cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is Discriminative Responding in Reward Outcome Serial Learning Mediated by Item Memories or by Position Cues

Abstract In two experiments, rats in a runway were trained under fixed predictable series of 6 plain food pellets, 6 sucrose food pellets (both Noyes .045 g), and nonreward. Whether discriminative responding, faster running to reward than to nonreward, was controlled by cues associated with memories of earlier food items in the series or by cues associated with the position of the item in the series was investigated here. In Experiment 1 a series easy to learn from an item standpoint (item group), but not a position standpoint, was learned while a series having the opposite characteristics (position group) was not learned. Experiment 2 findings suggested that when item cues and position cues were equally relevant, item cues gained the greater control over responding and may have overshadowed position cues. Taken together, the acquisition findings of Experiments 1 and 2 cannot be explained by the specific spatial position hypothesis recommended by D'Amato (1991) or by position hypotheses in general. Following acquisition in Experiment 1, rats were shifted to series in which items in novel positions continued to be validly signaled by food items. The item groups responded discriminatively in shift, a finding consistent with the item view but not the position view. Cases of serial learning in which discriminative responding might be more strongly regulated by item cues than by position cues or vice-versa were considered in the General Discussion.
Exact and approximation algorithms for computing optimal fat decompositions

The minimum α-fat decomposition problem is the problem of decomposing a simple polygon into fewest subpolygons, each with aspect ratio at most α, for a given α > 0. The main result in the paper is a polynomial time algorithm that solves the version of this problem that disallows Steiner points. The algorithm returns an optimal α-fat decomposition, if there is one, and reports failure otherwise. We also devise a faster approximation algorithm that produces, for any e > 0, an (α + e)-fat decomposition with as few polygons as an optimal α-fat decomposition.
Study versus test trials and long-term retention in free-recall learning

A categorically structured list was learned with alternating study and test trials (Standard Group) or a single study trial followed by three successive test trials within each four-trial cycle (Recall Group). On the first test trial of each new cycle, the Standard Group and Recall Group were approximately equivalent in number of words recalled and amount of category clustering. Over a 2-day retention interval, the Standard Group and the Recall Group showed significant and equivalent losses in number of words recalled and number of categories recalled; the loss in words/category recall was of borderline significance. Either with or without cues, the Standard Group added a greater number of previously nonrecalled words than did the Recall Group during the cuing period. The results were discussed in terms of availability versus accessibility of items in different phases of the final test.
The lived experience of mothering after prison: The preliminary study

Abstract The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological preliminary study was to gain a better understanding of the experience of mothering after prison. In-depth interviewing was conducted with two participants for a period of 4 months after their release from prison. All interviews were focused on the research question, “What has been your experience of mothering since your release from prison?” Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The following four themes emerged: “always the mother,” “separation anxiety,” “new demands: divided loyalties,” and “the honeymoon is over.”
The parkinsonian neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+)) mediates release of l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) and inhibition of l-DOPA decarboxylase in the rat striatum: a microdialysis study.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), particularly peroxynitrite, have been implicated as key participants in the dopaminergic neurotoxicity of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+)). However, on the basis of available information, it is not clear whether the MPP(+)-induced overproduction of ROS and RNS occurs in the intraneuronal and/or extracellular compartment. Early steps in the neurotoxic mechanism evoked by MPP(+) include a profound dopaminergic energy impairment, which mediates a massive release of dopamine (DA), glutathione (GSH), and cysteine (CySH). In the event that MPP(+) mediates extracellular generation of ROS (such as superoxide and/or hydroxyl radicals) and/or peroxynitrite, released DA, GSH, and CySH should be oxidized forming thioethers of DA and disulfides. Using microdialysis experiments in which MPP(+) was perfused into the striatum of awake rats, the present study was unable to detect the presence of such biomarkers of extracellular ROS and/or RNS generation. However, MPP(+) induced a transient, concentration-dependent rise of extracellular l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA), identified on the basis of dialysate analysis using several HPLC methods and its conversion to DA by purified l-DOPA decarboxylase (DDC). Methamphetamine (30 mg/kg, i.p.) similarly caused a significant but transient rise of l-DOPA in the rat striatum. Antioxidants such as salicylate and mannitol had no effect on the MPP(+)-mediated elevation of extracellular l-DOPA, suggesting that it is not formed by nonenzymatic hydroxylation of l-tyrosine by ROS or RNS. Rather, in vivo, but not in vitro, MPP(+) caused rapid inhibition of DDC, which appears to result in intraneuronal accumulation and subsequent release of l-DOPA. Because l-DOPA can mediate l-glutamate release, as well as be an excitotoxin, the possibility is raised that l-DOPA may play a role in the dopaminergic neurotoxicity of MPP(+).
Double dissociation between action-driven and perception-driven conflict resolution invoking anterior versus posterior brain systems.

Abstract The ability to select and integrate relevant information in the presence of competing irrelevant information can be enhanced by advance information to direct attention and guide response selection. Attentional preparation can reduce perceptual and response conflict, yet little is known about the neural source of conflict resolution, whether it is resolved by modulating neural responses for perceptual selection to emphasize task-relevant information or for action selection to inhibit pre-potent responses to interfering information. We manipulated perceptual information that either matched or did not match the relevant color feature of an upcoming Stroop stimulus and recorded hemodynamic brain responses to these events. Longer reaction times to incongruent than congruent color–word Stroop stimuli indicated conflict; however, conflict was even greater when a color cue correctly predicted the Stroop target's color (match) than when it did not (nonmatch). A predominantly anterior network was activated for Stroop-match and a predominantly posterior network was activated for Stroop-nonmatch. Thus, when a stimulus feature did not match the expected feature, a perceptually-driven posterior attention system was engaged, whereas when interfering, automatically-processed semantic information required inhibition of pre-potent responses, an action-driven anterior control system was engaged. These findings show a double dissociation of anterior and posterior cortical systems engaging in different types of control for perceptually-driven and action-driven conflict resolution.
Vibrational transport in disordered systems

Abstract Localized vibrational states above a mobility band (ω>ωc) are thought to characterize amorphous and glassy structures. The cross-over from a phonon (extended) to a fracton (localized) nature of lattice vibrations on a percolating network is a realization of such a cross-over. Lattice anharmonicity can connect extended and localized states, affecting dispersion and lifetimes for both species. We have examined these effects using the phonon-fracton picture to extract explicit numerical results. In particular, we have calculated, for phonons, the inelastic scattering lifetimes and the temperature and frequency dependences of the velocity of sound and, for the fractons, inelastic scattering lifetimes and the phonon-assisted hopping rates. These scattering processes are all related. They are simply different orderings of the scattering vertex. As a consequence, experimental determination of one of these quantities allows estimation of each of the others without significant undetermined parameters. We ...
Management of the Nonerupted Maxillary Anterior Tooth

The noneruption of maxillary anterior teeth, particularly the canine, is a common problem. The cause of the noneruption is multifactorial but almost always involves a lack of space. The literature presents an active and a passive form of orthodontic treatment and has recently stressed the periodontal management of these teeth. Two cases are presented. In both cases the orthodontic techniques of regaining space and providing traction on the unerupted tooth are described. A free gingival graft is used in one case and an apically repositioned flap in the other to achieve a healthy periodontium. The advantages and disadvantages of the techniques used as well as their rationale are discussed.
Exploring policy and practice relations: A teaching and learning perspective

In this paper we examine relations between education policy and local practice. Situating our work within the literature on the local implementation of education policy, we develop a pedagogical perspective for understanding relations between policy and local practice. We argue that policy‐makers’ attempts to enact policy can be viewed as a form of teaching and that local educators can be seen as learners from policy. This pedagogical perspective provides a theoretical frame for the papers in this volume. We trace the evolution of this pedagogical perspective in our work, and we preview the contribution the papers in this volume make to developing this frame. We also present details of our research methods. 1. We are indebted to our colleagues in the Education Policy and Practice Study, EPPS is supported in part from grants from the National Science Foundation, Pew Charitable Trust, Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, which is funded by a grant from the US De...
Wake Mixing in Axial Flow Compressors

Over the years it has been speculated that the performance of multi-stage axial flow compressors is enhanced by the passage of a wake through a blade row prior to being mixed-out by viscous diffusion. The link between wake mixing and performance depends on the ability to recover the total pressure deficit of a wake by a reversible flow process. This paper shows that such a process exists, it is unsteady, and is associated with the kinematics of the wake vorticity field. The analysis shows that the benefits of wake total pressure recovery can be estimated from linear theory and quantified in terms of a volume integral involving the deterministic stress and the mean strain rate. In the limit of large reduced frequency the recovery process is shown to be a direct function of blade circulation. Results are presented which show that the recovery process can reduce the wake mixing loss by as much as seventy percent. Under certain circumstances this can lead to nearly a point improvement in stage efficiency, a nontrivial amount.Copyright © 1996 by ASME
Price regulated versus price unregulated housing markets

(1996). Price regulated versus price unregulated housing markets. Scandinavian Housing and Planning Research: Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 201-204.
Tricritical point of finite-temperature phase transitions in large N (Higgs) gauge theories

Gauge theories broken by a single Higgs field are known to have first-order phase transitions in temperature if $\ensuremath{\lambda}{/g}^{2}\ensuremath{\ll}1$, where $g$ is the gauge coupling and $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ the Higgs self-coupling. If the theory is extended from one to $N$ Higgs doublets, with U$(N)$ flavor symmetry, the transition is known to be second order for $\ensuremath{\lambda}{/g}^{2}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}1$ in the $N\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$ limit. We show that one can, in principle, compute the tricritical value of $\ensuremath{\lambda}{/g}^{2}$, separating first- from second-order transitions, to any order in $1/N$. In particular, scalar fluctuations at the transition damp away the usual problems with the infrared behavior of high-temperature non-Abelian gauge theories. We explicitly compute the tricritical value of $\ensuremath{\lambda}{/g}^{2}$ for U(1) and SU(2) gauge theory to next-to-leading order in $1/N$.
Testes in Enchytraeus fragmentosus Bell

Testes have been localized in the seventh or eighth segment of Enchytraeus fragmentosus Bell. This species was previously described as lacking gonads.
Concerns about infertility risks among pediatric oncology patients and their parents

Background Given pediatric cancer patients are living into adulthood, parents and patients need to be informed about fertility-related side effects of their particular treatment. Procedure We surveyed 97 parents of pediatric patients of all ages as well as 37 adolescent patients of 14 years or older who were presented for care at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH) at the Stanford University Medical Center. We estimated the potential infertility risk (low, intermediate, and high) based on the child's treatment regimen. Results In contrast to our hypothesis, the majority of parents in all three risk categories were concerned about fertility-related side effects of cancer treatment. Many parents with children at low risk were concerned (58.3%) whereas not all parents with children at intermediate or high risk were concerned, 61.5% and 73.3% respectively, P = 0.43. Indeed, over 50% of all parents were erroneously concerned that cancer therapies cause DNA damage to their child's eggs (or sperm). Only 29.9% of parents were satisfied with the amount of information received. Similar patterns were seen among the adolescent patient sample. Conclusions Parents of pediatric cancer patients and teenage patients have concerns about fertility-related side effects regardless of treatment received. Targeted education about infertility risk before and after treatment can address these gaps. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2008;50:85–89. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
On the function of the N cistron in phage lambda

Abstract An in vivo assay for the product of the N gene of bacteriophage lambda is described. Using this assay we show that (1) expression of the N gene starts during the first minute of the vegetative cycle; (2) the N product is functionally unstable between 30° and 35° but stable at 4°; (3) the phage repressor prevents expression of the early genes located to the left of N, even in the presence of N product; (4) the amount of N product synthesized by wild-type phage lambda is in large excess of what is required to obtain maximum expression of the early genes located to the left of N.
Tiazofurin: biological effects and clinical uses.

Inosine 5′-phosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) activity is increased in all cancer cells. It is the rate-limiting enzyme of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) biosynthesis, and therefore, a sensitive target of chemotherapy. Tiazofurin selectively blocks IMPDH activity. Tiazofurin was found to have an antiproliferative effect on tumor cells in vitro and in the murine system. Based on these findings, Phase I trials were started elsewhere in patients with solid tumors, but were discontinued because of toxicity. In leukemic patients, we were able to demonstrate a good correlation between biochemical parameters (i.e., decline in IMPDH activity and GTP concentrations in blast cells) and clinical response. The most consistent responses to therapy were seen in patients with myeloid blast crisis of chronic myeloid leukemia. Severe toxicity was seen in the earlier patients in the study. However, better patient selection, limitation of treatment duration and earlier recognition and treatment of complications have now made it possible to administer tiazofurin without undue toxicity.
Clarification of reconstituted frozen orange juice concentrate by continuous flow centrifugation for limonin glucoside solid phase extraction

BACKGROUND: The suitability of continuous flow centrifugation for the clarification of reconstituted frozen orange juice concentrate prior to its application to a solid phase extraction column for the isolation of limonin glucoside was evaluated. Clarification experiments spanning three flow rates (325, 588 and 875 mL min−1) and three rotor speeds (equivalent to 2130, 8521 and 19 172 × g) were conducted in a simple factorial design. RESULTS: With increasing rotor speed or decreasing flow rate the average particle size, colour parameters (CIE L*, a*, b*) and residual solids in the resulting centrifugates were found to decrease, whereas juice characteristics including pH, conductivity, °Brix and limonin glucoside content were unchanged by the clarification process. Mean particle size in the resulting centrifugates ranged from 1.14 to 79.31 µm. The most effective clarification was obtained using a 325 mL min−1 flow rate in conjunction with the maximum rotor speed. Suitability of the centrifugates for processing by solid phase extraction was tested through a two-step process, in which the centrifugates were first screened using small columns, followed by application of the centrifugate to a larger self-packed column (6.5 cm × 20 cm) containing SP-70 Sepabeads. CONCLUSION: Centrifugates from two conditions (325 and 588 mL min−1 at the maximum rotor speed) were suitable for direct application to both columns. It was found that up to 19 L of these centrifugates could be applied to the 6.5 cm × 20 cm column without clogging or experiencing a decrease in flow rate. Analysis of the column effluent revealed that 11 L of centrifugate was sufficient to saturate this column. Published in 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISOFLURANE PRECONDITIONING AND POSTCONDITIONING IN RAT HIPPOCAMPAL NEURONS

Abstract The volatile anesthetic isoflurane is capable of inducing preconditioning and postconditioning effects in the brain. However, the mechanisms for these neuroprotective effects are not fully understood. Here, we showed that rat hippocampal neuronal cultures exposed to 2% isoflurane for 30 min at 24 h before a 1 h oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) and a 24 h simulated reperfusion had a reduced lactate dehydrogenase release. Similarly, this OGD and simulated reperfusion-induced lactate dehydrogenase release was attenuated by exposing the neuronal cultures to 2% isoflurane for 1 h at various times after the onset of the simulated reperfusion (isoflurane postconditioning). The combination of isoflurane preconditioning and postconditioning induced a better neuroprotection than either alone. Inhibition of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), inhibition of N-methyl d -aspartate (NMDA) receptors, or activation of adenosine A2A receptors resulted in reduction of the OGD and simulated reperfusion-induced cell injury. The combination of CaMKII inhibition and isoflurane preconditioning or postconditioning did not provide better protection than CaMKII inhibition, isoflurane preconditioning, or isoflurane postconditioning alone. The combination of NMDA receptor inhibition and isoflurane postconditioning was not better than NMDA receptor inhibition or isoflurane postconditioning alone for neuroprotection. However, the combination of adenosine A2A receptor activation with either isoflurane preconditioning or isoflurane postconditioning induced a better neuroprotective effect than adenosine A2A receptor activation, isoflurane preconditioning, or isoflurane postconditioning alone. The combination of NMDA receptor inhibition and isoflurane preconditioning caused a better neuroprotective effect than NMDA receptor inhibition or isoflurane preconditioning alone. These results suggest that isoflurane preconditioning- and postconditioning-induced neuroprotection can be additive. Isoflurane preconditioning and isoflurane postconditioning may involve CaMKII inhibition, but may not involve adenosine A2A receptor activation. Inhibition of NMDA receptors may mediate the effects of isoflurane postconditioning, but not isoflurane preconditioning.
Appetite suppressants and pulmonary hypertension

Background. Recently in France, primary pulmonary hypertension developed in a cluster of patients exposed to derivatives of fenfluramine in appetite suppressants (anorexic agents), which are used for weight control. We investigated the potential role of anorexic agents and other suspected risk factors for primary pulmonary hypertension. Methods. In a case-control study, we assessed 95 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension from 35 centers in France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands and 355 controls recruited from general practices and matched to the patients' sex and age. Results. The use of anorexic drugs (mainly derivatives of fenfluramine) was associated with an increased risk of primary pulmonary hypertension (odds ratio with any anorexic-drug use, 6.3; 95 percent confidence interval, 3.0 to 13.2). For the use of anorexic agents in the preceding year, the odds ratio was 10.1 (95 percent confidence interval, 3.4 to 29.9). When anorexic drugs were used for a total of more than three months, the odds ratio was 23.1 (95 percent confidence interval, 6.9 to 77.7). We also confirmed an association with several previously identified risk factors: a family history of pulmonary hypertension, infection with the human immunodeficiency virus, cirrhosis, and use of cocaine or intravenous drugs. Conclusions. The use of anorexic drugs was associated with the development of primary pulmonary hypertension. Active surveillance for this disease should be considered, particularly since the use of anorexic drugs is expected to increase in the near future.
The inhibition of drug metabolism by antispermatogenic N,N′-bis(dichloroacetyl) diamines

2 dichloroacetylamines NN-bis(dichloroacetyl-1-8)octamethylenediamine (WIN 18446) NN-14-xylene-bis(N-ethyldichloroacetamide) (N-ethyldichloroacetamide) (WIN 13099) seem to inhibit drug metabolism. They are firmly bound to subcellular membrane systems and possess potent antispermatogenic activi ty. WIN 13146 is a structural analog of WIN 13099 which lacks antispe rmatogenic activity. The antispermatogenic compounds produce a two-to t hreefold increase in sleeping time in rats when tested with sodium hexob arbital (80 mg/kg ip). WIN 13146 resulted in little or no increase in hexobarbital sleeping time. The inhibition of hexobarbital metabolism s eems to be independent of chain length of these compounds. WIN 13146 h as little effect on N-demethylation of 4-dimethylaminoantipyrine or O-de methylation of p-acetanisidide in rat liver homogenates. The antisperma togenic compounds lowered N and O-demethylation from 100 in controls to as low as 49 average activity. These compounds showed little effect on S-demethylation of 2-(methylthio)benzothiazole.
Polyethylene glycol-induced mammalian cell hybridization: effect of polyethylene glycol molecular weight and concentration.

The effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecular weight and concentration on mammalian cell hybridization were studied. The peak hybridization-inducing activity with all grades of PEG from 400–6000 was found to occur in the concentration range of 50–55%. However, changes in concentration were seen to have different quantitative effects with different grades of PEG. For monolayer fusions, PEG 1000 at 50% seems to be the optimal combination of PEG molecular weight and concentration, in terms of both efficiency of hybridization and relative insensitivity to dilution effects.
Sexually abused girls' behavior during an initial counseling session

Three processes of psychotherapy scales, the Vanderbilt Process of Psychotherapy Scale-Revised (VPPS), the Perceptual Process of Psychotherapy Scale (PPPS), and a Rating Form, were utilized to assess sexually abused girls' behavior during an initial counseling session. The variable of interest was the interactional differences between those girls who were treated by male as opposed to female counselors. Videotape recordings provided the medium by which the sessions were assessed. Trained raters observed a continuous portion of videotaped assessment sessions. Results indicated that there was no significant effect for the sex of counselor on the observers' ratings for the VPPS, the PPPS, and the frequency of verbalization as exhibited by the child and counselor. These findings suggest that there is no significant difference in sexually abused girls' interaction with a male or female counselor during an initial counseling session.
Tertiary–Quaternary faulting and uplift in the northern Oman Hajar Mountains

Field mapping and remote sensing investigations reveal two new major fault sets cutting through Tertiary rocks, Quaternary terraces and a several-hundred-year-old irrigation canal system in the Hajar Mountains of northern Oman. They extend for tens of kilometres, forming fracture intensification zones several hundred metres wide. WNW- to NW-oriented faults run parallel to the mountain fronts in the plains adjoining the central Hajar range then obliquely crosscut the mountains in the north. Motion along these faults explains how Quaternary marine terraces became elevated 190 m above sea level. A second fault set strikes north to NNE. The associated juvenile topography suggests that they also accommodate recent uplift, subsidiary to the WNW-striking faults, with minor strike-slip and differential movement between various segments of the Hajar Mountains. Both fault systems, and the amount of Quaternary uplift (between 100 and 500 m), are similar to those in other active and ancient forebulge environments. Using the fracture patterns observed, it is proposed here that the Hajar range lies on the active forebulge of a collision zone between the NE margins of the Arabian plate, the Zagros fold belt and the Makran accretionary prism, which resulted in the recent uplift.
DEA-Discriminant Analysis: Methodological comparison among eight discriminant analysis approaches

Abstract Discriminant Analysis (DA) is a classification method that can predict the group membership of a newly sampled observation. Recently, a new type of non-parametric DA approach is proposed to provide a set of weights of a discriminant function, consequently yielding an evaluation score for the determination of group membership. The non-parametric DA is referred to as “Data Envelopment Analysis-Discriminant Analysis (DEA-DA),” because it maintains its discriminant capabilities by incorporating the non-parametric feature of DEA into DA. In this study, a use of the mixed integer approach of DEA-DA is compared with other DA methods. It is confirmed that it performs at least as well as the other well known DA methods. The proposed approach is further reformulated in a manner that it can deal with classification of more than two groups.
On the existence of optimal solutions to integer and mixed-integer programming problems

The purpose of this paper is to present sufficient conditions for the existence of optimal solutions to integer and mixed-integer programming problems in the absence of upper bounds on the integer variables. It is shown that (in addition to feasibility and boundedness of the objective function) (1) in the pure integer case a sufficient condition is that all of the constraints (other than non-negativity and integrality of the variables) beequalities, and (2) that in the mixed-integer caserationality of the constraint coefficients is sufficient. Some computational implications of these results are also given.
A mechanistic model for baking of unleavened aerated food

Abstract A mechanistic model for baking of unleavened aerated food is proposed. The aerated food was assumed to consist initially of uniformly distributed same sized bubbles. The liquid medium was assumed to be Newtonian. Bubble coalescence, nucleation of bubbles and formation of interconnected channels were neglected. Unsteady state heat conduction and moisture diffusion equations were solved to obtain the evolution of temperature, moisture and air volume fraction profiles as well as cake rise. Consistent with experimental observations reported in the literature, the height of aerated food was found to increase with time, reach a maximum and decreased at longer times. The cake rise was found to be faster and larger at higher oven temperatures and for aerated food of higher initial air fraction and larger sugar content. The model predictions of cake rise agreed fairly well with the experimental data of Pernell, Luck, Foegeding, & Daubert, 2002 for fitted initial air volume fractions with the agreement being better at longer times for decreasing air volume fractions. The calculated air volume fraction profiles indicated an expanded inner region of more or less uniform density and a denser surface crust region whose thickness increased with baking time.
Colocalization of WT1 and cell proliferation reveals conserved mechanisms in temperature-dependent sex determination.

During vertebrate development the gonad has two possible fates, the testis or the ovary. The choice between these fates is made by a variety of sex-determining mechanisms, from the sex-determining gene on the Y chromosome (Sry) in mammals, to nongenetic temperature-dependent systems in many reptiles. Despite the differences in the mechanisms at the top of the sex-determining cascade, the resulting morphology and many genes involved in early testis and ovarian development are common to most vertebrates, leading to the hypothesis that the underlying processes of sex determination are conserved. In this study, we examined the early steps of gonad development in the red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta), a species that uses the temperature of egg incubation to determine sex. A dramatic increase in cell proliferation was observed in the male gonad during the earliest stages of sex determination. Using the localization of Wilms' Tumor suppressor 1 (WT1), we determined that this proliferation increase occurred in a population that contained pre-Sertoli cells. The proliferation of pre-Sertoli cells has been documented during sex determination in both mice and alligators, suggesting that proliferation of this cell type has an important role in vertebrate testis organogenesis and the determination of male fate.
Predictive models for setting safe limits in manual materials handling

SUMMARY Most current data on manual handling performance are in the form of single-factor studies using the criterion of maximum weight liftable and measuring its variation with experimental conditions. This does not always help the manager attempting to set safe handling limits as his/her application will involve many of the factors. A recent paper by Drury and Pfeil showed how the task-factors of height of lift and awkwardness of object could be combined with the age and sex of the materials handler to predict performance. This paper is an extension of these methods to incorporate more data on the effects of lifting height, introduce a more general measure of awkwardness and modify the model to cover extended periods of lifting rather than a single maximum exertion. It is shown that the criterion of duration of lifting at constant weight leads to the same results as the criterion of maximum weight lifted. Other findings are that the height of the object at both the beginning and the end of the lift are ...
Rao–Cramer Type Inequalities for Mean Squared Error of Prediction

Let Y be an observable random vector and Z be an unobservable random variable with joint density fθ(y, z), where θ is an unknown parameter vector.Considering the problem of predicting Z based on Y, we derive a Rao–Cramer type lower bound for the mean squared error (MSE) of any given predictor of Z satisfying some regularity conditions. Under unbiasedness, the lower bound does not depend on the specific predictor, and the condition for attaining that bound can be used to easily identify the best unbiased predictors in some applications. Using the lower bound we develop a method for proving admissibility of predictors under squared error loss. Bhattacharyya type bounds and extensions of the results for vector Z are also discussed, and some examples illustrating the utility of the results are presented.
Behavioral Determinants of Citizen Involvement: Evidence from Natural Resource Decentralization Policy

This article examines the robustness of citizen involvement in decentralized governance. It develops two behavioral theories of citizen involvement and examines their relative explanatory power with survey data collected from subsistence households in forest-dependent communities in Bolivia, Kenya, Mexico, and Uganda. Counterintuitively, the analysis finds that households that have been engaged with collective action the longest are the most likely to disengage from decentralized institutions once they confront crises. This result is interpreted in light of psychological self-licensing theory: people justify noninvolvement with decentralization precisely because of their past effort. This result implies that policies that rely on local involvement may be unsustainable insofar as they fail to address the underlying vulnerability of local users. In order to ensure that citizen involvement with decentralized governance is consistent and effective, policies need to address the structural factors that make users vulnerable to crises.
An Imagined Drama of Competitive Opposition in Carter's Scrivo in Vento, with Notes on Narrative, Symmetry, Quantitative Flux and Heraclitus

Carter's music poses struggles of opposition, for instance in timbre (Double Concerto), space (String Quartet No. 3) or pulse (String Quartet No. 5). His preference for the all-interval tetrachords, 4–Z15 [0, 1, 4, 6] and 4–Z29 [0, 1, 3, 7], is also well known. From these facets of Carter's music, I develop a narrative interpretation of his Petrarch sonnet–inspired solo flute piece, Scrivo in Vento (1991). Specifically, I forge narrative pathways by imagining the two tetrachords as active agents opposed in competition. Previous Scrivo analyses (Capuzzo 2002; Childs 2006) stress continuity by revealing Q-transforms and common-note voice leading between the tetrachords. While acknowledging such features, my analysis emphasises oppositional struggle by tracing the tetrachords as separate entities which cooperate and conflict as they manoeuvre to outdo each other. The analysis advances three theses: (1) it guides listening to and reading Scrivo in a way which resonates with Carter's concern for the aesthetics of oppositional struggle, his choice of a sonnet as inspiration and his affinity for all-interval tetrachords; (2) it shows that music-analytical detail can be organised into dramatic narratives by (a) projecting dramatic roles onto categories asserted by a formal theory and (b) treating the formal theory's relations metaphorically as actions performed by each role as the musical work unfolds; and (3) it shows how detailed pc-set analysis can support a Heraclitean view of music: a flux of opposing forces seeking and resisting unity.
Glutamate carboxypeptidase II: an amyloid peptide-degrading enzyme with physiological function in the brain

Proteolytic processing of amyloid peptides (Aβs) is one important mechanism that controls the brain Aβ level. Although several Aβ-degrading enzymes were identified, evidence has suggested the prese...
Changing Presentation and Management of Neutropenic Enterocolitis

Objective To characterize the current clinical presentation and management of neutropenic enterocolitis. Design Retrospective review of records of oncology unit patients requiring general surgical consultation for abdominal complaints in a 1-year period. Setting Oncology unit of a tertiary care, university teaching hospital. Patients and Interventions Fourteen patients diagnosed as having neutropenic enterocolitis were managed conservatively with operation reserved for failure of conservative therapy. Main Outcome Measures Clinical data from patients at the time of presentation and during treatment for neutropenic enterocolitis. Results All 14 patients diagnosed as having neutropenic enterocolitis were receiving chemotherapy for solid tumors or leukemias. Seven patients were undergoing stem cell or autologous bone marrow transplantation. Presenting symptoms and physical examination findings were nonspecific. All patients except one had neutropenia at the time of diagnosis. Computed tomographic scans of the abdomen were the most useful confirmatory study for the diagnosis of neutropenic enterocolitis. All patients except one had resolution of neutropenic enterocolitis with conservative therapy. One patient whose course of conservative management failed had protracted neutropenia and required operation for resection of bowel with full-thickness necrosis. Conclusions Neutropenic enterocolitis has evolved from a complication of patients with leukemia to a disease of patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy for many malignancies, solid as well as hematologic. Diagnosis of neutropenic enterocolitis continues to be a challenge, as patients typically present with nonspecific gastrointestinal tract symptoms. Neutropenia and computed tomographic scan findings are useful adjuncts in diagnosing neutropenic enterocolitis. Timely conservative treatment frequently allows resolution of neutropenic enterocolitis without operation.
Perceived Stigma of Poverty and dePreSSion: examination of interPerSonal and intraPerSonal mediatorS

This study examines the perceived stigma of poverty by assessing individuals' negative feelings about being poor (internalized stigma), and their beliefs about whether others treat them as stigmatized (experienced stigma). In a combined sample of low-income women (N = 210), we tested a dual-pathway model to explain how these perceived stigma dimensions are related to depression among the impoverished. We proposed that interpersonal (i.e., impaired support availability and heightened fear of support request rejection) and intrapersonal factors (i.e., impaired self-esteem) differentially mediate the relationship of internalized and experienced poverty stigma with depression. Structural equation modeling partially supported the model: internalized stigma and depression were partially mediated by self-esteem and fear of rejection, while experienced stigma was related to depression through fear of rejection only. In other words, internalized and experienced perceived stigma activate separate and similar mechan...
Implementation Challenges in the OSMOSIS Optical HPC Switch

OSMOSIS is an optical packet-switching interconnection network for high-performance computing systems. It aims at delivering sustained high bandwidth, very low latency, and cost-effective scalability. We describe how we address the challenges in the implementation of its optical data path and electronic control logic.
Enterobacter spp. : Pathogens poised to flourish at the turn of the century

Knowledge of the genus Enterobacter and its role in human disease has expanded exponentially in recent years. The incidence of infection in the hospital and the community has increased. New clinical syndromes have been recognized. Enterobacter spp. have also been implicated as causes of other syndromes that traditionally have been associated almost exclusively with more easily treatable pathogens, such as group A streptococci and staphylococci. Rapid emergence of multiple-drug resistance has been documented in individual patients during therapy and in populations and environments with strong selective pressure from antimicrobial agents, especially the cephalosporins. Therapeutic options for patients infected with multiply resistant strains have become severely limited. Carbapenems or, alternatively, fluoroquinolones are the most predictively active options, although resistance to both classes has been observed on rare occasions. Enterobacter spp. appear well adapted for survival and even proliferation as the turn of the century approaches.
Chains and ecologies: methodological notes toward a communicative-mediational model of technologically mediated writing

Studies of knowledge work tend to take one of two research foci: either on communication (the transactional, intersubjective exchange of information, thoughts, writing, or speech among participants, performed in serial chains) or mediation (the nonsequential, implicit aspects of artifacts that serve to guide and constrain workers' activities). In this paper, we propose a methodological framework that coordinates the perspectives.
Treatment Engagement: Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence in Treatment for PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder.

Objective: Treatment engagement rates are low for individuals with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorders across available interventions and treatment modalities. A better understanding of who does and does not engage in treatment can help improve retention, completion, and subsequent treatment outcomes. Methods: Forty female survivors of intimate partner violence with PTSD and alcohol use disorder participated in a randomized controlled trial comparing twenty-five 90-minute sessions of either modified Seeking Safety or Facilitated Twelve-Step in a community-based outpatient clinic. This study examined differences in demographics and pre-treatment PTSD symptoms and alcohol use between participants who engaged in treatment (attended ≥ 6 sessions, n = 18) and those who dropped out (n = 22). Results: There were no significant differences in PTSD or alcohol use disorder symptoms between treatment conditions. Women who engaged in therapy versus those who did not were significan...
Going the distance for TLB prefetching: an application-driven study

The importance of the Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB) on system performance is well known. There have been numerous prior efforts addressing TLB design issues for cutting down access times and lowering miss rates. However, it was only recently that the first exploration [26] on prefetching TLB entries ahead of their need was undertaken and a mechanism called Recency Prefetching was proposed. There is a large body of literature on prefetching for caches, and it is not clear how they can be adapted (or if the issues are different) for TLBs, how well suited they are for TLB prefetching, and how they compare with the recency prefetching mechanism.This paper presents the first detailed comparison of different prefetching mechanisms (previously proposed for caches) - arbitrary stride prefetching, and markov prefetching - for TLB entries, and evaluates their pros and cons. In addition, this paper proposes a novel prefetching mechanism, called Distance Prefetching, that attempts to capture patterns in the reference behavior in a smaller space than earlier proposals. Using detailed simulations of a wide variety of applications (56 in all) from different benchmark suites and all the SPEC CPU2000 applications, this paper demonstrates the benefits of distance prefetching.
Sex-specific differences in the treatment of severe psoriasis.

Abstract Background: Psoriasis treatment requires consideration of patient-specific concerns in addition to the severity of skin involvement. There may be sex-specific differences in the treatment of severe psoriasis. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are sex-specific differences in the treatment of severe psoriasis. Methods: We analyzed the medications prescribed to patients with a primary and only diagnosis of psoriasis recorded in the 1990-1994 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Results: There were 8.5 million visits to physicians for the treatment of psoriasis in the years 1990-1994. These visits were made by approximately 4.3 million women and 4.1 million men. Only 39% of patients receiving systemic treatments were women. Women received less methotrexate (23% women) and etretinate (35% women) than men, but more psoralen photochemotherapy (PUVA) (63% women) and isotretinoin (100% women) than men. In contrast, there was no notable difference by sex in the potency of topical corticosteroid agents prescribed. Conclusion: For mild disease treated with topical agents alone, there is no notable difference in the treatment of men and women. Men are more likely than women to receive intensive treatments for severe psoriasis, at least in part because of the teratogenic potential of these treatments. There is a need for development of new treatments for severe psoriasis that are safe for women of childbearing potential. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2000;42:620-3.)
Structural and functional analysis of ras and Blym oncogenes.

The transforming activity of tumor DNAs, detected by transfection of NIH 3T3 cells, has resulted in the identification of a variety of transforming genes which are activated in human neoplasms. Activated oncogenes of the ras family have been detected in approximately 20% of human neoplasms, including carcinomas, sarcomas, neuroblastomas, leukemia, and lymphomas (reviewed in Cooper and Lane, 1984). Thus, ras genes can apparently contribute to the development of neoplasms originating from a wide variety of differentiated cell types. Since they are detected in only a fraction of individual tumors, however, ras gene activation does not appear to be essential for development of any particular type of neoplasm.
Refining the Role of B Cells in Atherosclerosis

Lymphocytes and plasma cells have long been detected in the plaque and adventitia of atherosclerotic human arteries,1 yet their role in regulating atherosclerosis has only recently begun to emerge.2–6 Two important studies published in 2002 provide evidence for an atheroprotective role for B cells.3,4 More recently, 2 groups broadened our understanding of B cells and atherosclerosis by providing evidence that B cells can also promote atherosclerosis. Treating atheroscle-rosis-prone mice with an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that depleted mature B2, but not B1a cells, attenuated atherosclerosis.5,6 This B2 cell depletion was associated with decreased activated splenic CD4+ T cells, T-cell proliferation, and lesional T cells, suggesting that B2 cells aggravate atherosclerosis through a T-cell–dependent mechanism. Further evidence for an atherogenic role for B2 cells was provided by studies by Kyaw et al6 who found aggravated atherosclerosis in lymphocyte-deficient apolipoprotein E −/− recombination activating gene 2 −/− common cytokine receptor γ chain-deficient or to B-cell–deficient atherogenic mice after adoptive transfer of 5×106 B2, but not B1, B cells. See accompanying article on page 1573 Sage et al7 present another important study on the impact of loss of B2 cells on atherosclerosis by …
Connectivity in Sensor Networks

We analyze the probability that an arbitrarily selected sensor node in a sensor network is connected to a specified number, m, of other sensor nodes; i.e., that a communication path exists between a selected node and at least m other nodes. Specifically, we consider the following problem: If given a collection of sensor nodes, each with a communication radius r, that are to be uniformly distributed over an area of size A, how many nodes must be deployed to assure that any node is connected to at least m other nodes with a specified probability? Alternatively, if we deploy a fixed number of nodes over a region, what is the probability that a selected node will have m neighbors? Such questions are particularly pertinent for unattended sensor networks that perform cooperative operations requiring the participation of at least m nodes