cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perspectives from natural resource professionals: Attitudes on lead ammunition risks and use of nonlead ammunition

Abstract Hunting is a popular activity but continued use of lead ammunition poses risks to wildlife and human health. To inform adoption of the voluntary use of nonlead ammunition, natural resource professionals were surveyed to understand their attitudes about threats to bald eagles, lead poisoning in bald eagles, human health risks from lead bullet fragments in venison, use of nonlead hunting ammunition, and socio-economic nonlead ammunition factors. Differences were examined by hunter status, ammunition type used, and intentions to use nonlead ammunition. Of participants surveyed, 61.0% were hunters and 39.0% nonhunters, with 59.5% of hunters using lead ammunition and 40.5% using nonlead. Concurrently, 68.5% of hunters reported likely intentions to continue using nonlead or convert to nonlead in the future, while 31.5% reported nonlead use was unlikely. Also, some hunters currently using nonlead ammunition indicated they would unlikely continue using nonlead (17.8%). Nonhunters agreed more strongly than hunters regarding general mortality threats to bald eagles. Additionally, nonhunters, hunters using nonlead, and likely nonlead users more strongly agreed about threats of lead exposure to eagles than their counterparts. Nonhunters and likely nonlead users also more strongly agreed than hunters and unlikely nonlead users about the human health risks of lead ammunition and about shooting characteristics of nonlead. Finally, nonhunters and nonlead users agreed more strongly than their counterparts about the socio-economic factors of using nonlead ammunition. Understanding natural resource professional hunters’ attitudes may help with audience segmentation when designing future nonlead outreach messages. Management implications Among natural resource professionals, hunters are important in nonlead outreach programs, but results suggest nonhunters have greater understanding and awareness of the issues related to the effects of lead ammunition on the environment. Attitudes about lead poisoning and nonlead ammunition overlapped between hunters and nonhunters, suggesting the two groups are not mutually exclusive. A substantial proportion of nonlead hunters are likely to continue using it, but some indicated they might switch back to lead ammunition, suggesting a need to reinforce initial behavior. Hunters and nonhunters are both important target audiences for education and outreach programs.
Association between kinetic semiology of psychogenic nonepileptic spells and seizure type in dual disorder.

Abstract Purpose Epilepsy is diagnosed in 20% of patients with psychogenic nonepileptic spells (PNES). The semiology of PNES and epileptic seizures (ES) overlaps in some patients. It is unclear whether the motor phenotype of PNES predicts the type of ES. Methods Video segments of EEGs in patients with PNES and ES treated in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center were reviewed. Videos were categorized according to the validated motor-based classification of PNES. Ratings of kinetic PNES events were analyzed to determine if there was an association with focal or generalized ES. If available, the video segments of ES were categorized as hypokinetic or hyperkinetic based on the constellation of focal or generalized movements and other semiological features. Results Among 43 patients with documented PNES–ES (median age 34, interquartile range (IQR) 26–45), 27.9% were male. The largest proportion of patients (39.5%) had focal temporal epilepsy (TE). Other diagnostic groups included focal frontal (FE, 25.6%), generalized (GE, 25.6%), or other (9.3%) epilepsies. Thirty-three PNES patients (82.5%) were rated as having a hypokinetic phenotype. On average, hypokinetic PNES patients were receiving a median of 3 (IQR 2–4) anticonvulsants, compared to a median of 2 (IQR 2–3) in hyperkinetic PNES patients (p = 0.06). While the group with coexisting FE had a higher prevalence of hyperkinetic semiology (45.4%) than either the TE (11.7%) or GE (18.1%) patients, there was no significant association between the ES type and kinetic status of PNES. Among 20 patients who had video recordings of both PNES and ES, 40% displayed the concordant hypokinetic phenotypes for PNES and seizures while 15% had hyperkinetic presentation of both event types. Among additional 16 patients with scalp EEG-negative suspected nonepileptic events and documented ES, 6 had the recordings of seizures and 3 have presented with concordant hypokinetic PNES and ES. Conclusion In patients with PNES and ES, the hypokinetic semiology of PNES prevails over hyperkinetic semiology in TE and GE syndromes. The motor status of PNES does not predict the phenotype of coexisting ES. The concordant kinetic semiology is present in more than half of the patients with dual diagnosis and available video data.
Optimal superconvergence and asymptotically exact a posteriori error estimator for the local discontinuous Galerkin method for linear elliptic problems on Cartesian grids

Abstract The purpose of this paper is twofold: to study the superconvergence properties and to present an efficient and reliable a posteriori error estimator for the local discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) method for linear second-order elliptic problems on Cartesian grids. We prove that the LDG solution is superconvergent towards a particular projection of the exact solution. The order of convergence is proved to be p + 2 , when tensor product polynomials of degree at most p are used. Then, we prove that the actual error can be split into two parts. The components of the significant part can be given in terms of ( p + 1 ) -degree Radau polynomials. We use these results to construct a reliable and efficient residual-type a posteriori error estimates. We prove that the proposed residual-type a posteriori error estimates converge to the true errors in the L 2 -norm under mesh refinement. The order of convergence is proved to be p + 2 . Finally, we present a local AMR procedure that makes use of our local and global a posteriori error estimates. We provide several numerical examples illustrating the effectiveness of our procedures.
Examining the impacts of extended vocabulary instruction in mixed-English-proficiency science classrooms

Vocabulary is a building block of understanding, especially in science classrooms where language abilities are mixed. To reduce academic inequalities, approaches to vocabulary instruction need to d...
A one-pot successive cyclization–alkylation strategy for the synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted benzo[b]thiophenes

In this study, a new environmentally benign iodine-mediated one-pot iodocyclization/alkylation strategy for the synthesis of benzo[b]thiophene derivatives starting from 2-alkynylthioanisoles was developed. The synthesis of a diverse population of 2,3-disubstituted benzo[b]thiophenes was achieved in high yields by employing moderate reaction conditions using 1,3-dicarbonyl substrates as the nucleophile and various substituted propargyl alcohols as both the cyclization precursor and the alkylating agent. This method resulted in the formation of a series of complex structures obtained in a single step. Additionally, a strategy was devised for the one pot iodocyclization/oxidation of propargyl alcohols into carbonyl functionalized benzo[b]thiophene structures. These green one-pot reaction processes were designed to reduce wastes and byproducts while generating a complex substitution pattern on the benzo[b]thiophene structure. The reported methodologies may be used to synthesize more functionalized benzo[b]thiophene structures that can be used in both biomedical and organic electronic applications.
On the (near) optimality of extended formulations for multi-way cut in social networks

Given an edge-weighted graph and a subset of the vertices called terminals, the multiway cut problem aims to find a minimum weight set of edges that separates each terminal from all the others. This problem is known to be NP-hard even for $$k=3$$ . Computational experiments on social networks obtained from the Indian e-commerce company Flipkart show that an integer programming formulation (referred to as EF2) of the problem introduced by Chopra and Owen (1996) provides a very strong LP-relaxation that allows us to solve large problems in a reasonable amount of time. We show that the cardinality EF2 (where all edge weights are 1) on a wheel graph has a primal integer solution and a dual integer solution of the same value. We consider a hub-spoke network of wheel graphs constructed by adding edges connecting the hub vertices of a collection of wheel graphs. We assume that every wheel has a terminal hub or a terminal vertex with three non-terminal neighbors, and show that if the graph connecting the hub vertices is planar, the cardinality EF2 on the hub-spoke network of the wheel graphs has a primal integer solution and a dual integer solution of the same value. Given the prevalence of such structures in our social networks, our results provide some theoretical justification for the strong empirical performance of the EF2 formulation.
The Aesthetics of Language

We all find aesthetics pleasing. Attractive people get a head start in their careers. Attractive packaging grabs our attention. Given this effect aesthetic has been an area of intense research both in psychology and in consumer behavior. Yet although we know much about the aesthetic appeal of physical objects how about the aesthetics in text? For example, the header is the introduction to an electronic message. One appeal of the header is the emotion it conveys to the readers. Messages that evoke emotions are likely to be more effective. To examine this thesis the authors propose two models: one to measure the aesthetics of headers and the other to measure the effectiveness of the message. The first model measures emotions of the header using ROBERTA as its backbone with task code control methodologies to merge and train multiple emotion datasets simultaneously.
Blood pressure regulation in autonomic failure by dietary sodium, blood volume and posture.

Abstract In normal subjects natriuresis is tightly coupled to dietary salt ingestion to maintain sodium balance. Likewise, blood pressure remains unchanged over a wide range of salt intake because of pressure natriuresis, whereby an increase in blood pressure stimulates renal sodium excretion to restore homeostasis. These sodium handling mechanisms are impaired in autonomic failure. When exposed to salt restriction, autonomic failure patients are unable to reduce renal sodium excretion, and their orthostatic hypotension worsens. It follows that increased dietary salt would improve orthostatic tolerance. Indeed, most clinical practice guidelines emphasize a high salt intake (6–10 g/day) in the treatment of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension. This approach has been shown to improve other conditions such as syncope and postural tachycardia syndrome, but surprisingly there is no empirical evidence to support this recommendation in orthostatic hypotension. Even though there is expert opinion consensus in its favor, it would be reassuring if at least mechanistic proof of concept studies were available. Fludrocortisone is often added to a high salt diet to improve sodium retention and increase plasma volume, but these effects are transient. Fludrocortisone is contraindicated in patients with heart failure and should be used with caution, if at all, if supine hypertension is present. In patients with supine hypertension posture is an important determinant of sodium balance; blood pressure substantially increases while supine, triggering pressure natriuresis and extensive sodium loss. Thus, avoiding the supine posture may be as important as increasing dietary salt in the management of orthostatic hypotension.
Relaxation Oscillation Effect of the Ovonic Threshold Switch on the SET characteristics of Phase-change memory in Cross-point structure

In this letter, the relaxation oscillation (RO) effect of the Ovonic Threshold Switch (OTS) on the RESET (amorphous)-to-Set (crystalline) characteristics of Phase-change memory (PCM) is discussed. RO, which happens when the current flowing through the OTS is below hold current (Ih), may increase the minimum SET current and the fail bit rate (FBR) of RESET-to-SET transition in the Cross-point structure PCM (XP-PCM). The RO from the single XP-PCM cell was successfully measured using a low capacitance (low-z) probe and a high frequency oscilloscope, and the corresponding current oscillation is calculated from the voltage, discharge time, and write current. The voltage RO was proportionally increased as the applied current was decreased below the hold current of the OTS (Ih). The increasing RO behaviors were well matched with the increasing FBR of RESET-to-SET transition in the 64k bit array. The results indicate that the current oscillation not only makes the current supply for the crystallization unstable to generate SET fail but may even induce the partial amorphization (RESET) due to the series of high current – short pulses during the oscillation.
Representativeness and Bayes Rule: Economics Perspective

This chapter explores the general lessons from the Grether study. Many people rely on representativeness to form their probability judgments. In some situations, the reliance on representativeness leads people to violate Bayes rule. Moreover, incentives by themselves do not induce the greater majority of people to form judgments that are consistent with the application of Bayes rule. It illustrates that economist David Grether (1980) used a well-designed experiment to test the representativeness hypothesis carefully. He used an experimental design well suited to the asset pricing models. Grether's experiment involved a random procedure to generate a regime process and a sample from the regime process consisting of a six-element sequence of up and down outcomes. Subjects observed the sequence of outcomes but not the underlying regime process. The subjects in the Grether experiment had one task: to guess the regime process associated with each six-outcome sequence. A Bayesian would begin with the prior probabilities, these being the regime process probabilities and associated probabilities for up and down regime processes. There are effectively three prior probability parameters: the probability of a strong regime process, the probability of an up move in a strong regime process, and the probability of an up move in a weak regime process. Finally, a Bayesian would use Bayes rule to generate the probability associated with the strong regime process, conditional on the observed evidence.
Antimicrobial susceptibility breakpoints: PK-PD and susceptibility breakpoints.

Since the early 1960s, considerable advancements have been made to standardize and provide quality assurance for clinical susceptibility testing procedures of antimicrobial agents. Controversy, however, remains as to the interpretation of clinical laboratory susceptibility test results. While some feel susceptibility breakpoints should only detect resistance mechanisms, others believe they should predict a high probability of clinical response. This has resulted in confusion among clinicians, as it has been apparent for some time that there can be discordance between interpretive test results and clinical response to therapy (generally cures of infections caused by resistant pathogens). Nearly simultaneous with the beginning of the standardization process for clinical susceptibility testing procedures, the first penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates were detected. During the ensuing decades, penicillin-resistant pneumococci became a greater clinical concern, resulting in macrolides emerging as safe therapeutic alternatives to β-lactam agents for the treatment of community-acquired respiratory tract infections. During the last 10 years, the incidence of pneumococcal isolates with elevated macrolide minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values has also increased, yet the debate over the clinical meaning of these statistics persists. The youthful science of pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics provides a useful platform to determine which pneumococcal strains with elevated MIC values can be treated with contemporary dosing regimens and also facilitates the proper selection of antimicrobial breakpoints for all antimicrobial classes, including the newer macrolides.
Review of J. W. Rogerson, According to the Scriptures: The Use of the Bible in Social, Moral and Political Questions

Craig Martin reviews J. W. Rogerson, According to the Scriptures: The Use of the Bible in Social, Moral, and Political Questions (London: Equinox, 2007).
Age and rising rates of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor use. Results from a national survey.

BACKGROUND: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors were widely prescribed in the years following their introduction, but little is known about the frequency and context of their use across different age groups.
A Time Trade-Off Method to Elicit Preferences of Spouses About the Influnce of Their Partners' Potential Prostate Cancer Health States on Them

Background: Medical cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) traditionally treat patients as isolated individuals and neglect the effects of improvement in patients' health on the welfare of their family members. Recent analyses of the theoretical foundations of CEA suggest that cost-effectiveness analyses may better reflect the full costs and benefits of medical interventions if they incorporate these family effects. However, there is dearth of methods for measuring these spillover effects using preference-based approaches. Objective: To develop and apply a time trade-off (TTO) technique to measure the impact on the quality of life of spouses due to potential prostate cancer-related health states of their partners. Methods: In an ongoing study, we used standard TTO questions to measure utilities of male patients at the biopsy clinic who are at risk of developing prostate cancer for various prostate cancer health states. In an add-on pilot study, we developed modified TTO questions that ask a spouse of a patient to trade-off her own life in order to reduce the burden that she herself expects to experience if her partner develops one of the prostate cancer related health states. We review the theoretical justification for this question and carefully frame the question so as to reduce measurement error and also to avoid possible double counting with the effect on the partner's health. Results: We collected data from 26 spouses about their preferences for their own health, which is influenced by the patient's health condition. We find that the average quality of life weights for the spouses when the patients are healthy, impotent, incontinent, metastatic or dead are 0.81, 0.66, 0.68, 0.50 and 0.28 respectively. We find evidence of good face, convergent, divergent and concurrent validity with these time-trade-off questions. Furthermore, we matched the preferences of the spouses with those of the patients on the same health states and found that these preferences were either uncorrelated or negatively correlated, implying that the spouses were not acting as proxies for the patient. Conclusions: Preliminary results show that this new time-trade-off method produces valid measurements of the spillover effect on family member's QOL.
Innerklinischer Transport des kritisch kranken Patienten

Transport of critically ill patients from the ICU for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes (e.g. CT, endoscopy, radiological catheter-assisted interventions) is a challenge and has steadily increased over the years. After risk-benefit analysis careful planning is the first step in minimizing the risk of complications. Knowledge and skillful handling of the transport equipment is mandatory to avoid life-threatening incidents as monitoring and therapy have to be continued during the transport. Proper education and experience in critical care medicine are additional characteristics of the transport team. When these prerequisites are fulfilled a "non-transportable" patient is just as unlikely as a "non-anesthetizable" patient.
Role of nitric oxide in isoprenaline and sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxation in human hand veins

Aims Recent reports, largely in animal models, have suggested that either inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthase or endothelium removal in arteries inhibits the response to isoprenaline, a β-adrenoceptor agonist, and also enhances the response to sodium nitroprusside, a nitrovasodilator. This in vivo study was designed to determine whether NG-monomethyl-l-arginine (l-NMMA), an inhibitor of NO synthesis, influences relaxation of human hand veins mediated by isoprenaline or by sodium nitroprusside. Methods Using the dorsal hand vein technique, full dose-response curves to bradykinin (0.27–278 ng min−1, n=6), isoprenaline (2.12–271 ng min−1, n=8) and sodium nitroprusside (0.01–634 ng min−1, n=7) were generated on separate occasions before and after l-NMMA co-infusion (50 μg min−1 ). Results In veins preconstricted with the α1-adrenoceptor-selective agonist phenylephrine, the three vasodilators induced maximal responses (Emax ) of 119±35, 72±18 and 103±17%, respectively. l-NMMA inhibited relaxation to bradykinin by 64% (P=0.014) but did not influence relaxation induced by isoprenaline. The sensitivity to sodium nitroprusside was significantly enhanced by l-NMMA co-infusion (concentration shift of 2.3, P=0.031). Conclusions We conclude that in human veins, spontaneously released NO does not play a major role in isoprenaline-induced relaxation. Our results also suggest that the effects of sodium nitroprusside in this vascular bed may be attenuated by endothelium-derived NO.
Comparative perspectives on human gender development and evolution

Human behavioral sex differences are ubiquitous, but the degree to which these sex differences are evolved or culturally invented is hotly contested across disciplines. A review of the human research yields strong evidence that somatic and social causes are both important in human behavioral sex differentiation, but researchers in this area struggle to agree on the relative importance of each. Understanding the social and somatic determinants of nonhuman primate sex-typed development may shed light on the relative responsibility of social and somatic causes of human behavioral sex differentiation. A review of this research (and related research on the proximate drivers of nonhuman primate behavioral development more generally) indicates that primate behavioral sex differentiation is rooted in somatic causes, but that these are situated in and cannot be extricated from social influences. Overt gender socialization and phenomena such as gender performance seem to be uniquely human. Primate research using a dynamic systems theoretical approach to behavioral development has the greatest potential to further clarify the workings of human behavioral sex differentiation, and further primate research is indispensable for understanding the evolution of human sex-typed behavior.
Childhood trauma and psychiatric disorders as correlates of school dropout in a national sample of young adults

The effect of childhood trauma, psychiatric diagnoses, and mental health services on school dropout among U.S.-born and immigrant youth is examined using data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys, a nationally representative probability sample of African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Asians, Latinos, and non-Latino Whites, including 2,532 young adults, aged 21-29. The dropout prevalence rate was 16% overall, with variation by childhood trauma, childhood psychiatric diagnosis, race/ethnicity, and nativity. Childhood substance and conduct disorders mediated the relation between trauma and school dropout. Likelihood of dropout was decreased for Asians, and increased for African Americans and Latinos, compared to non-Latino Whites as a function of psychiatric disorders and trauma. Timing of U.S. immigration during adolescence increased risk of dropout.
Worldwide List of Organizations in Learning, Design, Technology, Information, or Libraries

Description – Based at Dawson College (Montreal), we are a Canada-wide, grant-funded team, conducting bilingual empirical research into the use of computer, learning, and adaptive technologies by postsecondary students with disabilities. One of our primary interests lies in issues around ensuring that newly emerging instructional technologies are accessible to learners with disabilities.
Fluid Flux and Clearance in Acute Lung Injury

Acute lung injury (ALI) and its most severe form, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), were presciently described nearly two centuries ago by Rene Laennec, later to be described clinically in the 1950s and 1960s. Substantial advances have been made in understanding the pathogenesis of these forms of permeability pulmonary edema, including Starling forces and cellular transport mechanisms involved in the generation and resolution of this form of lung injury. Functional animal models and clinically applicable case definitions for ALI and ARDS were instrumental in gaining these new insights. Although no specific pharmacological therapies for ALI and ARDS yet exist, outcomes have improved with advancements in respiratory and fluid-based supportive therapies, and methods to prevent the development or exacerbation of lung injury. Newer targeted therapies continue to be tested for efficacy in this condition where mortality rates frequently exceed 30%. In this article, we review the history of the pathophysiology of lung fluid and solute movement and the seminal clinical observations that brought that history to clinical relevance. We review the relevant lung structure and function and the dynamics of edema formation and resolution, and we describe the related clinical syndromes and the current treatment modalities.
Response of Naturalized and Ornamental Biotypes of Miscanthus sinensis to Soil-Moisture and Shade Stress

Abstract A recent trend in bioenergy-feedstock development includes the use of large-statured perennial grasses whose rapid growth and biomass-accumulation rates in low-fertility conditions make them highly desirable; however, these species tend to have much in common with many invasive plant species. Miscanthus sinensis (Chinese Silvergrass), an extremely popular ornamental grass and candidate bioenergy crop, has naturalized in over half of US states, yet little is known about its environmental-stress tolerance, which is a characteristic important for bioenergy development and invasiveness. Previous studies of Chinese Silvergrass have suggested that the species' enhanced tolerance to shade and drought conditions may be contributing to its invasion success in the US. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a greenhouse study to compare shade and soil-moisture stress tolerance among phenotypically diverse ornamental cultivars and naturalized biotypes of Chinese Silvergrass. We found enhanced plant growth and...
The role of message strategy in improving hand hygiene compliance rates

Background Despite increased attention to hand hygiene over the past decade compliance rates remain relatively low. Although there have been a number of improvements in the science of hand hygiene, very little attention has been devoted to the messages that promote it. Method A total of 86 health care workers who are members of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology chapters participated in an online evaluation of 6 message strategies. The participants evaluated the strategies on ease of understanding, believability, and whether the message strategies were likely to lead to increased handwashing. Results Of the 6 strategies—ego, social, sensory, routine, acute need, and ration—the social strategy was rated the most likely to lead to action. The sensory strategy was seen as not only least likely but also counterproductive. Conclusions ICPs should add a social message strategy to communication programs promoting hand hygiene. Although further testing is needed, ego, routine, and acute need strategies show promise for tapping into motivations that lead to improved compliance.
Guns and Butter: The Welfare State, the Carceral State, and the Politics of Exclusion in the Postwar United States

In 1970 a man wrote to California governor Ronald Reagan in support of disfranchising welfare recipients. “I believe this would be one of the most important pieces of legislation that could be enacted,” he explained. The writer asserted that people receiving state benefits forfeited their citizenship rights: “They are, in my opinion, no more than second rate citizens and because they continually draw welfare, I do not believe they should have the right to have a say in our government or how our tax money is spent.” While denying welfare recipients the right to vote was a marginal (and constitutionally dubious) proposition during the 1970s, opposition to granting full rights to suspect populations saturated political discourse on social and criminal policy. Americans persistently articulated a profound frustration with how recent legal and political reforms distributed resources and political voice to “undeserving” groups. As one police officer wrote to New York governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1973: “It seems like the law abiding citizens have no rights whatsoever, except the responsibility and obligation ‘to work in order to support and care for the parasites of society, the common and habitual criminal.’” Another woman expressed similar frustrations to Rockefeller after her home was robbed, describing herself as “a law abiding citizen who feels she is discriminated against in favor of dope addicts and welfare cheats.”1 To illuminate how these questions of who deserved rights, state resources, and political voice animated policy transformations during the last decades of the twentieth century, this article connects the history of the U.S. carceral state and that of the nation’s welfare state. Welfare policy and criminal policy were principal sites where society negotiated
Antibiotic Exposure in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit and the Risk of Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Objective To determine whether duration of antibiotic exposure is an independent risk factor for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Study design A retrospective, 2:1 control-case analysis was conducted comparing neonates with NEC to those without from 2000 through 2008. Control subjects were matched on gestational age, birth weight, and birth year. In each matched triad, demographic and risk factor data were collected from birth until the diagnosis of NEC in the case subject. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess associations between risk factors and NEC. Results One hundred twenty-four cases of NEC were matched with 248 control subjects. Cases were less likely to have respiratory distress syndrome ( P = .018) and more likely to reach full enteral feeding ( P = .028) than control subjects. Cases were more likely to have culture-proven sepsis ( P P = .001). When neonates with sepsis were removed from the cohort, the risk of NEC increased significantly with duration of antibiotic exposure. Exposure for >10 days resulted in a nearly threefold increase in the risk of developing NEC. Conclusions Duration of antibiotic exposure is associated with an increased risk of NEC among neonates without prior sepsis.
The Effect of Agency on the Impact of Emotion Expressions on People's Decision Making

Recent research in neuroeconomics reveals that people show different behavior and lower activation of brain regions associated with mentalizing (i.e., the inference of other's mental states) when engaged in decision making tasks with a computer, when compared to a human. These findings are important for affective computing because they suggest people's decision making might be influenced differently according to whether they believe the emotional expressions shown by a computer are being generated by a computer algorithm or a human. To test this, we had people engage in a social dilemma (Experiment 1) or a negotiation (Experiment 2) with virtual humans that were either agents (i.e., controlled by computers) or avatars (i.e., controlled by humans). The results show a clear agency effect: in Experiment 1, people cooperated more with virtual humans that showed facial cooperative displays (e.g., joy after mutual cooperation) rather than competitive displays (e.g., joy when the participant was exploited) but, the effect was only significant with avatars, in Experiment 2, people conceded more to an angry than a neutral virtual human but, once again, the effect was only significant with avatars.
THE RECOGNITION OF RIGHTS IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Gewirth has argued that rights are justified by their role in the “generic features” of action. Simply by virtue of being a purposive agent capable of voluntary action, one must accept the logic that all persons with such characteristics have certain moral rights. But the language of rights theories does not deal with the process by which rights are acknowledged. How do we go about recognizing those characteristics of human life that underlie the logic Gewirth claims is necessary? By what process do I recognize, for example, your “right” to be told the truth? Acknowledging someone else's right involves two elements: a recognition of the content of the right and a recognition of the binding power of the right which is experienced by the agent as a sense of obligation. Analyzing the process by which these two factors are recognized and examining the foundation for that process will clarify some of the assumptions utilized in rights theories.
Spot Mode Transition and the Anode Fall of Pulsed Magnetoplasmadynamic Thrusters

An experimentally based description of the major mechanism regulating the anode fall of a high-power, pulsed, self-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster is presented. Plasma property data recorded to within one electron Larmor radius of the anode indicate that, with increasing current, the anode transitions from a diffuse, low-anode fall mode of operation to a mode with high-anode falls and spotty current attachment. The transition is marked by an order of magnitude increase in ion saturation current noise measured in the anode region, which is attributed to spot motion and, for the case of a smooth anode surface, is triggered by the condition at which the discharge current density to the anode exceeds the random thermal electron current density. Experiments with a roughened anode indicate that the anode fall in the spot mode serves the purpose of evaporating anode material, and comparison of anode falls measured with smooth copper, aluminum, and molybdenum anodes shows that the magnitude of the anode fall in the spot mode is dependent on anode thermal properties. The spot mode is also found to provide an explanation for anode fall saturation.
Planar imaging with single-head large-field-of-view cameras: Are they still the workhorse?

The large-field-of-view (LFOV) scintillation camera was developed in 1975 with a field of view 50% larger than the conventional camera used at that time. Not only was the new model more adaptable to large-area imaging needs, such as lungs, bone, liver, and spleen, but it could be used for small-organ imaging with a converging collimator that yielded both high resolution and high efficiency. LFOV cameras still offer the most flexibility for all of the common procedures encountered in the nuclear medicine clinic. For those installations performing up to approximately 13 procedures a day, two LFOV cameras can handle the patient load, and little advantage would be gained by the use of the multihead cameras. For the busy laboratories, however, the increased patient throughput would be the primary advantage of the multihead systems. Dual LFOV systems offer an advantage in time for wholebody imaging procedures, and three-head systems in many installations have been devoted to myocardial perfusion and brain SPECT. Although the LFOV camera is still the dominant imaging device in nuclear medicine, it is expected that in the future more procedures will gravitate to the dedicated two and three multihead system, particularly with the increasing applications of both SPECT and quantification to conventional nuclear medicine procedures.
Transgenic mice with a mutated collagen promoter display normal response during bleomycin-induced fibrosis and possess neurological abnormalities.

We have previously identified a potential TGF-beta activation element (TAE) in the rat collagen alpha1(I) promoter at -1624 upstream of the transcriptional start site [Ritzenthaler et al., 1991, 1993]. To determine the importance of the TAE in vivo, we produced transgenic mice carrying 3.6 kb of the rat collagen alpha1(I) promoter linked to the reporter gene chloramphenicol acetyl transferase with and without site-directed mutations that eliminate DNA-protein binding at the TAE site. Tissue-specific expression of the reporter gene in transgenic mice with the mutated collagen promoter was similar to that of transgenic mice with the normal promoter in two genetic backgrounds as judged by in situ hybridization, reporter assays, and immunochemistry. Endotracheal instillation of bleomycin induces lung fibrosis, mediated in part by TGF-beta. Earlier studies indicated that expression of wild-type collagen-reporter gene was upregulated in transgenic mice lungs in response to endotracheal instillation of bleomycin. A similar level of reporter gene upregulation was observed in transgenic mice carrying the mutation in the TAE. Two lines of transgenic mice carrying the mutated promoter construct displayed unexpected neurological abnormalities. In the FVB genetic background, there was a higher than normal incidence of mortality, spontaneous seizures, and an inability to nurture offspring. Histological evidence demonstrated clear abnormalities, including disorderly arrangement of neurons in the hippocampus and significant laminar cortical necrosis in the cerebrum in animals after seizures. In the C57Bl/6 background, there was a high incidence of severe communicating hydrocephalus, early runting, and increased mortality similar to that in transgenic animals with astroglial overexpression of TGF-beta. These animals provide an interesting model system to investigate molecular mechanisms responsible for seizures and hydrocephalus.
Weathering of Mars - Antarctic analog studies

Subaerial extrusion of lavas above permafrost is proposed as a possible weathering regime leading to the presence of Martian surface fines, and the characteristics of this process are examined through a study of the analogous altered terrestrial basalts from Antarctica. On the basis of mineralogical and petrological analyses of samples obtained from core cuttings recovered by the Dry Valley Drilling Program from rocks predominantly of an aklalic basalt-phonolite suite, it is found that in the absence of liquid water, weathering is geologically slow, and that zeolites predominate over clays as secondary mineral. Of the possible weathering processes proposed for Mars, it is concluded that both subaerial extrusion and subpermafrost intrusion of lavas involving liquid water would be less important volumetrically than the hydrothermal alteration of impact melt sheets if water were present during an intense phase of early bombardment, or than subsequent solid-gas alteration reactions. It is thus predicted that the present Martian fines should contain a major contribution from the ancient crust as typified by the southern cratered highlands, and a lesser contribution from the younger basaltic lavas.
On the multidimensional prediction and filtering problem and the factorization of spectral matrices

Abstract Since the linear prediction and filtering of multiple correlated stationary random signals involves the solution of a matrix integral equation, several methods of solution of this equation have been developed. In this paper the direct solution by complex variable techniques is extended from the one-dimensional case. The problem reduces to the factorization of a spectral density matrix and this factorization is the principal topic of the paper. Under very general conditions, a factorization procedure has been developed by Wiener and Masani (1) for discrete time series. Their technique is applied here with some modifications to the factorization of the spectral density matrices of continuous processes. A simplified procedure is developed also for the case where the elements of the spectral density matrix are rational functions of frequency. Examples illustrate the general technique and the simplified procedure.
Constraining In-Situ Stresses at BETA by Analysis of Borehole Images and Downhole Pressure Data

This paper presents the analysis of in-situ stress magnitudes from observed borehole failures. Knowledge about the state of in-situ stress is important for many applications in the petroleum industry such as predicting sanding potential and reservoir behavior during depletion, and defining the range of safe mud weights to prevent lost circulation or wellbore collapse while drilling.
A note on the Σo lifetime

Abstract We show that the Σo Λ transition moment should not exhibit SU(6) symmetry breaking due to the strange quark mass. This result is in agreement with experiment.
Preferences of cedar waxwings in the laboratory for fruit species, colour and size: A comparison with field observations

Abstract Fruit preferences of cedar waxwings, Bombycilla cedrorum , in the laboratory were compared with preferences in the field to identify fruit characteristics that influence choice by avian dispersers. Waxwings ate 12 of 13 species of fruits offered individually in laboratory tests, but in the field ate only eight of the same 13 species. When given a choice of 10 fruit species offered simultaneously, waxwings showed a strong preference for fruits that were small or red. Preferences for fruit species in the laboratory were not correlated with morphological or nutritional characteristics of the fruits. When offered food that differed only in colour, waxwings initially preferred red over blue, yellow and green. In later tests, preference for red fruit was less marked. In tests for size preference, waxwings preferred small pieces of fruit (6 mm) over medium pieces (9 mm), and medium pieces over those that were large (12 mm). Sizes of fruits preferred in the field and in the laboratory tests were approximately 6·0–7·5 mm. Thus, waxwings can discern differences in food items and they have definite preferences. The lack of complete agreement between preferences for fruits in the field and in the laboratory suggests that factors important in the field but controlled in the laboratory (e.g. abundance, location) override preferences for certain fruits. However, some fruit characteristics, particularly size, were consistently influential in the laboratory and in the field.
A note on r-maximal subspaces of V∞

On etend la methode fondamentale de Kalantari pour construire des sous-espaces de V ∞ avec de nouvelles proprietes
VEGF therapy: risky business for established plaques?

[Comment on Lucerna et al, page 122][1]VEGF therapy was shown to be effective for the treatment of ischemic vascular disease. However, possible adverse effects of such treatment continue to be debated. Lucerna and colleagues show in this issue of Blood that proinflammatory effects of vascular
Quantitative Analysis of Bacterial Migration in Chemotaxis

THERE are a number of parallels between the chemotactic response of bacteria and the process of chemoreception in higher organisms1, 2. Because of this analogy, the chemotactic response presents an unusual opportunity in a simple system for delineating some of the features of a receptor system. Adler and co-workers3–5, for example, have made particularly important advances in studies on Escherichia coli which indicate that (a) the galactose binding protein6, 7 is the receptor which triggers the chemotactic response5 and (b) the response occurs with non-metabolizableanalogues of galactose3.
Changes in albumin, α-fetoprotein and collagen gene transcription in CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis

In efforts to understand mechanisms of liver dysfunction in cirrhosis, transcription of specific genes important to liver function has been measured in the rat model of CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis. The relative transcription rates of albumin, alpha-fetoprotein and pro-alpha 1-collagen genes were studied during development of fibrosis and after fibrosis was established. During the initial phase of CCl4 administration, there was a decrease in albumin transcription associated with increased alpha-fetoprotein transcription, indicative of active liver regeneration. However, later during development of fibrosis, the response pattern of these genes was different, as albumin gene transcription was normal or increased and alpha-fetoprotein gene transcription was no longer increased. Three weeks after completion of CCl4 treatment (fully established cirrhosis), albumin genes responded normally or hypernormally to an acute regenerative stimulus, but the alpha-fetoprotein gene was again not measurably responsive. Pro-alpha 1-collagen gene transcription increased during the entire fibrogenic process and remained elevated after cirrhosis was established. These studies suggest that a switch from albumin to alpha-fetoprotein gene transcription can serve as a marker of liver regenerative capacity, and that this process is altered during and after development of hepatic fibrosis. The fibrogenic process is also associated with elevated transcription of collagen genes.
Dynamics of cytokine expression in HIV productively infected primary CD4+ T cells

Using intracellular p24 staining to discriminate between bystander and HIV productively infected cells, we evaluated the properties of HIV productively infected cells in terms of cytokine expression, activation status, apoptosis, and cell proliferation. We demonstrate that HIV productively infected primary CD4(+) T cells express 12- to 47-fold higher type 1 cytokines than bystander or mock-infected cells. The frequency of HIV productive replication occurred predominantly in T-helper 1 (Th1), followed by Th0, then by Th2 cells. These productively infected cells expressed elevated levels of CD95, CD25, CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), and CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5). While productively infected cells were only 1.8-fold higher in apoptosis frequency, they up-regulated the antiapoptotic protein B-cell leukemia 2 (Bcl-2) by 10-fold. Up-regulation of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and Bcl-2 were dependent on phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase signal transduction, given that it was down-regulated by Wortmanin treatment. Additionally, 60% of productively infected cells entered the cell cycle, as evaluated by Ki67 staining, but none divided, as evaluated by carboxyfluoresccin diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) staining. Evaluation of cell cycle progression by costaining for DNA and RNA indicated that the cells were arrested in G(2)/M. Collectively, these data indicate that HIV replication occurs predominantly in Th1 cells and is associated with immune activation and up-regulation of Bcl-2, conferring a considerable degree of protection against apoptosis in the productively infected subpopulation.
Phospholipid adsorption onto rice hull ash from soy oil miscellas

Phospholipid was adsorbed from soy oil miscellas by rice hull ash, with small doses of adsorbent binding most efficiently. Adsorption increased with residual phosphorus, suggesting that less accessible adsorption sites were being used as residual values increased, probably due to the heterogeneous nature of the ash. Binding of phospholipid was enhanced by isopropanol, as has been found for adsorption on silicic acid.