cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Managing Innovation During Technological Shift: Design Hierarchy and Firm Boundaries

I extended "systems integration capability" perspective. I argue that the systems integration capability can be either externally or internally oriented, and system integrators' propensity to exercise externally or internally oriented capability depends on the level of technological shift. Using carefully screened patent data and hierarchical view of product structuring, I show that systems integrators (automakers) were major players responsible for the emergence of a subsequent subsystem-level technological shift after the emergence of the product level dominant design. I also found that systems integrators had higher propensity for externally oriented systems integration capability of coordinating component suppliers when the dominant design emerged at the product level but changed their focus to internally oriented systems integration capability of strengthening internal capabilities in component when a major technological shift occurred at the subsystem level.
Teratogenic effects of triamcinolone on the skeletal and lymphoid systems in nonhuman primates

Corticosteroids are used to treat several human diseases, especially allergies, and inflammatory, dermatologic and salt-imbalance conditions. Because of the possibility that treatment for one of these conditions might occur before a mother knows she is pregnant and that an effect may be exerted over a period of time which could encompass the organogenic or sensitive period, it is important to establish the teratogenic effect of these drugs. Walker (10, 11) has demonstrated that corticosteroids vary considerably in their teratogenic effects. Of the six corticosteroids tested he found triamcinolone to be one of the most teratogenic.
Preoperative predictors of surgical approach for partial nephrectomy.

INTRODUCTION To evaluate preoperative parameters of patients undergoing partial nephrectomy to determine variables that impact selection of operative approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS The charts of 229 consecutive patients undergoing partial nephrectomy were reviewed. Clinical data points and associated axial imaging were evaluated to determine factors which contributed to selection of an open (versus laparoscopic) operation. RESULTS A total of 140 men and 89 women with a mean age of 57 years, body mass index (BMI) of 31, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 82 mL/min/1.73 m(2) were included. Twenty-three percent of patients had prior abdominal surgery and 7% had a history of contralateral renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The mean tumor size was 3.4 cm (range, 0.7-11) with 23% of lesions being endophytic, 38% involving the collecting system, and 29% being hilar. Thirty-four patients (15%) had multifocal lesions. Overall, 130 patients underwent an open partial nephrectomy (OPN) and 99 a laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN). On univariate analysis, preoperative GFR (p = 0.05), a history of contralateral RCC surgery (p = 0.02), tumor size (p = 0.04), renal sinus/collecting system involvement (p = 0.001), renal hilar location (p = 0.001), tumor multifocality (p = 0.004), surgeon laparoscopic case volume of <25 cases (p = 0.03), and lack of fellowship laparoscopic training (p = 0.02) all were associated with an open surgical approach. In a logistic regression model incorporating these eight variables, only renal hilar location (OR 2.63, 95% CI 1.17-5.88, p = 0.02) remained significantly associated with OPN. CONCLUSIONS Many parameters including increasing BMI, preoperative GFR, prior abdominal surgery, endophytic tumor location, and renal sinus/collecting system involvement do not necessarily preclude a minimally invasive partial nephrectomy. In our experience, renal hilar tumors were over 2.5 fold more likely to be managed by OPN owing to the complexity of resection.
Estimated age based on exercise stress testing performance outperforms chronological age in predicting mortality

AimsWe sought to estimate patients’ age based on their stress testing exercise performance (A-BEST), and evaluate whether A-BEST would be a better predictor of mortality when compared to chronologi...
A graph-based method for social sensing of infrastructure disruptions in disasters

Abstract Damages in critical infrastructure occur abruptly, and disruptions evolve with time dynamically. Understanding the situation of critical infrastructure disruptions is essential to effectiv...
Secure Authentication of ADS-B Aircraft Communications using Retroactive Key Publication

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast(ADSB), is the next generation Air Traffic management system to monitor the airspace for air traffic communication and traffic information. While the ADS-B empowers aircraft to broadcast their location information automatically and provide situational awareness, it is susceptible to attacks and security issues. In this paper, we introduce a method to secure the ADS-B protocol in aircraft communication using Retroactive Key Publication where senders publish their keys retroactively, which is different from the traditional asymmetric cryptography. The deduced solution does not rely on a connection or two-way packets exchange to establish security. It compensates for the loss of packets owing to huge air traffic, yet preserving the open and broadcast nature of ADS-B. Our proposed protocol uses the existing ADS-B system and same hardware with no modifications but still adds security. Our secure system has low impact on current operations and retains the operational efficiency of the current aircraft system.
Abstract TP75: Creatinine on Admission Interacts with Intravenous Thrombolysis and Thrombectomy Procedures in Predicting Post-stroke Outcomes

Background: Renal impairment may be associated with reduced efficacy of thrombolysis, increased hemorrhagic complications and risk of contrast-induced nephropathy associated with catheter angiogram...
Catholic Social Teaching: Addressing Globalization in Catholic Business Education

Although business schools are increasingly aware of the importance of globalization in educating future business leaders, their business programs have addressed globalization from a limited perspective that fails to provide students with a broader understanding of its impact on socieities and its moral consequences. The conventional approach to the teaching of business ethics further exacerbates this problem. In this paper we argue that Catholic Social Teaching (CST) can help address this defi ciency at Catholic colleges and universities. First, we describe the impact of globalization on business education and the limitations of ethical theories taught at business schools. We then explore our thesis that CST is a rich resource for business education that provides a moral foundation for readdressing the limited view of globalization.
Effects of Viscosity

There are many situations where we are interested in the sound field in the vicinity of small objects. This often requires us to account for the viscosity of the medium. This greatly complicates the relationship between fluid velocity near solid obstacles and the fluctuating pressure. In the following, the differential equations for acoustic fluctuations in a viscous fluid are presented. Obtaining solutions to these equations can provide endless challenges. Here we solve them for some specialized situations that are relevant for acoustic sensing.
Latin America in Cinema and Television of the Americas: An Analysis of How Latin America is Portrayed in Inter-American Cinema and the Impact of these Representations

Cinema is often a reflective form of media which demonstrates popular opinion on a certain individual, group, or subject. The variety in subject of cinema reflects the vast amount of opinions that exist on every discernable subject. Due to this, film analysis is a particularly relevant form of studying society or a specific subset. Racial or ethnic groups are one example of what can be studied through film analysis. Hispanics/Latinos as an ethnic group have received a long history of bias, and are oftentimes represented by racial portrayals in North American media, and Latin American cinema is rarely consumed in North America.
Revising Berg-Purcell for finite receptor kinetics

Abstract From nutrient uptake to chemoreception to synaptic transmission, many systems in cell biology depend on molecules diffusing and binding to membrane receptors. Mathematical analysis of such systems often neglects the fact that receptors process molecules at finite kinetic rates. A key example is the celebrated formula of Berg and Purcell for the rate that cell surface receptors capture extracellular molecules. Indeed, this influential result is only valid if receptors transport molecules through the cell wall at a rate much faster than molecules arrive at receptors. From a mathematical perspective, ignoring receptor kinetics is convenient because it makes the diffusing molecules independent. In contrast, including receptor kinetics introduces correlations between the diffusing molecules because, for example, bound receptors may be temporarily blocked from binding additional molecules. In this work, we present a modeling framework for coupling bulk diffusion to surface receptors with finite kinetic rates. The framework uses boundary homogenization to couple the diffusion equation to nonlinear ordinary differential equations on the boundary. We use this framework to derive an explicit formula for the cellular uptake rate and show that the analysis of Berg and Purcell significantly overestimates uptake in some typical biophysical scenarios. We confirm our analysis by numerical simulations of a many-particle stochastic system.
Performance Evaluation of Mixed-Precision Runge-Kutta Methods.

Additive Runge-Kutta methods designed for preserving highly accurate solutions in mixed-precision computation were proposed and analyzed in [8]. These specially designed methods use reduced precision or the implicit computations and full precision for the explicit computations. We develop a FORTRAN code to solve a nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations using the mixed precision additive Runge-Kutta (MP-ARK) methods on IBM POWER9 and Intel x86\_64 chips. The convergence, accuracy, runtime, and energy consumption of these methods is explored. We show that these MP-ARK methods efficiently produce accurate solutions with significant reductions in runtime (and by extension energy consumption).
Impacts of COVID-19 related stay-at-home restrictions on residential electricity use and implications for future grid stability

Abstract “Stay-at-home” orders and other health precautions enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to substantial changes in residential electricity usage. We conduct a case study to analyze data from 390 apartments in New York City (NYC) to examine the impacts of two key drivers of residential electricity usage: COVID-19 case-loads and the outdoor temperature. We develop a series of regression models to predict two characteristics of residential electricity usage on weekdays: The average occupied apartment’s consumption (kWh) over a 9am-5pm window and the hourly peak demand (Watt) over a 12pm-5pm window. Via a Monte Carlo simulation, we forecast the two usage characteristics under a possible scenario in which stay-at-home orders in NYC, or a similar metropolitan region, coincide with warm summer weather. Under the scenario, the 9am-5pm residential electricity usage on weekdays is predicted to be 15% – 24% higher than under prior, pre-pandemic conditions. This could lead to substantially higher utility costs for residents. Additionally, we predict that the residential hourly peak demand between 12pm and 5pm on weekdays could be 35% – 53% higher than that under pre-pandemic conditions. We conclude that the projected increase in peak demand - which might arise if stay-at-home guidelines coincided with hot weather conditions - could pose grid management challenges, especially for residential feeders. We also note that, if there is a longer lasting shift towards work and study-from-home, utilities will have to rethink load profile considerations. The applications of our predictive models to managing future smart-grid technology are also highlighted.
Secondary Malignancies in Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Survivors With 40 Years of Follow-Up: Influence of Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy

Purpose/objective(s) Survivors of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) are more likely to develop secondary malignancies (SM). We quantified this risk in survivors of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common subtype of NHL, and evaluated differences in risk by treatment modality. Materials/methods Standardized incidence ratios (SIR, observed-to-expected [O/E] ratio), which compare SM risk in patients to the endemic population, and absolute excess risk of SM were assessed in 45,946 patients diagnosed with DLBCL as a first malignancy between 1975 and 2016 in the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Non-melanoma skin cancers were not counted as SM. We subsequently stratified these risks by treatment modality. Results In all, 3,214 patients received radiotherapy alone (RT), 26,761 received chemotherapy alone (CT), 10,081 received chemoradiation (CRT), and 6,233 received no RT or CT. In total, 4,247 patients (9%) developed at least one SM, and a total of 4,862 SM developed amongst these patients (O/E 1.23, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.19-1.26 P Conclusion This is the largest study to examine SM risk in patients with DLBCL based on treatment modality. The risk of SM was increased for DLBCL survivors regardless of treatment modality. Different treatment modalities were associated with unique SM risks, however, the magnitude of SM risk was similar with RT and CT. These data may help guide screening protocols for patients following treatment of DLBCL.
ECG criteria for localizing the pulmonary vein origin of spontaneous atrial premature complexes: validation using intracardiac recordings.

We have shown that pacemapping from each of the pulmonary veins reveals unique surface ECG characteristics. However, application of these criteria to spontaneous atrial premature complexes is often difficult because of obscuration by the prior T wave. We hypothesized that the pulmonary vein of origin of spontaneous atrial premature complexes can be determined by measuring characteristics of the P wave whether or not the P wave was superimposed on the prior T wave. We analyzed 58 spontaneous atrial premature complexes of known pulmonary vein origin in 30 patients referred for atrial fibrillation ablation. The origin of all the atrial premature complexes was documented by detailed, intracardiac multipolar catheter mapping. Based on previous work, the criteria for distinguishing right-sided from left-sided pulmonary vein origin of atrial premature complex includes: (1) P wave duration 0.05 mV; and (3) P wave amplitude in leads II/III > 1.25. The criteria to separate superior from inferior pulmonary veins included the sum of the P wave amplitude in all the inferior leads greater than 0.3 mV. The combination of the P wave duration 1.25, distinguished right-sided from left-sided pulmonary vein origin of spontaneous atrial premature complexes with a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 100%. The sum of the P wave amplitude in leads II, III, and aVF > 0.3 mV distinguished superior from inferior pulmonary vein of origin with a sensitivity of 39% and specificity of 73%. The pulmonary vein origin of spontaneous atrial premature complexes can often be localized using careful quantitative analysis of the surface ECG despite superimposition of the P wave upon the T wave. Separation of right-sided from left-sided pulmonary vein origin of spontaneous atrial premature complexes can be determined with good specificity and sensitivity, while the ability to distinguish inferior from superior pulmonary vein origin is limited.
Prices, the military revolution, and western Europe's comparative advantage in violence

Price data from England, France, and Germany show that the military sector in western Europe experienced rapid and sustained productivity growth well before the industrial revolution.The productivity growth has implications for the history of the military revolution in early modern Europe and helps explain why western Europe gained a comparative advantage in violence. It also raises questions about the economic impact of the military revolution. ehr_522
Scale-Independent Hysteresis Switching

This paper introduces a new switching logic inspired by the hysteresis switching logic considered in [7,11]. The new logic also uses hysteresis to prevent chatter, but unlike its predecessor in [7,11], it is "scale-independent" as well. The logic is shown to have the requisite properties for adaptive control applications.
Integrated 3D analysis of flight image sequences

This paper is concerned with three-dimensional (3D) analysis of images showing 3D motion of an observer relative to a scene. It presents an approach to recovering 3D motion and structure parameters from multiple features present in a monocular image sequence such as points, regions, lines, texture gradient and vanishing line. For concreteness, the paper focuses on flight images of a planar, textured surface. In this paper, a linear integrated estimation method using two views is developed. Then, for robust estimation, a nonlinear integrated estimation method using multiple frames is presented. The integration of information in these diverse features is carried out using minimization of image errors. To reduce computation, a sequential-batch method is used to compute motion and structure. Performance is evaluated through simulations and experiments with a real image sequence digitized from a commercially available laserdisc of films taken from flying aircrafts.
Evidence That the Intracellular Pool of Tyrosine Serves as Precursor for Protein Synthesis in Muscle

Several investigators suggested that labeled amino acids are incorporated into protein without first equilibrating with the intracellular pool. Experiments were performed to determine if the intracellular or extracellular [14C]tyrosine represented the precursor for protein synthesis in muscle. Four pieces of rat diaphragm were incubated in the same concentration of [3H]leucine but in different concentrations of [14C]tyrosine. The rates of [3H]leucine incorporation were similar in all the muscles, indicating similar rates of protein synthesis. The 14C counts in protein increased with increasing tyrosine concentrations in the medium, but the moles of tyrosine incorporated into protein were similar only when the counts in protein were divided by the intracellular specific activity. In other experiments muscles were incubated with [3H]leucine and [14C]tyrosine, and then transferred to medium containing [3H]leucine and unlabeled tyrosine. The rate of tyrosine incorporation agreed with leucine incorporation only when calculations used the intracellular tyrosine specific activity. Therefore, the free intracellular tyrosine resembled a precursor for protein synthesis, while the extracellular did not. However, this conclusion did not hold during very short incubations or incubations with low concentrations of tyrosine in the medium, for reasons suggested herein.
Organizational decision making related to instructional technology at small liberal arts colleges and universities

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. June 2013. Major: Educational Policy and Administration. Advisor: Darwin D. Hendel. 1 computer file (PDF); xii, 291 pages, appendices A-G.
Methods for the isolation and characterization of constituents of natural products: XI. Preparation of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone derivatives of fatty acid esters of glycolaldehyde and separation of an homologous series by thin-layer partition chromatography

Abstract An homologous series of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone derivatives of the glycolaldehyde esters of fatty acids have been prepared. The derivatives are all solids having an absorption maximum at 350 mμ (CHCl3) and a molar extinction coefficient near 20,000. Neutral and alkaline thin-layer partition chromatographic procedures and a thin-layer, silver-ion adsorption system are described for resolving the derivatives.
Biodiversity enhances ecosystem reliability

Biodiversity may represent a form of biological insurance against the loss or poor performance of selected species1. If this is the case, then communities with larger numbers of species should be more predictable with respect to properties such as local biomass2. That is, larger numbers of species should enhance ecosystem reliability, where reliability refers to the probability that a system will provide a consistent level of performance over a given unit of time3. The validity of this hypothesis has important ecological, management and economic implications given the large-scale substitution of diverse natural ecosystems with less diverse managed systems4. No experimental evidence, however, has supported this hypothesis5. To test this hypothesis we established replicated microbial microcosms with varying numbers of species per functional group. We found that as the number of species per functional group increased, replicate communities were more consistent in biomass and density measures. These results suggest that redundancy (in the sense of having multiple species per functional group6,7,8) is a valuable commodity, and that the provision of adequate redundancy may be one reason for preserving biodiversity.
The Laminar Separation Sensor: An Advanced Transition Measurement Method for Use in Wind Tunnels and Flight

Wind tunnel and flight tests have recently been conducted by the NASA Langley Research Center to explore the ability of laminar separation hot-film sensors to identify the presence of laminar separation as the principal mode of instability amplification leading to transition. This paper describes the different sensor configurations evaluated during the course of testing and presents results from the flight and wind tunnel evaluations. Plans for the next generation of sensors are briefly discussed.
Sensitivity analysis of calibration standards for fixed probe spacing on-wafer calibration techniques [vector network analyzers]

In vector network analyzer calibration, it is clear that the uncertainty in the standard definition leads to inaccurate measurement. We investigate the sensitivity of different on-wafer calibration techniques to probe positioning. Calibration comparison derived error-bounds are calculated for various cases differing only by a single change in probe/standard overlap.
Adaptive thresholding algorithm that maximizes edge features within an image

We present a new adaptive thresholding algorithm that uses the theories of human visual perception to select a global threshold value. The algorithm is based on the total contour infor- mation contained within an image and selects a threshold value that maximizes the edge features within the binarized image.
Common-Stock Transaction Sequences and the Random-Walk Model

This paper reviews the current status of the random-walk model as it applies to price-change sequences in common stocks, and examines certain striking dependencies in these sequences at the transaction level. In particular, successive transaction-price changes are seen to be negatively correlated, with each price change projecting its negative influence forward toward its successors in the sequence. The strength of this influence is diminished sharply by each nonzero price change that it is required to "penetrate," but is only slightly weakened when projected across changes of zero magnitude. In the latter case, in fact, statistical dependency is shown to exist across intervals of as many as ten transactions or more.
Protein Binding of Antimicrobials: Clinical Pharmacokinetic and Therapeutic Implications

Binding of antimicrobial agents to serum proteins, and to extravascular tissues, affects their distribution, elimination, and pharmacological activity. The extent of binding of drugs to serum proteins is both drug concentration and protein concentration dependent. However, changes in drug concentrations within therapeutic range have little effect. Drug-protein binding may be reduced by the presence of other drugs, and also by endogenous substances. The latter may be important in cases of impaired renal or hepatic function and in disease states associated with elevated free fatty acids. The greatest reductions in protein binding are observed with drugs that are normally highly bound. Equations are presented to describe the influence of the binding of drugs to serum proteins and tissues on the percentage of drug which is free in the body, the concentration of free and total drug in serum, and the apparent distribution volume of drug in the body. Changes in the percentage bound to serum proteins tend to produce curvilinear changes in the various values with the greatest changes occurring with highly bound drugs (greater than 80% binding). Changes in the percentage bound to tissues tend to produce linear changes in all values except the apparent drug distribution volume. Small changes in tissue binding of highly bound drugs cause marked changes in apparent distribution volumes. Although tissue and extravascular fluid drug levels are primarily influenced by the free drug levels in serum, calculation of actual tissue levels is complicated by variable binding characteristics of specific tissues and tissue fluids, and also by the lipophilic nature of the drug. Renal elimination of antimicrobial agents is markedly influenced by serum protein binding if the major elimination mechanism is glomerular filtration. Serum protein binding has little effect on drug elimination in cases of elimination by renal tubular secretion and hepatic extraction. As in the case of distribution, renal clearance and hepatic extraction may be a function of both protein binding and drug lipophilicity. A drug which is bound to serum proteins has no antibacterial activity in vitro. However, binding of drugs to serum proteins in vivo has major clinical significance only when levels of free drug are reduced to values below the minimum inhibitory concentrations of susceptible micro-organisms. In many cases, high protein binding may be compensated for by greater intrinsic antimicrobial activity of lipophilic drugs.
Can 1000 Reviews Be Wrong? Actin, α-Catenin, and Adherens Junctions

Coupling between cell adhesion and the actin cytoskeleton is thought to require a stable link between the cadherin-catenin complex and actin that is mediated by alpha-catenin. In this issue of Cell, the Weis and Nelson groups call this static model into question, showing that alpha-catenin can directly regulate actin dynamics (Drees et al., 2005 and Yamada et al., 2005).
Determination of urinary mandelic and phenylglyoxylic acids in styrene exposed workers and a control population

Styrene is rapidly metabolized in humans to mandelic () and phenylglyoxylic acids (P) which are excreted in urine. The present study investigates a gas chromatographic technique for measuring urinary concentrations of MA and PGA of workers exposed to styrene, compares the urinary concentrations of metabolites with time-weighted average air exposures to styrene and determines the levels of these metabolites in a population of workers not exposed to styrene. Post-shift urine specimens were obtained from a group of workers exposed to styrene in the reinforced plastic industry and from a control group. High positive correlation was found between post-shift urinary concentrations of metabolites and 8-hour TWA styrene exposure. Both MA and total metabolites (MA + PGA) gave correlation coefficient values of 0.96, p less than 0.0001. The mean MA excretion for the control groups was 6 mg/L. Determination of the concentration of these metabolites in a post-shift urine provides an effective means of estimating and monitoring human exposure to styrene.
Cochlear nerve acoustic envelope response detection is improved by the addition of random-phased tonal stimuli.

We test Lowenstein’s dc bias hypothesis as an alternative mechanism for the phenomenon sometimes called ‘stochastic resonance’. Probe stimuli consisting of paired phase-locked tones at frequencies f1 and f2 (where f23f1 = 800 Hz, f1 s 4.5 kHz) and at equal intensity were used to generate synchronous 800 Hz cochlear nerve activity (envelope responses). When a background tone of the same intensity, with a frequency halfway between f1 and f2, is presented simultaneously with the probe stimulus, the envelope response amplitude typically decreases. Consistent with Lowenstein’s hypothesis, however, when the intensities of the probe and background tone are near the detection threshold of the envelope response (approximately 0^20 dB sound pressure level), the simultaneous presence of the background tone often increases the amplitude of the envelope response. At these same intensity levels, when the background tone precedes the probe stimulus, it decreases the amplitude of the response to the probe stimulus. The effects of simultaneous presentation of the probe and the background tone are frequency-dependent, becoming less pronounced or reversing as the frequency of the background tone departs from those of the probe stimuli. fl 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Analog dynamic random-access memory (ADRAM) unit cell implemented using a CCD with feedback

A novel unit cell for analog, dynamic, random-access memory is described. The unit cell is implemented using a charge-coupled device (CCD) and features voltage-in/voltage-out operation with low power. The unit cell is essentially an algorithmic voltage sample-and-hold (S/H) circuit. It is sufficiently compact for imager frame memory application and may also find application in analog neural network circuits. >
On angular resolution in microwave radar

The large dynamic range required to obtain stable microwave images causes angular resolution to be a function of the sidelobe level. It is particularly significant in synthetic aperture radar. It is shown that a modest tapering of the synthetic aperture offers a dramatic potential improvement.
Factors affecting contributions of the tadpole shrimp, Lepidurus packardi, to its oversummering egg reserves

The phenology and reproductive biology of the tadpole shrimp, Lepidurus packardi, which inhabits temporary annual pools in northern California, U.S.A., were investigated to identify factors affecting its contributions to its egg reserves that oversummer in the dried pond sediments. Field observations throughout 2 seasons revealed the nearly continuous presence of juveniles, indicating multiple generations, and a predominance of males during the mid to late stages of the pond. Observation of the first oviposition, and dissections revealed that sexual maturation occurred in shrimp 10–12 mm carapace length. Fecundity increased with size, but was drastically reduced in parasitized individuals. Metacercariae of an echinostome fluke caused parasitic castration in 53% of the population by mid-season. In the laboratory, oversummered eggs collected from dried pond sediments hatched within 17 days, when incubated at 10 °C. Eggs laid in the laboratory hatched within 25 days at 10 °C, without prior dehydration, but hatching was reduced at higher temperatures.
Strengthening of Soda‐Lime Glass Rods by heat Treatment Alone and Heat Treatment plus Silanes

A study with soda-lime glass rods showed that modulus of rupture values can be increased from approximately 124 × 106 Pa (18 ksi) to 276 × 106 Pa (40 ksi) by heat treatment. Dipping the rods into diethyldichlorosilane prior to heating at 593°C (1100°F) or exposing hot glass to the silane vapor following heat treatment increased strength an additional 30% over the average strength obtained by heating only at this temperature. Similar treatment with phenyltrichlorosilane or diethyldichlorosilane did not give strengths statistically higher than those obtained by heating alone.
Steroids Modulate Transepithelial Resistance and Na+ Absorption Across Cultured Porcine Vas Deferens Epithelia

Epithelial cells were isolated from adult porcine vas deferens and grown in the absence or presence of steroid hormones. Transepithelial resistance (Rte), basal short circuit current (Isc), and the effects of selected ion transport modulators on these parameters were evaluated in modified Ussing chambers at three time points (5‐8, 11‐14, and 18‐22 days postseeding). At the earliest time point, no significant differences were observed. At the middle time point, when compared with Rte in untreated control monolayers, Rte in monolayers exposed to 17b-estradiol, aldosterone, cortisol, cortisone, prednisolone, prednisone, and dexamethasone was significantly lower; in contrast, Rte in monolayers exposed to testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, or progesterone did not differ from that in control monolayers. Treatments with cortisol, prednisolone, and dexamethasone were associated with an elevated basal Isc that was amiloride sensitive, indicating ongoing Na1 absorption by these monolayers. Rte was increased by amiloride treatment in glucocorticoid-treated monolayers but remained significantly less than that of control monolayers. At the third time point, the postamiloride Rte of glucocorticoidtreated monolayers was not different from that of control monolayers. Responses to ATP, forskolin, bumetanide, and DASU-02 were not affected by steroid treatment at any time point. Taken together, these results suggest that estrogens and corticosteroids can modulate epithelial function in the distal excurrent duct of the adult male reproductive system. At physiological or pharmacological concentrations, these hormones would be expected to modify the luminal environment (both the ionic composition and pH) to which sperm are exposed and thus affect male fertility. glucocorticoid receptor, male sexual function, steroid hormones, vas deferens
Overrelaxation by reversible mode coupling

Abstract It is argued that the success of overrelaxed stochastic algorithms is generically due to the incorporation of finely tuned reversible mode couplings in the evolution law. A field theoretical formulation of overrelaxation is presented. Within this framework it should be possible to investigate how generic the effect of overrelaxation on critical slowing down is.
The Influence of Type and Token Frequency on the Acquisition of Affixation Patterns: Implications for Language Processing.

Rules, and exceptions to such rules, are ubiquitous in many domains, including language. Here we used simple artificial grammars to investigate the influence of 2 factors on the acquisition of rules and their exceptions, namely type frequency (the relative numbers of different exceptions to different regular items) and token frequency (the number of exception tokens relative to the number of regular tokens). We familiarized participants to either a prefixation pattern (where regulars started with /ZaI/ and exceptions ended with /ZaI/) or a suffixation pattern (where regulars ended with /ZaI/ and exceptions started with /ZaI/). We show that the type and the token frequency of regular items and exceptions influence in different ways what participants can learn. For the exceptions to be learned, they have to occur sufficiently often so that participants can memorize them; this can be achieved by a high token frequency. However, a high token frequency of the exceptions also impaired the acquisition of the regular pattern. In contrast, the type frequency of the patterns seemed to determine whether the regular pattern could be learned: When the type frequency of the regular items was sufficiently high, participants successfully learned the regular pattern even when the exceptions were played so often that 66% of the familiarization items were exceptions. We discuss these findings in the context of general learning mechanisms and the role they may play in language acquisition.
Analysis of a Cycloconverter-Induction Motor Drive System Allowing for Stator Current Discontinuities

A variable speed drive, which includes a prime mover driven alternator, a 36-SCR cycloconverter, and an induction motor, is simulated on a digital computer. The induction motor model is developed to permit a general solution when any number of the stator currents is zero. Using conduction criteria for individual SCRs, a new cycloconverter model is derived which results in an input/output transfer function.
Optimisation of the Prevention and Treatment of Bacterial Endocarditis

This paper reviews currently established guidelines for the prevention and treatment of bacterial endocarditis. Endocarditis remains a life-threatening disease with substantial morbidity and mortality. Primary prevention of endocarditis, whenever possible, is therefore very important. In an individual with endocarditis, rapid diagnosis and effective treatment are essential to good patient outcome. The guidelines discussed here are largely based on those issued by the American Heart Association. While most cases of endocarditis are not attributable to an invasive procedure, certain procedures are associated with bacteraemia by organisms commonly associated with endocarditis, and antibacterial prophylaxis is recommended before such procedures. Patient cardiac conditions are stratified into high, moderate and negligible risk categories based on potential outcome if endocarditis develops. For oral, dental, respiratory tract, and oesophageal procedures (most often associated with viridans streptococci) the standard antibacterial regimen is oral amoxicillin. For gastrointestinal and genitourinary procedures (most often associated with enterococci), parenteral antibacterials are most often recommended. For high-risk patients, intramuscular or intravenous ampicillin and gentamicin (or vancomycin and gentamicin in penicillin-allergic individuals) is recommended. For moderate risk patients, an option of oral amoxicillin or parenteral ampicillin is offered. Treatment of bacterial endocarditis is guided by identification of the causative micro-organism. Approximately 80% of cases of endocarditis are due to the Gram-positive cocci: streptococci and staphylococci. Other Gram-positive organisms include enterococci (predominantly Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium) and the HACEK group of organisms (Haemophilus parainfluenzae, H. aphrophilus, Actinobacillus [Haemophilus] actinomycetemcomitans, Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella kingae). In general, for uncomplicated cases of endocarditis due to penicillin-susceptible viridans streptococci or Streptococcus bovis 4 weeks of benzylpenicillin (or ceftriaxone) is the preferred regimen for most patients aged >65 years. A 2-week course of treatment can be used when gentamicin is added, in patients at low risk for adverse events caused by gentamicin therapy. When endocarditis is caused by strains of viridans streptococci or S. bovis relatively resistant to penicillin, or by enterococci, both benzylpenicillin and gentamicin are recommended. For staphylococcal endocarditis on native heart valves, nafcillin or oxacillin with or without gentamicin is the preferred regimen. In prosthetic valve staphylococcal endocarditis, nafcillin (or oxacillin) with rifampicin and gentamicin is recommended. For all of the above situations, vancomycin is recommended for the patient allergic to penicillin (or methicillin). Finally, consideration of out-of-hospital therapy in selected patients is discussed.
An integrated local energy density approach to notch low cycle fatigue life prediction

Abstract An approach to notch low cycle fatigue (LCF) life prediction based on hysteresis loop energy is described. The method employs an elastic-plastic finite element model of a notched component and a supplemental post-processor to calculate, order and summate elemental energies. These energies, combined with smooth bar LCF data, are used to predict notch LCF life. Predictions using the method are compared to test results on circumferentially notched Rene 80 specimens tested at 760 and 982°C with stress concentration factors ( K t ) of 3.49 and 2.22. Excellent correlation was obtained for K t = 3.49 at 982°C when a critical notch root volume equal to the notch root plastic zone was assumed. Correlation at 760°C, K t = 3.49 and 982°C, K t = 2.22 was not as good. Limitations due to analytic assumptions and micro-mechanistic features as determined by optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopy are discussed and recommendations for further research indicated.
Resident microbiota of the gypsy moth midgut harbors antibiotic resistance determinants.

Little is known about the significance of insects as environmental reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We characterized the antibiotic resistome of the microbial community in gypsy moth larval midguts by applying functional metagenomics to cultured isolates. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of 12 antibiotics were determined for 44 cultured isolates, and antibiotic resistance genes were selected from metagenomic libraries derived from DNA extracted from a pool of the isolates. Six unique clones were identified. Two were highly resistant to penicillin-type β-lactams, two were moderately resistant to erythromycin, and two were moderately resistant to a range of antibiotics, including erythromycin, carbenicillin, and chloramphenicol. Sequence analysis predicted that the active genes encoded efflux pumps, a transcriptional activator of efflux pump protein expression, and an extended-spectrum class A β-lactamase. Insect guts are a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes with the potential for dis...
Catecholamine Secretion by Chemically Skinned Cultured Chromaffm Cells

Abstract: The secretory system of intact chromaffin cells is not accessible to direct chemical manipulation because of the selective permeability of the plasmalemma. We have devised a simple procedure for chemically “skinning” (permeabilizing) cultured adrenal medullary chromaffin cells by brief exposure to the detergent saponin. This procedure disrupts the continuity of the plasmalemma, thus allowing us to bypass those aspects of the secretory process controlled by the cell membrane and giving direct access of exogenous substances to the cellular secretory machinery. We report here that the skinned cells retain a fully competent secretory mechanism dependent only on exogenous calcium and MgATP. Saponin treatment had no significant effect on the total catecholamine content of the cells. Secretion could be initiated by either MgATP or calcium as long as the other was present in the medium. Catecholamine and dopamine-β-hydroxylase release by the skinned cells was dependent on the calcium concentration of the medium. The ratio of secreted catecholamine and enzyme was similar to that of the cells, indicating that secretion occurred by an exocytotic mechanism. About half the total cellular content of the cytoplasmic enzyme lactic dehydrogenase was released during the permeabilization process and subsequent incubations, indicating plasmalemma permeability to molecules as large as protein. Calcium-induced secretion was unaffected by several drugs known to affect catecholamines and granule function. Saponin treatment of chromaffin cells in culture appears to be a simple means for allowing access of exogenous substances to the cell's secretory machinery. Therefore, it offers the opportunity to use chemical treatments and perhaps specific antibodies to cellular components, to determine the role of these elements in the secretory process. These techniques should also be applicable to other cells known to secrete by an exocytotic mechanism.
Reading Public Opinion: How Political Actors View the Democratic Process

Drawing on ideas from political science, sociology and psychology this text explores how three sets of political participants - legislative staffers, political activists and journalists - actually evaluate and assess public opinion. The text gives one approach to understanding how public opinion fits into the empirical world of politics and finds that it has little to do with the mass public. Concluding that many political actors reject the "voice of the people" as uninformed and nebulous, relying instead on interest groups and the media for representations of public opinion.
Pancreatic immunoreactive somatostatin and diabetes mellitus

Pancreatic secretions were collected during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography from 15 subjects without pancreatic, biliary, or hepatic diseases, 11 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes, and 11 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes. Pancreatic secretion was stimulated by the intravenous administration of one unit of secretin per kilogram of body weight. Immunoreactive somatostatin (IRS) in the pancreatic juice of the nondiabetic subjects ranged from 43 to 97 pg/ml, in non-insulin-dependent diabetics from 5 to 3872, and in the insulin-dependent diabetics from 0 to 2093. IRS in insulin-dependent diabetics under good plasma glucose control ranged from 0 to 281 pg/ml, compared to those under poor control who ranged from 518 to 2093 pg/ml. These results indicate that IRS in pancreatic juice is higher in poorly controlled insulin-dependent diabetics than in well controlled insulin-dependent diabetics and nondiabetics. Whether these changes in IRS are purely secondary phenomena or play some pathogenetic role in the disturbed metabolism of diabetes remains to be proven. The chromatographic profile of IRS in pancreatic juice on both gel filtration and high-performance liquid chromatography has indicated that these IRS moieties represent somatostatin 14 and somatostatin 28.
Comparison of 3H-spiperone binding in caudate nuclei of rabbits and rats.

Abstract 3H-Spiperone binding and inhibition by competing ligands were studied in caudate nucleus homogenates from Sprague-Dawley rats and New Zealand albino rabbits. 3H-Spiperone binding sites were very similar in the two species and had pharmacological profiles characteristic of D2-dopamine receptors, in accordance with previous reports. However, differences occurred between the species in the potencies with which dopaminergic ergots and other drugs interacted with these binding sites and with regard to the compounds used to define specific binding. These findings suggest that slight differences in relative proportions of subtypesof 3H-spiperone binding sites, or of neuroleptic at these subtypes, may exist between rabbits and rats.
Cell groups afferent to the telencephalon in a cartilaginous fish (Platyrhinoidis triseriata). A WGA-HRP study

Cell groups projecting to the telencephalon in the guitarfish Platyrhinoidis triseriata were localized by retrograde transport of wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) from injections into the basal forebrain bundle. Labeled neurons were observed bilaterally in the dorsal and ventral thalamus, hypothalamus, mesencephalon and rostral rhombencephalon. A comparison of the labeled cell groups to those which project to the telencephalon in terrestrial vertebrates reveals many parallels, including position in the brain, similarities in the afferent connections and immunoreactivity. Further data are needed to decide whether the cell groups in Platyrhinoidis are homologous or homoplasious to their counterparts in land vertebrates.
Testosterone and Pupillary Response to Auditory Sexual Stimuli

Low-, medium-, and high-testosterone subjects listened to four 30-s recorded stimuli while a computer system continuously measured their pupil size. The stimuli dealt with sex, aggression, and two neutral topics. Subjects dilated more to sex than to the other topics. Male and female subjects responded similarly, although low-testosterone males did not dilate as long as other subjects to the sexual stimulus. Auditory stimuli avoid a brightness artifact associated with visual stimuli. Auditory stimuli can be used in a variety of pupillometry studies, including studies of ongoing conversation and social interaction.
Use of botulinum toxin as a diagnostic/therapeutic trial to help clarify an indication for definitive therapy in patients with achalasia.

Use of botulinum toxin as a diagnostic/ therapeutic trial to help clarify an indication for definitive therapy in patients with achalasia