arose from the underlying mantle plexus of portal capillaries which remained fenestrated in the lower one-third of the explants and developed neurovascular (neurohemal) zones. (2) The second source of vessels arose from bed capillaries of the adjacent paraventricular nucleus and adjacent hypothalamus. In contrast to vessels arising from the contact zone, these latter vessels remained unfenestrated. Small clusters of immunocytochemically positive neurons (neurophysin positive) were seen throughout the explants. Numerous healthy magnocellular neurons harboring numerous dense core vesicles and exhibiting multiple axosomatic and axodendritic synapses were seen throughout the neuropil of explants. Axon profiles were noted to terminate upon the abluminal basal lamina of perivascular spaces surrounding fenestrated capillaries in the lower one third of explants. None of the host animals exhibited physiological return to normal parameters of urine output, drinking behavior, and/or urine osmolarity. However the growth and development of explants in the third cerebral ventricle of DI hosts coupled with the emergence of bonafide neurovascular zones supports a potential anatomical substrate for the central delivery of neuropeptide hormones in this experimental model.
ULTRASTRUCTURE OF SPERMATIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE PARASITIC RED ALGAE LEVRINGIELLA GARDNERI AND ERYTHROCYSTIS SACCATA12

SUMMARY Morphologically, the development of spermatia in Levringiella gardneri and Erythrocystis saccata is identical, although cytologically several differences are evident. Mature spermatia contain 1 or 2 large spermatial vesicles that contain fibrous material, several small mitochondria, some proplastids, and are surrounded by a wall, either single-layered as in Erythrocystis or triple-layered as in Levringiella. Spermatial vesicles are formed by aggregations of endoplasmic reticulum in Levringiella, whereas concentric membrane bodies and dictyosomes may be involved in Erythrocystis. In addition to being fibrillar, the contents of the vesicle assume a convoluted appearance in Levringiella. Several spermatia are formed per mother cell and are connected by small pit connections which rupture to allow spermatial release from the spermatangial branch.